What is the Korean Wave?
The Korean Wave refers to the global spread of Korean entertainment (pop culture, music, dramas, fashion, beauty, and movies) since the 1980s. Especially prevalent today in 2021 is the South Korean music industry, else known as K-Pop. K-Pop is an umbrella term for the variety of music stemming from South Korean artists whose sounds range from mainstream pop, hip hop, ballads, trot, and much more. Due to groups like BTS and Blackpink, the South Korean government remains one of the only countries that aim towards becoming the world’s leading exporter of pop culture. In the article Korean Wave (Hallyu) – The Rise of Korea’s Cultural Economy & Pop Culture, this is considered as an act of developing soft power - which refers to “the intangible power a country wields through its image, rather than through hard force.”
Rise of K-Pop
Domestic Success:
Debuting in April 1992, Seo Taiji and Boys – a three-member boy group – pioneered and crafted K-Pop to what it is known as today. In A Brief History of K-Pop by Teen Vogue, early South Korean music was influenced by American and Japanese folk music, as well as soft ballads. Seo Taiji fearlessly ventured into this industry with bold elements of hip hop and rock, fusing Western-style pop music with Korean lyrics. Although they were disapproved of by the general public at first, their music skyrocketed to the tops of music charts. This spurred the formation of idol culture, which includes “dedicated fanbases, [training] by entertainment agencies in dance, vocals, and just about every other aspect of performance art. Their entire image is crafted around pleasing fans and creating relationships with their supporters.” (Teen Vogue, A Brief History of K-Pop). Various groups like H.O.T, Shinhwa, Fin. K.L. all contributed to the explosion of idol culture through the 90s and early 2000s, paving the way for the numerous groups that would debut in the next two decades.
Global Success:
The bridge to global success was initiated by Girl’s Generation (also known as SNSD). Their iconic earworm Gee, released in 2009, was one of the songs that achieved overseas success. Moreover, another girl group, Wonder Girls, joined the Jonas Brothers as the opening act to their tour in 2009. The first remarkable recognition K-Pop received was through the 2012 hit Gangnam Style by PSY, breaking records such as becoming the first YouTube video to reach one billion views. After this came the global success of BTS, currently one of the world’s biggest boy bands. Their dedication to performance, their ever-expanding storyline, messages, and various concepts allure fans and non-fans alike.
What is Asian Fetishization?
Asian Fetishization refers to the preference of an Asian individual solely because they are Asian, particularly East or Southeast Asians. Asian fetishization tends to occur when the generalization of Asians is based on media portrayals. Major media portrayals include K-pop and K-dramas (Korean dramas).
How does the Rise of K-Pop contribute to Asian fetishization?
The globalization of K-Pop, alongside other forms of South Korean entertainment such as Korean dramas, have accumulated to a sweeping generalization of not only Koreans but generally East/Southeast Asians. Foreigners are often unfamiliar with preparations before performances, which include prepping from an exclusive group of stylists specializing in hair, makeup, and clothing. By assuming all East Asians appear like K-Pop idols and K-drama actors, this creates a dangerously inaccurate stereotype. Just like any other country, there is no one category as everyone is of various heights, weights, genders, ethnicities, and more.
Women are often classified as “china dolls,” “lotus blossoms,” or “dragon ladies'' to depict their exotic and seductive portrayals. The stereotypes ‘china dolls” and “lotus blossoms'' often portray a submissive, feminine, quiet notion of Asian women. The novel Madame Chrysanthéme and the musical Miss Saigon are two forms of media whose plots utilize “weak” and “submissive” East Asian female characters. The plot of having white males as their knight-in-shining-armor creates a dangerous misconception in one’s mind. On the other end of the spectrum there exists the “dragon lady” stereotype, which classifies an East Asian as “a fierce, feisty, sexually liberated woman who knows how to fight and won’t bow down [to] anyone.” This fierce portrayal may seem like a compliment, but it implies that East Asian women utilise their seductiveness and mysteriousness in order to allure men to further their own goals. These stereotypes not only create discomfort but are also offensive due to the mainstream media distorting the image of Asian-Americans to classify into these stereotypes.
How can we prevent Asian fetishization?
Asian fetishization can range from something explicit like koreaboo/weeaboo behavior to something as subtle as “All Koreans have great skin” (due to the rise of Korean skincare in the western world). Asian fetishization can also extend to makeup trends, one particularly coined as the “fox-eye liner.” Often is seen the discriminatory imitation of long slanted eyes that is associated with Asians, though not all of them fall into this eye shape category. Nowadays, due to celebrities like Kendall Jenner, Bella Hadid, and Megan Fox to name a few, the fox-eye eyeliner has been popularized and desirable, imitating the very traits Asians were discriminated against for having. Asian fetishization ties into topics like exotification, cultural appropriation, and discrimination. This can be prevented by respecting someone for who they are rather than their race, ethnicity, or their looks. Asians, like any other race, should not be fetishized as it is not only offensive but ignorant and racist.
Sources:
https://www.teenvogue.com/story/brief-history-of-k-pop
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asian_fetish#Asian_women_and_Caucasian_men
http://affinitymagazine.us/2017/03/23/the-rise-of-k-pop-and-the-fetishization-of-korean-men/
https://www.chsglobe.com/42206/features/the-fetshization-of-asian-cultures-in-the-west/
https://www.milkmakeup.com/bts-and-kpop-phenomenon.html
https://celesteziehl.medium.com/yellow-fever-the-problem-with-the-sexual-fetishization-and-exotification-of-eastern-asian-women-7808601619c0
https://www.teenvogue.com/story/how-to-stop-fetishizing-my-chinese-identity
https://www.cnn.com/style/article/fox-eye-trend-asian-cultural-appropriation-trnd/index.html
https://sites.psu.edu/engl428/2016/04/19/fire-breathing-dragon-ladies-representations-of-asian-american-women-in-media-overview/
Written by Shakthika Thevarajah
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