At the same time, we can expect to see a rise in other forms of Asian soft power, as different countries promote their own cultural content and influence. So in my opinion, Asia will rise and in 10 years it will be normal to hear Asian music on the radio. Big changes are coming.
#changes #Asia
This development is significant for the Korean Wave (Hallyu) and the broader landscape of Asian popular culture. I think, in the future, Hallyu is likely to grow even more popular across the region.
After the introduction of U.S. tariffs, China, South Korea, and Japan pledged to strengthen their trade relations. In our everyday life too - hating the same "person" is one of the best ways to be close friends and find good chemistry.
#so_do_I
So it is an easy way how politics show their power over the people and their personal lives. But with time, fandom finds a way anyway, is it illegal or not. Also, wounds will heal a little bit, and Korean companies often collaborate with Chinese firms to be on the Chinese market.
#collaboration
In 2016, after South Korea agreed to deploy the THAAD missile defense system, China responded in a strategic way - they didn´t banned Korean things that China has their own part, but they found something that is not connected at all - Hallyu. Banned Korean soft power, they created their own.
As we know politics has a big impact in our life. Political system and varying degrees of control over cultural life, sounds terrible, but very real. For example Chinese government strictly controls media and entertainment and they have their own censorship and state controls.
#censorship #controls
I think K-pop hip-hop just wanted to look cool and we should be proud thay thought this culture is interesting. But I agree that we should show our interest in within the limits of normality, but normality is so different in every country.
For example, when idols wear Black hairstyles (cornrows) without understanding their cultural significance or the discrimination faced by Black people for wearing them. At the same time I think every culture have deeper meanings, but some cultures are way more louder to introduce their history.
In my view, discussing African-American influence can be a particularly sensitive topic. Nowadays even they change dictionaries and some of the words are not allowed to say. Just in case, they do not want to touch their culture. But sometimes it with idols and they even do not know about it.
#safe
Now I think cultural appropriation is less common, because of the global fans. They can say if something is not suitable or a little bit rassistic. And if some group is that way, maybe Koreans do not think it is bad, but global fans will be upset.
#cultural_appropriation
According to a class K-pop hip-hop had three different kinds of eras in cultural appropriation: complete lack of knowledge, called out by fans, and now cultural appropriation minefield. At first K-pop hip-hop area tried to find cool cultures, but the result looked like they try to mock culture.
We think it is totally normal and try to mimic our "idols". And after that we think why men think about women as sex objects. We watched NewJeans in class and I was amazed how much sexuality, they image supposed to be way more "aegyo" and cute. But is it? Actually they try to be both
#aegyo #objects
As Dr. Saeji said in a class "women are good fans and it is the reason why it changed". I think, they needed to change direct sexuality, but somehow give hidden sexuality, that men fans would be happy. So in my opinion hidden sexuality is even way more worse -we accept it secretly and it is okay.
Body rolls, close-ups, leg showing and touching every part of the body was very common -we knew what we gonna see if we start to watch these videos. Nowadays we can see sexual content and also actually hidden sexuality.
If I think about how K-pop girl groups were sexualized about 15 years ago and how they are presented now, I would say it is different, but still they sexualize women groups. Before we can say very well like almost every video was sexual and giving fantasies to men, not to women.
#sexual #women_kpop
In my opinion, when prominent public figures engage in feminist advocacy and are subsequently subjected to criticism, it may deter ordinary women and girls from expressing similar views or taking similar actions. Fear of social disapproval, leading them to "act as society want".
#justbegood
Because of that mindset I can say it is hard to espouse female mindsets to public, even it is hard to female celebrities. If You read wrong book, wear wrong clothes, bodyshape is different etc. - everything can trigger drama among fans. So how do they be a idol for men and also to women?
As showed, differences about women and men are stong and for me how the 2022. Presidental election results show the "mindset about public". A lot of young men believe women do not want to be equal, but they want something more and actually men are these ones who struggle all the time.
#men #womwn
I can describe earnings, feminism and Korea - "Women experience a daunting realization that they are not valued as much as their counterparts and their careers are more precarious" (Jonas 2022, 241). I think it is because of the history and fear to have changes in our daily life.
#feminism
And we end again to the point where "The West" doing everything "correctly" and can judge K-pop and Korean people. But for me that "soft masculinity" and "de-masculinisation" should be actually normal and everyone can be whoever he want to be.
#flowerboys
The Asian male body has come to represent the abandonment of "authentic masculinity" (Park, 2014, Park 2015, 199). And usually they discribe K-pop male idols as a soft masculinity (make-up,"act feminive",show his feelings) and de-masculinisation (not like "real" man).
#de_masculinisation
People can still judge K-pop idols to be feminine, not masculine. I need to argue about my friends and especially my dad - why that K-pop idol who wears make-up is still the most handsome man in the world. For Koreans male idols wearing make-up is just aesthetic - it´s #soft_masculanity
PSY is a good example how the Western world saw K-pop male idols in 2013 - as a comedic one. Psy´s physicality in the video evokes one of the Asian male stereotypes the emasculated and clownish Asian male - funny but sexless - who You can laugh at (Park 2015, 197).
#psy #funny_asian
For example a lot of BTS contain a lot of English and I can hear Korean less. Is the popularity about "Dynamite" and "Butter" was because people didn´t realised it is k-pop or they are just good and catchy songs? The question "why" is so irritating.
#smooth_like_butter #light_it_up_like_dynamite
This raises the question: is K-pop produced for the sake of the genre itself, or is it driven by a desire for global dominance? In my view, incorporating more Korean language and cultural elements enriches the music and enhances its uniqueness.
#rule_the_world
Most choruses are lyrically English (Jin and Ryoo 2014, 125). Regrettably, contemporary K-pop is increasingly dominated by English lyrics - most awful for me then the English words/lyrics don´t make sense at all.
English mixing in K-pop is a unique form of hybridization (Jin and Ryoo 2014, 113-114). Songs titles and names of artists and bands are in English and it present on a large scale in the main body of the lyrics of contemporary K-Pop (Jin and Ryoo 2014, 114).
#hybridization #kpop #make_it_global
In my opinion now I can hear even more and more English in k-pop songs. But English is something that is clobal and if You want to be global, You need to give a global content. For example when I started to be a fan of k-pop, the only words I could sing along was English ones, and my broken Korean.
In Dal Yong Jin & Woongjae Ryoo 2014 artickle "Critical Interpretation of Hybrid K-Pop: The Global Local Paradigm of English Mixing in Lyrics" they say English is something that added to k-pop. Hybridization in Korean popular music (Jin and Ryoo 2014, 114).
When I think about government and music I remember a video clip about how BTS´s Jin took a pen from the Korean President and in metaphor the pen can describe very well this argument "gov made K-pop". They try to make themself bigger and try to take all these things to themselves.
#BTS #Jin #pen