Manufacturing Outrage Against Feminists: The Cosplay Edition
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...
View ArticleFinding the Queer Female Gaze, and What it Says About Anda’s Touch (COMING...
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...
View ArticleFinding the Female Gazes
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....
View ArticleWebinar Series: The Impact of Korean Popular Culture on North America
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)
View ArticleI’m Obsessed with the Collective Amnesia Surrounding EXID’s Sexy Ice Cream Ad
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....
View ArticleWhy Uhm Jung-Hwa Will Forever Be My Queen—and Now Yours Too
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...
View ArticleKorean High School Girls Complain They Can Barely Breathe in Uniforms Smaller...
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...
View ArticleThe Korean Conscription System Promotes a Servile, Subordinate,...
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...
View ArticleHow Korean Celebrity, Gender, and Advertising Intersect—Some Quick Key Points
Estimated reading time: 7 minutes. But first, let me extend my warm thanks to Professor CedarBough Saeji (a.k.a. @TheKpopProf) for her invitation to talk on this topic to her class last week. Next, to...
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Blackpink’s Rosé Deserved So Much Better Than the “Young Silly Woman Puts...
It’s all very cute and charming until you realize how rarely you see it used on men. Why is that? Estimated reading time: 7 minutes. Right: So-hee of the Wonder Girls. Yeah, Rosé does look very cute...
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Making Sense of the NewJeans “Cookie” Controversy
A reading list for everything you ever wanted to know about the sexualization of minors in K-pop Estimated reading time: 3 minutes. The best thing you can read to make sense of it, actually, is Haley...
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“Japan is Famously—or Notoriously—Known for its People Not Being Able to Say...
Turning Boys Into Men? The Performance of Gender for South Korean Conscripts, Part 8 Estimated reading time: 4 minutes. Photo (cropped) by Jim Flores on Unsplash. Am I just projecting when I say...
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Performing in “Public” Spaces in Korea and Japan—Can Anyone Do it? Or Mostly...
“Musicians’ experiences of dis/comfort, im/mobility, security and threat, as well as their coping strategies, are all gendered.” Estimated reading time: 5 minutes. Photo by Chris Barbalis on Unsplash....
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WOMEN WE LOVE Bookclub Event—Sunday, February 11, 2-4pm
Estimated reading time: 2 minutes. Just a heads-up to let you all know about this upcoming event, to give you time to order and read the excellent Women We Love: Femininities and the Korean Wave (2023)...
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Some Smart, Sophisticated Events for Smart, Sophisticated Busanites (And Me...
Busan is GOOD! 부산이라 좋다! Estimated reading time: 4 minutes. Source: iamcacophony. Sorry that I’ve been so neglectful and absent these past few weeks. One excuse is just being very busy settling into the...
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Feminazi Killjoys Target Cute Children’s Song
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...
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How does military conscription affect Korean gender relations and attitudes...
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...
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“Girl-groups in Hot Pants” Isn’t a Concept That Always Sells a Product....
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...
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On K-pop Stars Dating
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...
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“W코리아가 여성을 화보에 담아내는 방식이 마음에 든다. 자기다운 모습으로 카메라를 응시하는 여성 모델들.”
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...
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