HIYAAA! I just wanted to say that i stumbled upon your blog and it is absolutely amazing! I totally agree with you on so many levels and you’re doing a fantastic job! Being a young woman in today’s society is pretty tough and your words of wisdom and just are reaaaaaally inspiring! I love you~! haha~~ I also just wanted to ask you what you thought about HyunA’s comeback and her increasingly sexual content? And also, i really like HyunA and other kpop artists, but im afraid to buy their albums/merchandise because i feel like i, as the consumer, am supporting the media’s horrible cause…i’m not too sure what to do, some of your insight will greatly be appreciated :D~!  

Sincerely, Tiffany~

Hey there love! I hope you don’t mind me re-posting your comment publicly — this is a fantastic question and it’s awesome that you’re constantly aware of your actions as a consumer and a fan of kpop :D 

Okay so before we begin, let me post up Hyuna’s newest track “Bubble Pop” for reference’s sake (and I still need to watch it): 

… Yeah okay watching it wasn’t probably the best idea right now because I absolutely LOVE it, and I’m gonna have to write up this post with that “ooh ooh ooh” thing echoing through my head. 

On a more serious note, it’s true that we’re seeing quite a few ‘sexy’ images in kpop nowadays, including Hyuna, and a lot of the reactions I’ve come across were quite negative. A very common thing I’ve heard around was that though “Bubble Pop” is a ‘cute song’, the dance (and Hyuna) was ‘too sexy’. This brings me back to when I first shared my opinion about Rania and their debut. Allow me to quote some awesome points a couple of readers brought up during the Rania discussion, which nicely sum up the core of my perspective:

…the double standard that when female artists wear “provocative” clothes they’re “sluts” but when male artists rip off their shirt it’s, “WAAAAAH!!!!”

Why should feeling sexy be a taboo?

…there doesn’t have to be any negative connotations attached if society doesn’t force one upon it.

I believe there’s nothing wrong with ‘sexual content’. The problem lies in how we, the audience, has perceived it over the years. Why is it that we get so, I guess, ‘turned off’ when we see concepts that are ‘too sexy’, ESPECIALLY when it involves women? You can already start seeing how this can come off as sexist and misogynistic. This is where I play often-played double-standard card: do we criticize just as much when our male stars rip their shirts off and thrust against the stage’s floor? It’s something to think about. 

Secondly, the fact that we protest about ‘sexiness’… like what the second quote above implies, what’s wrong about a women feeling sexy in her own skin? Why do we flinch when we see girls with mini skirts or mid-drifts strolling down the sidewalk, let alone in music videos? A common response to this would be something along the lines of, “well, it just shows that she’s asking for it.” In my eyes, this is flawed logic. This type of thinking perpetuates several things in our society, including: discrimination against women and their freedom of self-expression, rape, and the ‘blaming the victim’ phenomenon. The mistake does not lie with the woman who chose to sport a low-top dress — it lies with the rapist who got violent because was unable to keep it in his (or her) pants. Because of this, us women need to watch the things we say or the way we look in public? It’s like, hello, what about the one who actually committed the crime? Like I’ve said before, society needs to be taught not to rape, not how to not be raped. (On a side note, let’s not forget that males do get raped as well.)

Which leads me to my third point. What is needed is a shift of the way we think. Why is ‘too sexy Hyuna’ bad*? I mean, come on ladies, don’t kid yourselves — we all like to feel sexy. We all enjoy feeling good about ourselves. ‘Sexy’ is not a taboo. I believe it’s a celebration of confidence and self-expression. And it doesn’t always have to do with the act of sex or intercourse. (On the flip-side, so what if it does? I mean, we’re creatures who thrive off sex. I know I come off as blatant to some, but it’s true — sex is a part of life. We shouldn’t attach negative connotations to it because it’s natural. And instead of depriving ourselves of it in order to fix the negative side-effects that come with it, we should focus on teaching values of responsibility. The problems that arise are not results of sex — they result from irresponsibility.)

*Then again, what is ‘sexy’, and what is ‘too sexy’?!

This is why Hyuna’s video really surprised me, and in a good way. “Bubble Pop” to me is a symbol of her transformation from her Hot Issue days to the sexy, powerful performer we’ve all anticipated her to be. I love it. I love this sexy image — I think it totally fits her. The thing is, if she was still underage, I honestly wouldn’t know how to address that aspect (as in I have no opinion — I literally am stumped). But she’s not. According to Naver (whose information is generally accepted as ‘truth’ when it comes to celebrities, despite claims about it being otherwise*), she was born in 1992, making her now 19 (her birthday is June 6), or even 20, if you use the Korean age system. (Or 21? That system confuses me to no end, I’m sorry T_T.) 

*No source; just heard around both online and off.

Those are my two cents. Then again, there is an array of potentially negating opinions out there. Off the top of my head, there’s criticism of the media and the ‘objectification of women’ — portraying their bodies in a sexual light, therefore minimizing them as purely sources of sexual gratitude. But wait, males are also objectified in the media as well, meaning that they’re also “minimized” as “sources of sexual gratitude”. Both sexes’ human sides are therefore degraded to such, yes, but isn’t it because that’s how we perceive it? If we can all achieve a certain high level of awareness and teach ourselves to view such images on television and in magazines in a different light, then it wouldn’t be a problem anymore now, would it? I mean, when it comes down to it, everything is socially constructed. But yeah, I don’t know, I just feel like I’m talking in circles right now :|

But anyways, I think you shouldn’t feel bad about purchasing kpop idol merch for this particular reason* :] In fact, by buying their products you can say that you’re supporting their creative self-expression — you’re giving them a thumbs up that it’s okay for them to express themselves however they want… that is, if my opinion aligns with yours :] 

*Because there are other reasons out there to not support the industry, but let’s save that for another post lol

I hope this was a good enough response to your question T_T let me know if anything remains unclear or if I just completely bombed it LOL. Because I know a majority of this post wasn’t in direct address to Hyuna’s comeback, but in address to the idea behind it. 

And thank you dearly for your kind words! They made my day :] I love YOU! xx