When we think of K-pop, the image of bright lights, fun songs, and beaming artists doing what they love in front of thousands of cheering fans is what immediately comes to mind. With this happy front, we don’t really think of what happens behind the scenes. Most of the time, we don’t even notice what is in front of us. Deliberately or not, K-pop fans are guilty with perpetuating sexism and tainting the genre with their double standards.
The treatment of female and male idols by the fans is clearly segregated. With the majority of the fans being female, there are obvious preferences for the male groups and members. 2PM, a male group, used to be referred to as “beastly idols” for taking off their shirts on stage, but when HyunA, a female singer, wears shorts the fans are quick to call her “too sexy.” Male groups can reuse the same concept of “cutesy schoolboys,” but when female groups do cute concepts, they are called “unoriginal” and told to find a new concept.
The treatment of female and male idols by the fans is clearly segregated. With the majority of the fans being female, there are obvious preferences for the male groups and members. 2PM, a male group, used to be referred to as “beastly idols” for taking off their shirts on stage, but when HyunA, a female singer, wears shorts the fans are quick to call her “too sexy.” Male groups can reuse the same concept of “cutesy schoolboys,” but when female groups do cute concepts, they are called “unoriginal” and told to find a new concept.
Every time there is a controversy online, I’ve noticed a trend in the comments section. For male artists, the majority of fans are always trying to find justification for the artist’s actions. For female artists, only a few comments, sometimes none, are trying to defend them. Singer T.O.P. was caught up in a marijuana scandal earlier this year and many fans were defending him, saying that “he’s an adult, he can do what he wants.” However, his actions were wrong since marijuana is illegal in Korea, and while it may not seem like a very big deal, he did break the law. Despite this, fans still protected him. On the other hand, girl group T-ARA was rumored to have bullied a member and received so much backlash that they fell from their spot near the top of the K-pop ladder in 2012. It was recently revealed that the rumor was untrue, but it was too late for T-ARA to regain popularity.
It’s appalling to read comments from other fans who bash on female artists and groups so easily but praise their male idols with the same fervor. Fans have to realize that their idols are not perfect and do make mistakes, and that they should have to deal with the consequences of their behavior. Male and female groups and singers should not have to face a ridiculous double standard where males are praised for one thing and females are ripped apart for doing the same thing or something similar. K-pop should be an industry that is positive on the outside and inside, and we can start by stopping our own judgements of female idols.
It’s appalling to read comments from other fans who bash on female artists and groups so easily but praise their male idols with the same fervor. Fans have to realize that their idols are not perfect and do make mistakes, and that they should have to deal with the consequences of their behavior. Male and female groups and singers should not have to face a ridiculous double standard where males are praised for one thing and females are ripped apart for doing the same thing or something similar. K-pop should be an industry that is positive on the outside and inside, and we can start by stopping our own judgements of female idols.