“Spring Girls,” by Sunwoo Jung-a, Is Both Feminist and as Sexy as Hell. Lets Give It the Attention It Deserves.

September 19, 2016, 2:30 am

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(Source, all screenshots: YouTube) Spring Girls, by singer-songwriter Sunwoo Jung-a, is literally dripping with sex. For starters, take the word cheonyeo (처녀) in its Korean title. Many sources do give “young unmarried woman” as one meaning, so “girls” seems fine for the English. (When they’re obvious, Korean usually omits plurals.) But most translate it as […]

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(Guest Post) Misogyny is Sexy: The power structure of sex

November 16, 2016, 2:36 am

≫ Next: 17-Year-Old Tzuyu: “A Special Gift for Korean Men”

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(Source, left: Isabel Santos Pilot; CC BY-NC-SA 2.0. Source, right: SenseiAlan; CC BY 2.0. Both pictures edited.) The 2016 US presidential election can be viewed as a struggle for power. Not only was it a struggle for political power, but there was a very basic struggle that permeated throughout the entire election season — the […]

17-Year-Old Tzuyu: “A Special Gift for Korean Men”

January 30, 2017, 1:30 am

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Turning Boys Into Men? The Performance of Gender for South Korean Conscripts, Part 4        “Do one thing everyday, that scares you.” My personal motto adopted from Wear Sunscreen by Baz Luhrmann (1999), without which I wouldn’t be in Korea now. Nor have had sex in a lot of strange places. Now a middle-aged parent […]

Voyeur (보여) by Na-mi (나미): Lyrics and Translation

February 5, 2017, 9:57 pm

≫ Next: Why Korea Has so Many Celebrity Endorsements, and Why That’s so Important for Understanding Korean Pop-Culture

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(Sources, edited: Mediapaper, YouTube, Bonik) I’m going to let my hair down this week. And I do enjoy covering Korean artists or groups who deserve to be much better known by English speakers. Even if they reward me by disbanding as I type this, or by never replying to my tweets. Here’s hoping I get a […]

Why Korea Has so Many Celebrity Endorsements, and Why That’s so Important for Understanding Korean Pop-Culture

February 12, 2017, 2:50 pm

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(Source) To find out, please check out my journal article “Just beautiful people holding a bottle: the driving forces behind South Korea’s love of celebrity endorsement”, which has just been published in Celebrity Studies. There’s only a very limited number of e-copies available unfortunately, so please get in touch if you have any problems accessing […]

Feminazi Killjoys Target Cute Children’s Song

February 26, 2017, 11:25 pm

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And I’m one of them: (Source: Instiz) Here’s a transcript: ‘아빠 힘내세요’라는 동요 아시죠. Anchor: You know the song Cheer Up Father, yes? 어깨 축 쳐진 아빠에게 아이들이 용기를 줬던 노래인데 이 노래가 양성평등을 저해한다는 판정이 나와 문화관광부가 해명자료까지 내는 소동이 벌어졌습니다. This is the song which gives encouragement to exhausted, depressed fathers, but it […]

Finding the Queer Female Gaze, and What it Says About Anda’s Touch

January 1, 2018, 1:30 am

≫ Next: Call for Papers: The 3rd World Congress for Hallyu

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Part 1 of 3. Estimated reading time: 15 minutes. Source, all screenshots: YouTube Face-sitting. A woman’s POV shot as Anda kneels in front of her crotch. Women making out in the background. Anda beaming at the viewer in anticipation as she admires another woman’s vagina. The complete absence of any men. Anda lying in bed […]

Call for Papers: The 3rd World Congress for Hallyu

August 31, 2015, 2:35 am

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I’ve been asked to pass on the following: From the accompanying email (slightly edited by me): …I am emailing on behalf of WAHS to inform you of an upcoming international conference in Dubai on Hallyu Studies. The conference, World Congress on Hallyu, is the third of its kind and aims to bring together academics, students, and […]

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How does military conscription affect Korean gender relations and attitudes to women?

July 2, 2018, 1:30 am

≫ Next: “Girl-groups in Hot Pants” Isn’t a Concept That Always Sells a Product. Except When it Does. Damn.

≪ Previous: Call for Papers: The 3rd World Congress for Hallyu

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The vision of male-female relations that conscription engenders—that men’s role is to do important work for the nation, while women’s is to remain on the sidelines offering their support through youthful looks and sexual availability—is pervasive in Korean daily life. Estimated Reading Time: 5 minutes. Photo (modified) by Berwin Coroza on Unsplash. Last week, came … Continue reading How does military conscription affect Korean gender relations and attitudes to women? →

“Girl-groups in Hot Pants” Isn’t a Concept That Always Sells a Product. Except When it Does. Damn.

August 14, 2018, 1:30 am

≫ Next: On K-pop Stars Dating

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Compared to men, women are almost 60 times more likely to be wearing revealing clothing in Korean advertisements. Estimated Reading Time: 5 minutes. Source: @Sulllllimmmm “I’ve seen many pictures of Seol-hyun, but I think these are the first ones I’ve ever seen that haven’t sexualized her or shown off her body.” Me too.* Which is not … Continue reading “Girl-groups in Hot Pants” Isn’t a Concept That Always Sells a Product. Except When it Does. Damn. →

On K-pop Stars Dating

September 27, 2018, 2:07 am

≫ Next: “W코리아가 여성을 화보에 담아내는 방식이 마음에 든다. 자기다운 모습으로 카메라를 응시하는 여성 모델들.”

≪ Previous: “Girl-groups in Hot Pants” Isn’t a Concept That Always Sells a Product. Except When it Does. Damn.

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Precious few songwriters and MV directors present female K-pop stars as grown women with sexual experience, agency, and desire. But these assigned gender roles can quickly crumble under revelations that they’re actually in relationships, as can as the business models that depend on them. Estimated combined reading time: 8 minutes. Photo by Zun Zun from … Continue reading On K-pop Stars Dating →

“W코리아가 여성을 화보에 담아내는 방식이 마음에 든다. 자기다운 모습으로 카메라를 응시하는 여성 모델들.”

November 25, 2018, 7:30 pm

≫ Next: Manufacturing Outrage Against Feminists: The Cosplay Edition

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Estimated reading time: 2 minutes. Image sources: @pompomiya “I like the way W Korea portrays women. Look at the models here all staring back at the camera in their own ways.” If I die tomorrow, my biggest regret will be never completing my epic series on the queer female gaze in K-pop. No, really. So, … Continue reading “W코리아가 여성을 화보에 담아내는 방식이 마음에 든다. 자기다운 모습으로 카메라를 응시하는 여성 모델들.” →

Manufacturing Outrage Against Feminists: The Cosplay Edition

June 24, 2019, 1:30 am

≫ Next: Finding the Queer Female Gaze, and What it Says About Anda’s Touch (COMING APRIL 27)

≪ Previous: “W코리아가 여성을 화보에 담아내는 방식이 마음에 든다. 자기다운 모습으로 카메라를 응시하는 여성 모델들.”

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I read trashy entertainment news stories about women in cosplay and half-naked men, so that you don’t have to. But when they’re all that’s available, it’s netizens with agendas that get to determine what we take away from them. Estimated Reading Time: 15 minutes. Image sources: 스포츠하국, Pixabay (edited). Surely it’s a bot that pumps … Continue reading Manufacturing Outrage Against Feminists: The Cosplay Edition →

Finding the Queer Female Gaze, and What it Says About Anda’s Touch (COMING APRIL 27)

April 6, 2020, 3:00 am

≫ Next: Finding the Female Gazes

≪ Previous: Manufacturing Outrage Against Feminists: The Cosplay Edition

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It’s a dirty job, publicly shaming yourself into finally writing about a subject that you’re passionate about and have been working on for years. But someone has to do it! Estimated reading time: 2 minutes. Source: YouTube. The MV for Touch by Anda, released in 2015, is as queer and objectifying as they come. Naturally, … Continue reading Finding the Queer Female Gaze, and What it Says About Anda’s Touch (COMING APRIL 27) →

Finding the Female Gazes

May 4, 2020, 1:45 am

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≪ Previous: Finding the Queer Female Gaze, and What it Says About Anda’s Touch (COMING APRIL 27)

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If queer women say they love the MV to Anda’s Touch, this cishet man is going to listen. Not to self-appointed gatekeepers who insist women are only about the feels. Estimated reading time: 20 minutes. Source, all screenshots: YouTube Face-sitting. A woman’s point-of-view shot as Anda kneels in front of her crotch. Women making out … Continue reading Finding the Female Gazes →

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Webinar Series: The Impact of Korean Popular Culture on North America

September 20, 2020, 7:37 pm

≫ Next: I’m Obsessed with the Collective Amnesia Surrounding EXID’s Sexy Ice Cream Ad

≪ Previous: Finding the Female Gazes

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Please see here for more information and links for registering. If you reside in South Korea, you can donate via wire transfer: Turnbull James Edward (Kookmin Bank/국민은행, 563401-01-214324)

I’m Obsessed with the Collective Amnesia Surrounding EXID’s Sexy Ice Cream Ad

January 18, 2021, 1:30 am

≫ Next: Why Uhm Jung-Hwa Will Forever Be My Queen—and Now Yours Too

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And I’m not afraid to quote poetry to justify it! Estimated reading time: 6 minutes. Screenshot: YouTube. You the bride are a form of grace, your eyes honey. Desire rains on your exquisite face. Afroditi has honored you exceedingly. Excerpt, Song to Groom and Bride, Sappho. The word “sensual” has always been a favorite of … Continue reading I’m Obsessed with the Collective Amnesia Surrounding EXID’s Sexy Ice Cream Ad →

Why Uhm Jung-Hwa Will Forever Be My Queen—and Now Yours Too

January 25, 2021, 12:30 am

≫ Next: Korean High School Girls Complain They Can Barely Breathe in Uniforms Smaller Than Clothes for 8-Year-Olds.

≪ Previous: I’m Obsessed with the Collective Amnesia Surrounding EXID’s Sexy Ice Cream Ad

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Estimated reading time: 5 minutes. All screenshots: MV via Visualazn. The “Queen of Charisma” deserves so much better than an 18MB, 240p MV for Tum, one of her classic hits: To remedy that, go to Visualazn for a 428MB, 720p version to download posthaste. (I’d upload it myself, weren’t YouTube to instantly ban the copyright … Continue reading Why Uhm Jung-Hwa Will Forever Be My Queen—and Now Yours Too →

Korean High School Girls Complain They Can Barely Breathe in Uniforms Smaller Than Clothes for 8-Year-Olds.

February 8, 2021, 3:30 am

≫ Next: The Korean Conscription System Promotes a Servile, Subordinate, Sexually-Objectifying View of Women. Here’s How.

≪ Previous: Why Uhm Jung-Hwa Will Forever Be My Queen—and Now Yours Too

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Even university students are astonished at how short and restrictive they’ve gotten. Estimated reading time: 12 minutes. Photo by Noah Buscher on Unsplash. Ten years since I first wrote about it, I’m still astounded that K-pop stars can endorse school uniforms. Surely, much of the blame for Korea’s notorious issues with female body image can … Continue reading Korean High School Girls Complain They Can Barely Breathe in Uniforms Smaller Than Clothes for 8-Year-Olds. →

The Korean Conscription System Promotes a Servile, Subordinate, Sexually-Objectifying View of Women. Here’s How.

March 15, 2021, 1:30 am

≫ Next: How Korean Celebrity, Gender, and Advertising Intersect—Some Quick Key Points

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Turning Boys Into Men? Girl-groups and the Performance of Gender for South Korean Conscripts, Part 7 Estimated reading time: 9 minutes. Source, right (cropped): Streetwindy via Pexels. The contents of Everyday Sexism (2014) by Laura Bates, a UK-focused collection of public submissions and statistics on the myriad of ways women experience sexism on a daily … Continue reading The Korean Conscription System Promotes a Servile, Subordinate, Sexually-Objectifying View of Women. Here’s How. →