Our Stereotypes

When talking about kpop, the first idea that came to most of the people’s mind is their beautiful looks and fashionable appearance. People don’t usually value them much as all they have is a handsome face, and their job is not based on professionalism. Eventually, some people offend their looks with offensive words such as “gay”. This offensive way of talking about people is not only rude, but it can also significantly hurt your digital citizenship.

“Kpop idols”

MINX from KpopStarz via Kfashionista

The Truth

I was someone who recently turned into a fangirl for about 10 months, to be honest with you. I totally understand the feeling when you just can’t identify which member is who, what it’s worth screaming for, and most importantly, what even is the point to buy so much of their merchandises when they won’t even know you. However, after turning into a fangirl, I felt as if I hold two different identities, you’re not all alone. In front of “normal people”, you’re just like them, working hard and playing hard; but in front of the massive fandom, you feel the strong bond in between, it’s like your second home. You certainly do not know them, but you guys love the same group, same people; therefore, you guys are called fangirls (or fanboys, of course). In the short ten months which I became a fangirl, the times my favorite boy band BTS have been offended is countless. “They all look the same, must have been through some plastic surgeries” though South-Korea is being recognized as the world capital of plastic surgery, this does not mean everyone has been through a plastic surgery. “Why do you like them, they won’t like you back anyway” then why do you breathe, why do you eat, why do you drink? You still die anyway.

“Fangirls”

Rumsey Playfield from Maria Sherman via fuse

But now there are proofs, what do you say?

For all those who discriminate fangirl, and think they’re foolish, LOOK HERE!!! According to TeenVogue, it points out that belonging to a fandom benefits your mental, emotional, and social health. Research shows that a weak sense of belonging contributes to depression. Developing a strong belief that you sincerely care for is helpful in developing your perseverance when facing challenges. Moreover, when I searched the internet about the stereotypes built upon fangirls, I found this website which I found pretty truthful. It talks about some of the most offensive things that are being said to fangirls, and I personally found the first quote to be quite real: “Fangirling is a ridiculous hobby” I can’t count the exact times my parents have said this to me. “Why do you waste time on fangirling, it won’t make you a successful person” Probably. Fangirling is not a professional occupation to be considered; however, it gives you motivation. Due to the hardworking and dedication your favorite band is making, you get inspired and motivated, you realize how competitive it is to survive in the field of music, so you cherish the conditions and environment you have right now, and study hard. Many parents claim that children are spending time on their phones to stay in track of the latest updates of their idols instead of homework, but that’s due to an important show their favorite band is going to attend. It may be an excuse, but real fangirls know how to manage time well, whether you believe me or not.

“this is the fangirl vibe”

Fangirls from Shawna Benson via Shouting into the Wind

Time to unlock ourselves from stereotypes!

Sometimes, I feel like it’s not about if you really hate fangirls and bands or not anymore, it’s just being built upon by your stereotypes. Last year in 8th grade, I wrote a blog post about biases and stereotypes. In this blog post, I talked about how people in the society are being heavily influenced by brands and the visual appearance of products. Stereotypes could really affect us much. According to Wired, our unconscious biases and stereotypes built inside our brains could systematically change how we see other’s face. A black man with a happy face is often seen as angry and a woman with a neutral face is often seen as happy merely because of our stereotype. Our stereotype is like a monster that invisibly controls how we think, and perceives things.

“against stereotypes”

Stop the Stereotypes from Gianna Scheuneman via Odyssey

Improvement Over The Year

Comparing this blog post I wrote last year to this blog post that I’ve written so far, I believe you could notice some significant difference (or at least I did 😛 ). First of all, the difference in the interest of the title really made a big difference in raising the curiosity of the audiences. Secondly, you could also see the difference in the visual appearance. In the blog post I wrote last year, I only inserted images that is necessary, such as the poster that we’ve made. However, in this blog post so far, I’ve inserted several different images that are related to the topic to create visual appealingness. Thirdly, the tone of mine differed a lot as well. In the blog post I wrote in 8th grade, my tone was plain, merely talking about what we’ve done for the unit and what we’ve tried to convey in the poster. However, in the blog posts I’ve produced so far, I feel like I talked more professionally to engage the audiences, talking as if I’m a real blogger. All in all, I personally think my post-writing skills have improved a lot over the weeks. I’m not annoyed anymore when I hear “time to write a blog post!” To be honest, now I enjoy writing blog posts pretty much because I could express myself freely and is not being restricted by the strict format of an essay.

Beyond the Scenes

Back to the main topic of how people disqualifies Korean artists because of their look and assume they have all been through plastic surgery, here, I would like to mention my favorite, and most inspiring boy band: BTS. We all know that we can’t judge people by their look, and their look doesn’t define their personality. But why do we define Korean idols by their look? I hate to admit, but yes, members of BTS are suspected (though not formally acknowledged) to have been through plastic surgeries… but so what? Even if they have slightly changed how they look, but talent couldn’t be operated. They have gone through many bumps on the road to become successful. Unlike other bands, BTS isn’t supported by a wealthy agency during the beginning of their debut. For Korean bands, being cultivated by a wealthy agency is extremely important because it makes you half on the lead already. However, Bighit Entertainment is an exception. You could really see how poor BTS is just by watching the music videos they produced during the beginning of their debut. Music videos are usually filmed with a fancy background that supports the theme; however, BTS filmed their mv in their dance room, due to the lack of money. Eventually, during the filming process of one of their most classic songs, N.O, they had to borrow their agent’s car because they can’t afford to buy or rent a new car to film the mv. Not only that they have a financial shortage, the criticism of the public also forced nearly every member to go on diet. They have really been through a tough time, but their passion for hip hop remained the same. Now, they’re the first Asian nominee to be nominated on BillBoard Music Awards in the US. As a first-timer in the BillBoard Music Awards, they broke the record made by Justin Bieber and was nominated as the Top Social Artist among some other familiarly known artists from US such as Ariana Grande, Shawn Mendes, and more. Domestically, they have won many significant awards such as Artist of the Year and Album of the Year. Within 4 years, they tried their very best on every promotion of their new songs, dedicated their truest self to the band, and exerted their best effort to produce meaningful lyrics. Without any one of them, BTS wouldn’t be BTS anymore. As a conclusion, please, don’t offend them and neglect the effort they have paid. You never know how much effort they have paid to reach their fame and fortune. The power of words is strong, and yet they’re still human beings just like anyone of us, they could get hurt easily as well. They’re just 7 boys who are trying their very best to spread their love for hip-hop to the rest of the world. It’s okay to not like them, but please, don’t hate them.

“BTS evolution”

BTS before and after from Upcoming K-pop Comebacks in June 2016 via Kpopmap

Behind the Screens

I’ve seen many criticisms on BTS no matter on Facebook, Instagram, or any other social medias. I won’t call these people “evil”, although I really don’t like their extreme actions, instead, I would call these people unthoughtful for themselves. Do you know that every criticism you make on the internet could heavily influence your reputation? Every step you take on the internet defines yourself, your school, and your community. As a result, take a good care of your actions on the web, show good digital citizenship, and stop the criticism.

“criticism”

negative comments from Deba Smo via Pinterest

Moreover, the promotion of a good digital presence could lessen cyber bully issues. Directly copied from my older post about digital presence, I stated how cyberbullying has been an issue throughout the years.

As children and teenagers have not been mentally fully grown, they could easily become the target or victim and be hurt. An anonymous user can easily make offensive comments to offend someone, or eventually hack another’s identity. Even the worst, some of your peers would eventually join together and harass you online. Not only would cyber bully issues leave mental scars in teenagers, it could also lead to suicide commitments. For example, according to PureSight, in the US, there have been 13 teenagers in between the age of 13 and 18 who have committed suicide due to cyberbullying issues. Also, according to a CBS News Report on 2010, 42% of youngsters have reported that they have been the victims of cyberbully issues.

“oh, they look so gay”

As a whole, talking about the disqualification of kpop from people in the world, it links to our existed stereotypes and digital presence. Through this post, I hope to ameliorate how people perceive things through the kpop aspect. We should learn how to think differently; stand in others’ viewpoints, don’t make easy assumptions, and be respectful. Finally, as a member of ARMY, I would like to make a self-confession:

As a first-timer in the field of kpop, no words could express how thankful I am to be brought into this field through the inspiration of BTS. Thank you BTS, for proving my past stereotypes about kpop wrong. Thank you for providing me this opportunity to have a different identity. Being an Adorable Representative M.C for Youth (ARMY) makes me feel extremely proud; thank you so much. 7-1=0

“7 precious angels”

BTS from BigHit Entertainment via Weibo

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Citation:

• Wiest, Brianna. “Psychologists Say That Belonging To A Fandom Is Amazing For Your Mental Health.” Teen Vogue. N. p., 2017. Web. 6 Oct. 2017.
• “4 Ridiculous And Sexist Things Said To Fangirls.” The Odyssey Online. N. p., 2015. Web. 6 Oct. 2017.
• “Our Stereotypes Affect How We Perceive Faces.” Wired.co.uk. N. p., 2017. Web. 6 Oct. 2017.