Liberating vs Shameful: An Analysis On Skin Exposure For Male And Female Idols
The K-Pop world addresses many topics but there's one uncomfortable discussion that severely needs addressing, gender inequality.
Kianna, Staff Writer 4 min to read ·
Published : Apr 30, 2024
Calvin Klein
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.
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?
Calvin Klein's Official Twitter
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!
100+ K-Pop Boyfriend Quizzes To Help You Find Out Your Fate With Your Bias
Check out Kpopmap's library of K-Pop boyfriend quizzes and get playing!
Kay Sesoko, Kpopmap Editor 3 min to read ·
Published : Nov 10, 2023
· Updated : Apr 15, 2024
ZEROBASEONE Official / Stray Kids Official
Every K-Pop fan chooses a bias, yet every K-Pop fan knows that sometimes having a particular bias is not a choice. Sometimes your bias chooses you. There's just a special charm that they have that grabs a hold of you.
It is always fun to imagine how compatible you and your bias are, or if your biaswrecker is going to come in and steal their spotlight.
At Kpopmap, we have an extensive library of K-Pop boyfriend quizzes where you can test the power of fate when it comes to you and your bias/biaswrecker. You can see if you'll choose your bias or if a biaswrecker will choose you.
Here is a list of all of the boyfriend quizzes on the Kpopmap website. We have a number of other quizzes on the site too, so make sure to check them out here!
If you are interested in girl group quizzes, check them out in this article, too.
10 Actors Who Would Be Perfect In The K-Drama Adaptation Of Webtoon "The Mermaid I Loved" [VOTE]
Which Korean actor should take the role of a attractive mermaid and chaebol? Here is our dream cast for the K-Drama adaptation of the webtoon "The Mermaid I Loved" ("내가 사랑한 물고기").
Laure, Kpopmap Editor 5 min to read ·
Published : Mar 28, 2024
LookMedia / "The Mermaid I Loved" by Cosmic Bom Bom and Bubal on NAVER / KingKong by Starship
With all the amazing webtoons-based dramas that have been released in the past couple of years, we have only become more excited about upcoming K-Dramas linked with webtoons.
The webtoon "The Mermaid I Loved" is a special case because the story was first written as a script for a drama production. The drama production is on its way and the webtoon was pre-released. The drama's production company, Group Eight, thought that in releasing it first as a webtoon they could showcase some of the various deep sea adventures of the story and also help garner attention for the drama.
"The Mermaid I Loved" by Cosmic Bom Bom and Bubal on NAVER
The romance fantasy adventure webtoon “The Mermaid I Loved” ("내가 사랑한 물고기," literal translation, “The Fish I Loved”), written by Cosmic Bom Bom and Bubal (우주봄봄 and 부발), tells the story of a man whose intermittent transformations into a mermaid become increasingly uncontrollable as he experiences the emotion of love and spends time with a woman who he finds himself more and more attracted to. The season 1 of the webtoon ended on March 13th with 31 episodes.
Given the webtoon’s popularity, Group Eight is looking forward the positive effect the webtoon will have on the upcoming drama’s viewership. They have built a solid portfolio with dramas based on webtoons like "Taxi Driver", "My ID is Gangnam Beauty" and "A Good Day To Be A Dog". Among their awaited projects is the reboot of the popular drama "Princess Hours" (2006).
Currently, there are no actors cast for “The Mermaid I Loved”. Fans of the webtoon are waiting for the announcement of the cast. We can already think of actors and actresses who would be perfect for the roles!
"The Mermaid I Loved" by Cosmic Bom Bom and Bubal on NAVER
We at Kpopmap have thought up a cast of actors who would suit this drama amazingly.
1. Sim Kai (심카이), a mermaid and 3rd generation chaebol
Sim Kai is the lead male character. He discovered he was a mermaid 12 years ago and he pretends to be a human.
"The Mermaid I Loved" by Cosmic Bom Bom and Bubal on NAVER
"The Mermaid I Loved" by Cosmic Bom Bom and Bubal on NAVER
When he shares physical touch with a woman, his fish scales begin to appear and he transforms back into his mermaid form. Because of this, he avoids all contact with women and has been single his whole life.
But due to his handsome looks, he has a lot of girls chasing after him, so he hired YaNa to pretend to be his girlfriend. However, he can’t help himself from having physical contact with YaNa even if it means he won’t be able breathe.
"The Mermaid I Loved" by Cosmic Bom Bom and Bubal on NAVER
Kai is the son of the jewelry brand Inoroo, or 3rd generation chaebol, but he is not interested in the family business and instead prefers performing as a mermaid at the aquarium.
The actor must possess features suitable for long hair and a muscular physique to be able to portray a mermaid. He should exude charm and look dazzling in a suit, while also being capable of conveying a mix of cynicism, cuteness, and panic in his expressions. Comfort with underwater filming is also mandatory.
Moon SangMin, WEi's Kim YoHan, Baek SungChul, Kim MyungSoo (INFINITE's L), and Chae JongHyeop could be a good match.
LOOKMEDIA / Awesome Entertainment / WEi Official / Chae JongHyeop Instagram / KEYEAST
Not only would they look stunning with long hair and looks amazing in suits, but their facial features would perfectly match the character's. Beyond their physical attributes, all five actors possess the talent and ability to convey Kai through the right facial expressions. The genre of fantasy romance suits them impeccably. Each actor would bring their unique colors and charms to the character, making him stand out on screen. Additionally, we can anticipate excellent chemistry with the lead actress.
Vote for your pick in the poll below!
Moon SangMin
WEi's Kim YoHan
Baek SungChul
Kim MyungSoo
Chae JongHyeop
Please do not refresh any more. Press the "VOTE" button below.
2. Jung YaNa (정야나), an easy-going part-time student
"The Mermaid I Loved" by Cosmic Bom Bom and Bubal on NAVER
Jung YaNa (24 years old) is the lead female character. She is a student who works a part-time job and has an easy-going personality.
She accidentally kisses Kai when she meets him for the first time, and shocked to see him suddenly fall very sick, she calls the ambulance. She ends up more shocked when she sees him put his face into a dirty bucket of water used for cleaning.
"The Mermaid I Loved" by Cosmic Bom Bom and Bubal on NAVER
"The Mermaid I Loved" by Cosmic Bom Bom and Bubal on NAVER
The actress should possess a mix of cuteness and strength, capable of expressing a wide range of emotions, and especially comedy. The character experiences rapid and extreme changes in emotions, so the actress should be able to show these transitions convincingly. Additionally, she should look just like a regular student, but be able to become a stunning lady with expensive clothes.
Kang MinAh, WJSN's Bona (Kim JiYeon), Chae SooBin, Girl's Day's HyeRi, and Seor InA could be a good match.
H& Entertainment / King Kong by Starship / Creative Group Ing / GOLDMEDALIST
All five actresses have demonstrated their talented acting and are well-suited for a character like YaNa. Each of them possesses the ability to portray the youthful, cute, and fiery vibes of the female lead character. Comedy and expressive acting would not be an issue for any of them, so it would be a smooth portrayal of the character without overdoing it and making viewers laugh. No need to mention that they would all bring great chemistry with the lead actor! Being a romance, it is crucial.
Vote for your pick in the poll below!
Kang MinAh
WJSN's Bona
Chae SooBin
Girl's Day's HyeRi
Seor InA
Please do not refresh any more. Press the "VOTE" button below.
The webtoon is not available in English officially yet, but you can read it in Korean here.
"The Mermaid I Loved" by Cosmic Bom Bom and Bubal on NAVER
Let us know who you want to see cast!
Note: The aim of the vote is for Kpopmap readers to share their opinion about their preference for the cast. It is not affecting the cast of the production team.
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