i can’t say i’m disappointed; never really expected fairness or feminism to be supported in korean mainstream media. i guess the word i’d use to explain how i feel is shocked. shocked that so much hatred towards woman is normalized and internalized by such young people already–but a part of me accepts this phenomena so readily, like i already sort of knew it.
tumblr entry by maddieloveskpop:
Recent controversial events in K-pop
Some crazy shit has been happening in K-pop recently. Since I don’t have much more to add besides what other people have already covered, and since I’m not sure how many people who follow this blog also follow other (better) K-pop/social justice blogs, I’ll aggregate it here:
- After Dal*Shabet had a special dance stage with B1A4 that involved physical contact between Dal*Shabet members and B1A4 members, Korean B1A4 fans (BANAs) spread rumours about Serri’s allegedly impolite behaviour backstage as well as about Dal*Shabet fans (Darlings) assaulting and kidnapping (!) BANAs. The police intervened.
- SNL Korea, the new South Korean arm of the American show, had a skit aboutDreamgirls with the performers in blackface. Response from Angry K-Pop Fan.
- MBLAQ’s comeback single, “This is War”, opens with a sampled quote from Malcolm X from his “By Any Means Necessary” speech. Response from Feminoonas.
- The MV for Teen Top’s comeback single, “미치겠어” (Driving Me Crazy), featured Sohyun of 4minute as the female lead. Following that, a Teen Top fan posted a response to the video threatening Sohyun over her “raunchy behaviour and loose morals”.
- CAP, leader of Teen Top, is asked on a talk show how he would treat his children. He responds that if he had a son, he would buy him whatever he wanted, but if he had a daughter, he would hit her and keep her at home. When his other members ask him why, he says “Because it’s dangerous for her to be outside”, and “to make her obedient”. Collected commentary at Feminoonas.
and from the grand narrative, a translated article about what korean teen boys think about girls wearing “hot pants”:
“오크가 그런 걸 입는 게 말이나 돼요?” “Would Orcs Wear Hot Pants?”
판타지 소설이나 롤플레잉 게임에 주로 등장하는 괴물, ‘오크’족. 쭉쭉빵빵 몸매도 좋고 능력도 좋은 미녀캐릭터들에 비해 볼품이 없어 쉽게 무시당하고 힘만 센 캐릭터. 아이들의 설명에 의하면 이랬다. TV에서 연예인들이 입는 것과는 다르다는 것. 그건 당연히 ‘봐줄 만하다’는 것이다. 핫팬츠뿐만 아니라 미니스커트에도 역시 강한 불만을 표했는데, 이번에는 또 다른 이유를 제기했다.
As the students explained, in fantasy novels and role-playing games the monster that appears the most frequently is the orc. Unlike beautiful female characters, with great abilities and voluptuous bodies (and usually useless armor – James), orcs are essentially faceless characters that can easily be disregarded. What entertainers wear on TV is different though, and, of course, it’s worth watching.
But it’s not just hot pants that the boys had problems with girls wearing, but also miniskirts. They gave a second reason for that.
“옷이 그러면 그렇고 그런 거 아니에요? 위험할 수도 있잖아요.”
“Doesn’t wearing clothes like that say something about you? And it’s dangerous too!”
아이들은 여성인 내게 “선생님도 그런 옷을 입냐”며 “도대체 왜”냐고 야단이었다. 한 학생이 모자를 쓰고 있기에 “너는 왜 모자를 쓰고 있냐” 물으니 “그냥 좋아서”라고 가볍게 얘기했다. 그럼 “핫팬츠나 미니스커트를 선택해서 착용하는 것은 무엇이 다르냐” 물으니 “그건 당연히 다르다”고 소리친다. 적절한 대답이 없을 때 아이들은 대개 화를 낸다.
The students asked me, a woman, “Do you wear clothes like that?”, and, in a critical tone, “Why on Earth do women wear those?”. So, to one student who was wearing a hat I asked “Why are you wearing that hat?”, to which he casually replied “Because I like it”. So then I asked “How is that different to choosing hot pants or a miniskirt”, and got the retort that “Of course it’s different!”, the student becoming angry that he didn’t really have a proper answer.
all of makes me so frustrated, angry, and sad all at once.
there is a need to put this in context, as noted by the gold notebook on tumblr:
At first, I was offended by his line of questioning, but now I think I understand the reasoning. The coded message was that Korea can be a scary place for women, in a heavily patriarchal society. Of course, that easily turns into blame-the-victim ideology…
a part of me realizes some of the things that are happening is done in ignorance. there is a dire need for education around mutual respect, women’s rights and human rights. there needs to be a shift in perspective, which is more than just a few political and legal changes.
ugh. it’s an uphill battle. and like many other uphill, impossible-looking battles–it probably will get worse before it gets better.
i’ve observed that most, if not all, societies swing from one side to another, reacting to the shock that comes after traveling too far down one extreme and realizing their mistake (usually takes a big catastrophe, sensationalized by the media). i have more to say about that phenomena in and of itself, but i’ll save that for a later time seeing as that would be diverting to a different road.
