The progression of K-Pop has been a nonstop constant in today's trends and social media. New groups are debuting by the minute and gathering the attention of millions worldwide. K-Pop fans are known as some of the world's strongest fanbases, and the music genre has seen unprecedented success like never before.

With the rise of K-Pop, a concerning topic is discussed within the community. Gender inequality is rampant between many male and female idols. In K-pop, the treatment of male and female idols regarding skin exposure often reflects broader societal norms and expectations around gender and modesty. When it comes to female and male idols, the picture-perfect ideology that is pushed onto them turns out harmful when stepping out of that comfort zone. The unfairness of these ideologies has been further perpetuated as groups continue to debut. Girl groups are supposed to be "innocent" and cute, nearly crossing the line of emulating a young girl. Boy groups are displayed as cool and masculine, showing off their boyhood and manliness in various forms.

One of the topics under the umbrella of gender inequality is skin exposure between the two genders. Female idols tend to face jarring restrictions when it comes to skin exposure. From Calvin Klein campaigns to the "MAMA Awards", the responses to opposite genders exposing their skin have been drastically different. We're going to look at cases where treatment over skin exposure was drastically different for female idols compared to their male counterparts.

 

A Simple Question Turned To Body Shaming And Hate

Calvin Klein is a major name in the fashion industry. They're best characterized by their famous underwear and denim items. Celebrities are common ambassadors for the company and recently, more idols have participated in their campaigns. Some notable names include BLACKPINK's Jennie and BTS's JungKook. Calvin Klein took to X to ask followers who they believed should be in a Calvin Klein campaign to the pleasure of many K-Pop fans. The two idols were top names mentioned in the comments due to their captivating physique and global status. However, people noticed when it came to Jennie there was an influx of body shaming and disparaging comments. It got so severe, Calvin Klein's X account stepped in to make a statement.

We embrace this platform as an inclusive environment for individualism and self-expression. At Calvin Klein, we tolerate everything except intolerance. Please be respectful towards each other or your comment may be removed.

— calvinklein (@CalvinKlein) January 31, 2023

It's interesting to see this as many male idols have participated in campaigns but did not receive much backlash, such as WonHo and EXO's Lay Zhang. They were often praised due to their muscular and lean frames. While JungKook was not sparred from hateful comments and faced scrutiny, Jennie was doused with an influx of hate and even in her previous works with the luxury brand, she was bashed for showing off her body. If it's sexy and desired by male K-Pop idols, why do female K-Pop idols get bombarded with hate?

 

Same Situation, Different Headlines for "2018 MAMA Awards"

One of the most infamous cases of skin exposure is between MAMAMOO's HwaSa and WonHo. During the "2018 MAMA Awards", both idols took to the stage to give off powerful performances. HwaSa dawned a striking red leather one-piece, one that imitated a swimsuit. The singer received many mixed reactions to her choice of styling. Many netizens felt she took it a bit too far, having a good portion of her bottom half exposed.

They even went as far as to call her embarrassing because of the outfit choice. The situation grew to such a large scale that RBW Entertainment made a statement, expressing that they didn't expect the attention and the outfit matched the song. HwaSa never shies away from expressing her inner femininity and sexy confidence. She's always been known to embrace diverse styles that express what she is all about, unwavering, seductive, confidence. Unfortunately, netizens do not share the same beliefs as her.

Ironically, at the same "2018 MAMA Awards" WonHo displayed an impressive performance and showed off his muscular physique during it. The headlines and reactions were exceptionally different and it's almost ridiculous. He received many headlines stating "Masculine stage unfolded" whereas HwaSa's articles focused more on the controversy regarding her outfit.

Even with her amazing vocals and breathtaking performance, it was overshadowed due to her outfit. WonHo is prided as a masculine, sexy idol in the industry. He has numerous shoots, performances, and videos where he exposes his body. It's no coincidence that WonHo is praised for his confidence whereas HwaSa is shamed for hers, despite both idols having sexier concepts. This can be seen as blatant double standards in the idol world. The perpetual stereotypes put on female idols are why HwaSa is constantly shamed and claimed an embarrassment to the genre.

 

Fans' Opinions?

When asked about the difference when a male and female idol deciding to show more skin, fans expressed their disdain over the topic. They believe there is a clear line between praising and chastizing when it comes to skin exposure in K-Pop.

Most kpop fans love seeing male idols show their abs and fawn over it but if a female idol's shirt is too low cut and shows cleavage people lose their minds. The double standard doesn’t make any sense.
Alexia, USA

Fans want their girl groups to stay wholesome and cute, while their male idol counterparts get to explore risqué and dark concepts. It would be interesting to see the gender and age demographic of male and female idols. I want to see how each fanbase treats groups about what they wear, say, and do.
Landy, South Korea

It's hypocritical to shame female artists for wearing "revealing " clothing and then say nothing when male idols go on stage and walk around with no shirts on. They even encourage the male idols, asking for shirtless pics during fan calls, and talking about their bodies but then get upset if a female idol wears a short skirt or scandalous top during promotions.
LeAndre, USA

While this debate is constantly talked about, female idols still choose to break away from standard labels. Girl groups and soloists are experimenting with mature concepts and riskier outfits, pushing back against the strictness. Additionally, there are instances where male idols faced criticism for overly revealing outfits or behavior, highlighting the evolving conversations around gender and representation in K-Pop. What are your thoughts about the gender inequality in K-Pop? Do you believe there's unfairness when it comes to skin exposure? Let us know on X!

The 5th generation of K-Pop is all the rage right now and dominating this generation as one of the top rising groups is none other than RIIZE. With talented members, gorgeous visuals, and addictive music, RIIZE is steadily making their mark on the industry. Their latest comeback with the prologue single 'Impossible' was a house track that featured outstanding choreography, and the member who caught fans' attention the most with his unmatched dancing skills was Shotaro.

Thoroughly impressed by Shotaro's flawless talent, we were left wanting more. So, it got us thinking about a dream variety show where Shotaro could collaborate with fellow K-Pop idols who were also known for their incredible skills.

So, here are the top 5 idol dancers we would love to see collab with RIIZE's Shotaro!

 

1. Shotaro x SHINee's TaeMin

The person who wants this collaboration even more than us is probably Shotaro himself. TaeMin is Shotaro's role model and as we all know, TaeMin is one of the best, if not THE best dancer in K-Pop. A collaboration between the reigning King and a rising Prince would be fantastic, to say the least. Both dancers have their own unique groove and style that, we believe, would complement each other wonderfully.

 

2. Shotaro x SEVENTEEN's Hoshi

Another dancing machine whose talent knows no bounds, Hoshi would be perfect for a dance collaboration with Shotaro. With both Hoshi and Shotaro being sunshine personified, this collab would break the internet for being the coolest and the cutest at the same time. We can already imagine the two idols getting along well together and we would love to see them come up with an original choreography.

 

3. Shotaro x EXO's Lay Zhang

If we're talking about the best of the best when it comes to dance, we cannot possibly forget Lay Zhang. The idol recently made his comeback on Korean music shows with his latest song 'Psychic'. With the man, the myth, and the legend back, we would love to see him dance with SM's rising star, Shotaro. From one dance prodigy to another, this could be a collaboration that's truly one of a kind.

 

4. Shotaro x KISS OF LIFE's Natty

Widely recognized as one of the it-girls of K-Pop right now, Natty is an outstanding dancer, to say the least. A collaboration between the two 5th-generation dance icons - Natty and Shotaro, would make the headlines for days. Both artists have a knack for a variety of dance styles and are known for their high-energy, precise performances. We'd love to see a fusion of different dance styles from them.

 

5. Shotaro x New:ID's Wilson

Currently a trainee under MLD Entertainment, New:ID's Wilson is already gaining attention from all over the world for his dance skills. New:ID's SNS is buzzing with dance cover videos and fans just can't get enough of Wilson's moves. Collaborating with Shotaro would be a great opportunity for Wilson to learn from his sunbaenim and give us even more reasons to fall in love with both of them all over again.

Which K-Pop idol do you want to see Shotaro collaborate with? Tell us on X!

Brace yourselves, K-Pop fans, as the upcoming month of May 2024 is set to be filled with even more exciting debuts and comebacks. Check out the April 2024 K-Pop Comeback/Debut Schedule.

In this post, you can see the artists’ debut, comeback, K-Drama OST, and special Music all in one place!

Which comeback and debut will have you waiting in anticipation?

Let's find out who's making a comeback this May and what songs they're coming back with at a glance!

You can check the list below!

 

May 2024 K-Pop Comeback/Debut Schedule

May.1

- YOUNITE

6th EP Album "ANOTHER"

 

May. 2

- HyunA

EP Album "Attitude"

- KINO

1st EP Album "If this is love, I want a refund"

- FANTASY BOYS

Single Album 'MAKE SUNSHINE'

May. 7

- D.O. (EXO)

3rd Mini Album "성장"

May. 8

- Kep1er

Japan 1st Full Album "Kep1going"

- &TEAM

1st Single 'Samidare'

- BAEKHO & BIGONE

Single 'LOVE OR DIE'

 

May. 9

- SungJae (BTOB)

May. 10

- Stray Kids

Digital Single 'Lose My Breath (Feat. Charlie Puth)

 

May. 24

- ZEROBASEONE

3rd Mini Album "You had me at HELLO" - Pre-release Song 'SWEAT'

 

To Be Announced

BTOB's Lee ChangSub

EL7Z UP

aespa

BANHANA

ZEROBASEONE

Jennie (BLACKPINK)

ASSEMBLE24 (tripleS)

Seo SooJin (Former (G)I-DLE's member)

G-Dragon (August)

 

Did you finish checking the May 2024 K-Pop Comeback/Debut Schedule? If you are curious about Kpopmap's April 2024 comeback & debut schedule, you can check it out at the link below!