K-pop sociological image #2: “Sexuality” vs “Sexualization”?

Wow, I noticed I’ve been talking about nothing else except “sexiness” over these past days. But I hope you’re not too sick of it just yet, because I came across this super interesting article via The Grand Narrative that I just have to share. It  discusses the difference between being “sexual” and being “sexualized” when it comes to portraying young girls (and females in general) in the media. While I was reading it, this one particular excerpt stood out to me, and caused my thoughts to sidetrack a bit from the article’s main topic:

… there is a difference between sexuality (feeling sexual) and sexualization (being seen as sexy). I (and many other like-minded feminists) believe that girls should be sexual; but, sexualization (and its concomitant focus on appearance instead of desire) is bad because it denies girls’ sexual subjectivity in favor of sexual objectification.

I like the author’s point, but there’s just a couple of things that I want to dissect.

First of all, sexuality = feeling sexual, but what does “sexual” exactly mean? Does it mean ‘being in the mood’, or does it mean ‘feeling who you are as your sex’? Then again, is there necessarily a difference? Ultimately, what defines us as the female sex? Is it the ability to have (and to want to have) sex with the opposite sex? (Remember, sex versus gender. Being female in terms of sex is quite different than being a woman.)

There’s another thing that bothers me. “Sexy” is a very arbitrary term. IMO, what’s seen as “sexy” is in the eye of the beholder, because it can be used to define the internal just as it defines the external. The author here seems to be linking “sexy” to “sexual objectification”, which I don’t really agree with. I think a better definition of “sexualization” would be “being objectified as physically sexy” (and therefore, being seen as an object of satisfaction for purely physical desires). 

Now, what if we applied this to our favorite ‘sexy K-pop controversy’ cases.

HyunA? Sexual or sexualized?

Rania? Sexual or sexualized? 

Other female idols in K-pop? Sexual or sexualized?

How about the flipside: Male idols in K-pop? Sexual or sexualized? Is there a difference?

Here are my thoughts. Just as words themselves are arbitrary, ultimate perceptions of K-pop idols are as well. I do believe that there is a big difference between sexual expression and being sexualized, and that is that the former doesn’t neglect to express the self while the latter does. But to be honest, it really depends on how you choose to perceive it (or how open-minded you choose to be.) Everything is subject to our personal morals, values, beliefs, personal tastes, etc. I mean, it’s really in our own control whether we choose to see performers or faceless gyrating bodies. (And each perception has its own set of consequences.) And to quote the FM boys (because they’re always relevant): ”I’m not gonna lie, I want your body/But I know there’s more than just your body.” 

I think it’s safe to say that the ultimate responsibility lies with the audience. But a middle ground nevertheless needs to be met, because we’re not perfect beings — we’ll never be completely immune to whatever message is being relayed to us via the media (but that also depends on how we choose to interpret that message). However, with that said, let me just end with a question I’m dying to know you guys’ thoughts on: what about the case of the new girl group Swing Girls and their, ahem, interesting choice for a debut concept?

On August 19th, a five-member girl group averaging 170 cm in height and all owning D-cup breasts will be making their debut, ready to set ablaze the hearts of men.

The girls revealed, “We joined our company after we saw a notice saying they’re looking for tall singers. Once all of the members came together, we all averaged 170 cm in height, and all had D-cup breasts as well. We’ll be using that as our differentiating factor, and thus debut with our sexiness.”

With ’sexiness’ as their main weapon of choice, the girls boasted a variety of experiences, such as taking part in modeling competitions and even competing for a Miss Korea pageant.

Their point choreography will be one they named themselves called the ‘heartache dance’. The ladies are also playing up to the romantic fantasies of men with a ’stewardess look’ to capture their hearts.

Swing Girls said, “We were afraid we might look like we’re cosplaying, but we like the outfits. They’re both mature and sexy and leave us a lot of room to express ourselves on stage.”

(article source: Allkpop)

What are you supposed to do when it comes a group of girls who is promoting themselves purposely on the basis of physique; most specifically, their breasts? Surely there must be a difference between this and something like the “Dream Team 2” controversy, right? There, yes, we saw boobs, but with the Swing Girls, we’re being literally asked to place our attention on them as their “differentiating factor”; the core of their “sexiness”…? 

I don’t really understand what I’m supposed think. I’m just really confused, to be honest (or maybe I’m just confusing myself). I need some fresh brains at work here. What are your thoughts?