Sexualization and sexual exploitation in K-pop
[2] This is in part due to 21st century globalization, with Korean entertainment and record label companies intending to market their idols abroad.
That males are expected to be strong and virile, but also possess soft features such as a sweet personality and a cute face.
[7] K-pop was first inspired by the Japanese idol system during the 1990s[2] and eventually morphed into a global phenomenon over a twenty-year time frame.
[2] 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.
[2] 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.
[7] 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.
[2] The late 2000s brought K-pop into its modern era and introduced it to the international stage with the Korean wave in Asia.
[11] Ergo, without official sponsorship of K-pop, the government unofficially helps it by reducing governmental constraints on it, especially for exported products.
[2] South Korea was reeling from an economic recession in the 1990s, and the success was noticed by a few business-oriented musicians that soon capitalized on the situation.
[4][12] Following this logic, the music companies substantially invested monetarily and temporally in each performer in an effort to tailor them.
[2] They are disallowed from dating to maintain innocence,[2] have a directed public life and persona and shamed for gaining weight or not keeping their appearance up.
[14] South Korean ideals nominally press an aegyo image, or one that is "attractive and desirable beyond limits of intimate relations", providing vulnerability to the idols but keeping them whimsical.
[4] Dollification is a construct of placing sexual desire upon a submissive and uncorrupted object of beauty, something common to Korea due to traditional gender roles and patriarchal structure.
[12] The females may present "girl power" given their high popularity status, but their pawn-like nature under their parent companies keeps this a novelty, not a reality, via pacification.
[8] This beauty and femininity in image is prominently described as that of long legs with "honey thighs", a perfect face and body, while showing ample skin.
[6][16] This dichotomy forces bands to be muscular, potent, and appearing sexually virile, while injecting cuteness and innocence into their presentation.
[8] Well-defined muscles, albeit a falsity, can be considered a sign of both individual phallic power in response to feministic movements and nationalistic female desires.
The three members of The Piggy Dolls, who were originally larger than most female K-pop idols, were put through training to lose a total of 56 kg for a comeback.
[24] However, most artists keep enhancements private, so there is great conjecture of whether K-pop idols have had plastic surgery, including even the biggest names, such as members of Girls' Generation[25] and Hyuna.
[28] In fact, their manager, Kim Il-woong, has openly admitted that all the members have had surgical augmentations to their faces and breasts.
[28] This candor, together with the idolization of K-pop artists, has influenced many young Korean's to desire plastic surgery in an effort to emulate their favorite stars.
[29] His well-defined abs and upper muscular body, often seen naked and oiled (or wet), is contrasted to his cute and young face.
To keep this image, rigorous training is required, normally employing trainers and intense daily workout routines.
[23] Given the popularization of K-pop through visual social media such as YouTube,[2] many fans would most recognize sexualization in music videos or recorded performances.
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.
[35] 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.
[36] Women in K-pop are deliberately subjected to the male gaze, dollification, and being considered exotic and submissive for their masculine fans in a patriarchal society.
[9] Femininity is desired to coincide with the neo-Confucian patriarchal 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.
