Along the development of Kpop, the variety of styles of idol’s show and songs grows. However in 2008, the debut of 2PM, a idol group who emphasized on masculinity created a phenomenon called “beast idol”, which compared the previous K-pop boy band style called “flower boy”. Even though the band had argument because of their makeup in later years and this image didn’t last long as well as their career. In this essays, I would argue that soft masculinity showed in K-pop are more welcomed when linking it with traditional female identity, and the application of soft masculinity allows the male idol to be given more possibility to show their image.
As mentioned in previous, the beast idol phenomenon created by 2PM is more close to traditional masculinity, this could consist of man’s subjection to woman and sometimes authority, with very tough male figure, their performance often start with topless and showing their muscular bodies, (Leung, 2012:52)but in the meanwhile, groups like Bigbang and Super Junior (debuted in 2006 and 2005) are showing more soft images to their fans. Taking Bigbang for example, they started wearing heavy makeup and their clothing style became bold at the same time. Nowadays the boundaries of traditional gender identification becomes unclear, and the trend that K-pop boy band is definitely helping with breaking it.
Soft masculinity is not just shown by wearing makeup and tight clothing, what’s more though the dance move and music video scene. The variety of expressions allows them to show more gentleness of male. To attract more female audiences, mostly a newly debuted K-pop boy bands will experiment different styles to show their possibility. Sexual attractiveness for female audience does not always come simply from their gentleness or their muscular bodies though, the boy bands for now, they are more likely to combine masculinity and soft masculinity in just one performance, the gap between these two actually shows the possibility of the male idol, and allows them to attract more female audiences even male audiences.
To summarize, different generations of the K-pop band owns their main trend even the concept of masculinity for normal audiences hasn’t changed for a long period, however, the following trend for male Kpop stars or bands has been led to the other ways. The showing of masculinity are presented with different styles and makeups, but still, the soft masculinity will occupy a leading position.
References
Leung, Sarah, "Catching the K-Pop Wave: Globality in the Production, Distribution, and Consumption of South Korean Popular Music" (2012). Senior Capstone Projects. 149.
Stephen J. Epstein and Rachael M. Joo, "Multiple Exposures: Korean Bodies and the Transnational Imagination," The Asia-Pacific Journal, Volume 10, Issue 33, No. 1, August 13, 2012.
--Rachel
Hello everyone, I've come by and graded the essay and all the comments. I'd love to see some more interaction between the members in terms of ideas and comments in the future! Great job you guys.
Hi Rachel, I agree with your point about “soft” masculinity being the prevailing idea of masculinity in Kpop. I think that it’s interesting that Korean society dominantly enjoys soft masculinity in Kpop stars as compared to the “traditionally” masculine view we have in Western society. As we talked about in class, one of the reasons may possibly be that Korean culture views a male who hasn’t served their mandatory military service as not a “man”, and thus Kpop idols who are young aren’t seen as “men” and this soft masculinity is appealing to audiences because they aren’t required to be traditionally masculine until going through their mandatory service.
You mentioned that sometimes there is a dichotomy between soft and traditional masculinity…
Hi Rachel,
I really appreciate how you've introduced and interpreted the different types of masculinity which can be found in Kpop. I totally agree on your concept and it is interesting to see how soft masculinity is in close tie with female attributes. I wouldn't necessarily say soft masculinity is preferred more so than hard masculinity as there are still many Korean artists in both categories. In this case, you still see rappers and r&b artists that portray their dominance over women in scandalous clothing. Nonetheless, I see this gender fluidity as Koreans being more contemporary and forward in terms of creativity. Whereas in a western society, if a male was more feminine they would automatically be criticized and labelled.…
Hi Rachel!
Thank you for sharing your thoughts on how soft masculinity remains more prevalent and well liked in boy bands in comparison to the western idea of male masculinity. I find it very interesting that soft masculinity is seen much more in male k-pop groups for example males wearing makeup, tight jeans, and pastel sweaters appearing young and innocent. In comparison to the traditional masculinity role of being a strong male figure. Male K-pop groups tend to gravitate towards a young, youthful and cute feminine appearance. This may be due to the fact that most male K-pop stars around this age have not yet served in the military, thus still seen as a boy, able to express themselves any…
Hi, Rachel
Thanks for sharing your ideas on soft masculinity in K-pop. I agree with you on the point that soft masculinity is the dominant masculinity portrayed by male K-pop idols at this point. However, as you have mentioned, boy bands like 2PM have gained popularity in the past through their way of showing the traditional masculinity, which emphasizes the physical strength and manliness through their music, choreography and clothes on stages. It’s really interesting how 2PM had really settled their concept on that beastly masculinity at the time when most male idols were seeking for soft masculinity and I think their difference really made them stand out back in early 2010s. Not only their shirtless stage clothes and fierce,…