Sexualization and sexual exploitation in K-pop

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K-pop, which was once a conservative music industry, has grown to include more elements of sexualization over time.^[1] This is in part due to 21st century globalization.^[2] K-pop was adopted by the Japanese idol system in the 90s^[1] and eventually morphed into a global phenomenon over a twenty-year time frame.^[1] Male and female idols do follow some normative feminine and masculine traits, respectively, as defined by the South Korean patriarchal system and in conjunction with a globally desired façade.^[3] Female idols are often objectified more than male idols.^[4]

Historical context[]

The advent of modern K-pop arguably started in 1992, the genre gained significant foothold by 1996 during the industrialization of K-pop, matured through the mid 2000s,^[1] and flourished by 2010.^[5] Though beauty is an ever-present ideal for Korean popular culture, these time periods represent shifts in beauty norms and K-pop ideals.^[1] The early 1990s brought a young, individualistic cuteness to the scene with stocky builds and chubby faces, following the Korean beauty norms of the 1980s.^[1] Following the 1980s Japanese idol system, idol groups were generated in the late 1990s, often mimicking western boy bands with innocence and sunny dispositions. During this time a review committee censored all Korean music and music videos for sexual and explicit content.^[5] The committee was disbanded in June 1996.^[5] After an economic crisis in 1997 and success of K-pop outside South Korea, the innocence morphed into a more romantic and hipper image in the early 2000s. This presented the first major signs of sexualization.^[1] This transformation was aided by the increased use of music videos.^[5]

Globalization[]

The late 2000s brought K-pop into its modern era and introduced it to the international stage with the Korean wave in Asia. The early 2010s bolstered K-pop to an international powerhouse with the global Korean wave. K-pop has always been influenced by western musical styles; however, many link its international success to the globalization caused by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) bailout period (during the 1997 South Korean economic crash) in South Korea's neo-liberalization.^[2] Post-IMF South Korea has incorporated more Westernized (specifically, Americanized) culture into their products (i.e. exports) in order to prosper in international sales, thus pressing the popular music industry to become more westernized.^[2] Integration of westernization brought the western male gaze^[2][6] and the hyper-sexualization of products, especially in the popular music scene.^[2] Not only was the music itself altered to enhance exportability, but given the modern age of the music video, the performer was also altered.^[2] Additionally, the proliferation of K-pop allows for South Korea to enter and even dominate the global "cultural war," a concept tied to a battle for attention between the globalized cultures in the modern era. Thus, the government of South Korea encourages the use of K-pop to promote global recognition.

Manifestation[]

Sexualization in YouTube music videos[]

Given the liberalization of sex, sexual content has increased in K-pop music videos. A video content analysis by Bohye Song of MelOn Hot 100 chart listings of the most popular Korean music videos of 2004, 2005, 2014, and 2015 analyzed their sexual content and increases over time.^[5] Content observed were sexual innuendos, sexual acts, and provocative clothing. The results were broken down into four parts of changes in physical affection, provocative dress, suggestiveness, and gender variance.^[5] It was found that displayed physical affections did not change on average, but implicit sex increased, sexual suggestiveness increased, provocative clothing increased, and female lead singers showed a significant increase in provocative display.^[5] This means that there is a significant increase in the display, mainly through clothing, of sexualized females and some males, but there is not much of an increase in sexual acts (two people in contact) depicted.^[5] This can be exemplified with modern music videos. Examples of K-pop music videos with revealing clothing on a female singer include "Marionette" by Stellar, "Roll Deep" by Hyuna, "Ring My Bell" by Girl's Day, "Wild" by Nine Muses, "Wiggle Wiggle" by Hello Venus, "Like a Cat" by AOA, "Butt" by I-Ren, and "Dr. Feel Good" by BP RaNia, among many others.^[7] The female singers sported short skirts, short shorts, cleavage, tight clothing...etc.^[7] Correspondingly, male singers have worn see-through shirts and pants, extremely short shorts, and even corsets or skimpy dresses (in drag).^[8] Complementary to these are banned-from-broadcast videos, which include, but are not limited to, "MOMMAE" by Jay Park, due to overtly sexualized females; "Abracadabra" by Brown Eyed Girls, for being sexually suggestive; "Mirotic" by TVXQ, for body exposure and explicit language; "One More" by FIESTAR, due to sexual imagery; both "Vibrato" and "Marionette" by Stellar, for sexually suggestive dancing and clothing; "Touch Me" by Ivy, for sexual imagery and suggestive lyrics; "Joker" by Dal Shabet, for sexual choreography; "Shower Later" by Gary, due to sexual innuendos and mature themes; and "Bae Bae" by BIGBANG, for sexual innuendos.^[9] Lastly, the transition from innocent to sexualized can be shown by Girls’ Generation music videos.^[10] Their video for "Gee" in 2009 maintained schoolgirl innocence, then their video for "Oh!" in 2010 kept their innocence, but added on a prelude to their dark side at the end when it pitted the innocent schoolgirl cheerleaders against sexier, shadowy versions of themselves.^[10] Finally, their 2011 video for "The Boys" replaced innocence with mature sexiness.^[10]

Controversies[]

Criticism for showing feminist behavior[]

Female Korean pop stars have faced strong criticism for expressing feminist opinions.^[11] Female K-pop idols are expected to be cute and beautiful while being obedient to public reception. Even showing an interest in female empowerment is considered controversial. When K-pop stars have deviated and raised their voices have been publicly criticized and attacked.^[12] For example, Sulli, who was known for being outspoken about feminism and women's rights, was a rarity among K-pop's tightly image-controlled stars. Because of this, the star endured years of online harassment and abuse which eventually pushed her into depression and suicide.^[13]

Both male and female K-pop artists face sexualization and objectification; however, female K-pop artists seem to experience a disproportionate amount.^[4] Women are subjected to the male gaze and being considered exotic and submissive for their fans.^[4] Femininity is desired to coincide with the social structure so as to maximize profit; idols are normally forced into this definition in conjunction with Korea's inherently well-defined role for women.

References[]