Sex sells, Drawing the line between Classy and Raunchy
Before I get started, I feel obligated tostraighten a few things out prior to the grilling some of you guys are bound to leaveme. I'm neither a hardheaded women's rights activist nor am I prude in anysense of the word.
"K-pop has been moving so fast."
Recently, the extent of how fast K-pop has beenmoving pulls at my consciousness. K-pop's global marketability, infalliblecharms, and its exponentially growing following - it's all as unprecedented as it is extraordinary.Granted, because K-pop has been moving so fast, we rarely question some of the trendsthat have sprouted up simultaneously with the industry.
One trend that has become inseparable from K-popis theskin exposure.
But in the larger schematic context,sex sells.It always has, and frankly, it probably always will. We want to see skin,whether admittedly or not, and a lot of us secretly appreciate the industry's compliancewith our demands. As such, labels are progressively dressing their artists in ever increasing minimal clothing that leave our imaginations jaded and juiceless.
Let's startwith some of the explicit female trends that are revving up the K-pop scene.
"There's a fine line between classy and raunchy."
When it comes down to it, there's a fine linebetween classy and raunchy clothing. And lately, it appears that labels areincreasingly capitalizing on the sex appeal of their female idols to reap in the profits. In so doing, they not only cross the line, but they keepredefining the image for the new standard. As such, shorts keep gettingshorter, dresses keep getting tighter, and tops keep climbing higher.
It's an exhausting race to see who can look thesexiest on stage. But to besexydoesn't imply that you have to showskin everywhere you can before you hit the censor warning. Rather,sexyisan attitude - a frame of mind.Sexyis trusting who you are and beingconfident that that alone will pull you through. But more so than that, nothingscreams"sexy"quite as powerfully as someone who knows how tohold her own - that's not having a big ego; it's respecting yourself andknowing that what you have to offer is sure as hell going to be worth waiting for.
TakeSISTAR, for instance. WhenHyorinandBoraperformed their "Gone Not Around Any Longer"score for theirSISTAR19promotion on this stage, theywore simple white T-shirts and jeans.
Nevertheless, they project an undeniable allure. Though it's minimal and stripped down of all the glamorous aesthetics, we can't stop watching.
... or these
Doesn't it make you feel uncomfortable? Not even in the slightest? On the other hand, I understand from a red-blooded male perspective, you'll probably feel vastly different.
But with names likeLady Gaga, Beyonce,andRihannaheadlining the frontiers of the global music market, it's no wonderwe're seeing some of the outfits we see on K-pop stages.
These women haven't simply taken the industryby storm; they've more or less made it into something of their own. Theykeep pushing the goal posts further and further out when it comes to stageoutfits and concepts. These women's influence stretch across the world, andK-pop certainly has no immunization to its presence. And whenever artists climbhigh enough to be considered cultural icons, they become hard to ignore.
Such women not only inspire the ladies of K-pop- they steer the direction of the K-pop industry and redefine the limits.
We're all guilty of submitting to trends. Butwhen - if ever - does it stop?
Again, let me reiteratethat I'm not one to pass out at the sight of a bikini. Nor am I saying thatK-pop idols should avoid wearing miniskirts or shorts altogether - for whatwould K-pop be without such staples?
"In favor of moderation."
I'm simply arguing in favor of moderation.These idols - and the labels standing behind them - are so infatuated with thepromise of stardom that they've become desensitized to some of the meansby which to get there. The companies don't have to dress their groups in stageoutfits that may possibly make the artists feel uncomfortable. The way you seeyourself determines how others see you. And though it's not the idols' faultthat they're told to dress the way they are, I wish their labels would stopselling them out. I'm sure they have more to them, but we seldom get pasttheir outfits and provocative dances to want to know more than what theyalready show us.
As for the guys, I'll keep it short and sweet.
Do I enjoy looking at pictures of guys' abs?Uhm.Absolutely.
But frankly, it's getting to be a bitboring now. It isn't so much a matter of"omg, look at his abs" *bitesfingernails and turns all red*,as it is a matter of"omg, look athis abs"*scrolls past the picture and onto the next shirtlessidol*. It's not really a surprise anymore, it's more of a routine. Now that K-pop has made me advanced proficientin the subject of beautifully sculpted abdominal areas, I have to wonder what it'llthrow next.
It's no question that K-pop has come so far ina short amount of time. But I can't decide whether the industry has reachedit's final stop. If it keeps forging ahead at the speed that it's going from this point, where is K-popgoing to end up? Perhaps we'll start seeing outfits like this onstage.
But for the sake of all that is still good in the world, let's just hope it doesn't get that far.
Now let's consider the alternative: whathappens if K-pop stays where it is? Since we've become accustomed to seeingglimpses of underwear on stage and guys ripping their shirts off duringperformances, labels are going to have to get creative if they want to stayafloat in the industry - preferably without objectifying their groups as muchas they already do now.
I suppose I'm more sensitive to this issuebecause for the most part, these idols areyoung.Their labelspurposely put them on stage wearing outfits that make people stare. And in this moment, all that adoring attention sustains them. It's endearingto them, and as such, the fear of that attention swerving elsewhere pushes themto come back with more revealing clothing, or more suggestive choreography.
But what happens when their youth runs its duecourse? Will they have anything else left to sell once their bodies turn allwrinkly and saggy and rubbery?
These agencies need to place more faith in their idols. Understandably, they keep selling into the sex because it sells. We crave it - and for our demand, there's bound to be a supply (kudos, Adam Smith). I'd like to believe that's precisely what perseveres at the core of the industry's craze over exposure - our demand for it. We have to start changing what we expect to see from them. Afterwards, we can only hope that the K-pop industry will be able to adapt.
To those of you brave souls who took it upon yourselves to finish reading this, I earnestly applaud you for your patience. And if, by chance, I'm giving off the impression that I'm old and bitter and a loving mother to two dozen or so cats.
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