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Warning: This will be a long post and no, I am not putting it under a read more. If you don’t want to see it, just tumblr savior the title.

I’ve wanted to make this post for a while now since seeing kpop secrets focused on this theme: “Idol’s shouldn’t complain. Millions of people would kill to be in their place”

I wanted to do this for a couple reasons. For one, I want to talk about stress and anxiety because those are problems that personally affect me. Two, I want to make the point that Kpop idols are in fact human. Third, I want to cover some of the unique stresses idols encounter due to the nature of the Kpop industry. I’ll be going over these things point by point which will hopefully make this post a little more digestible…but first, I’d like to talk a little bit about stress and anxiety.

Every living person encounters stress. Stress can be good or it can be bad. Stress affects the mental and physical state of living things - and no it is not unique to humans. Stress benefits humans and animals in the way that it pressures us to survive. However, too much stress can really damage our mental and physical well-being. Stress is related, if not the root of or trigger of many mental and physical ailments like anxiety disorders, depression, gastric illnesses (like ulcers, ibs, diverticulitis, etc.), respiratory illness, heart diseases, chronic fatigue, chronic pain and joint inflammation, etc. Really there is a lot.

Now think back, how many times are Kpop Artists sent to the hospital for any of those problems? It happens multiple times every year. You may think, oh they’ve been sent to the hospital for exhaustion? really?! This must be because they’re being worked too hard or the company is working them like slaves, etc. Well they may or may not have a packed schedule and working their asses off but one can easily be sent to the hospital under “easier” work conditions. See, stress related health problems can become chronic. I hardly have to do anything at all to feel sick or in pain. If you take someone who has any sort of anxiety problems or depression or stress related illness and add in a career as a Kpop idol, you bet they’re going to end up in the hospital at some point.

What kinds of conditions in the Kpop industry can worsen stress related health problems or foster the development of stress related health problems? (note: some of these you can find in any career - so it’s not exclusive to the Kpop industry nor does being in the Kpop industry make one exempt from these problems)

Like any career, being a Kpop artist requires long work hours, being on your feet all day, and it can be exhausting. Some of these conditions are unique to the job though:

Filming for MVs usually take an entire day or so of non-stop filming. Sleeping, resting, and eating have to be worked around filming. Depending on the MV, they might have to work under very hot or very cold conditions. Sleep, other forms of rest, exercise, and proper eating habits are vital to the prevention of stress related problems. However, it is hard to get these things when you’re working non-stop. 

Remember, they have to remember dance routines and song lyrics within a very short period of time as well as learn to coordinate the two to give a successful performance. Some artists have an easier time than others - it really all depends on strengths and weaknesses…but overall it usually involves non-stop practice to perfect a routine. They then have to perform these routines live a few times a week. The performances are usually short but they require a lot of practice performances.

Other than this, they have to travel frequently around the world. That’s so cool, right? Well yeah traveling is fun but they’re doing it for work purposes. They don’t always have time to enjoy the places they’re visiting. Often they fly there, get some rest, perform, and then fly back home. Not so fun anymore right?

They have to do many different TV appearances as well. Sometimes multiple times a day. These can be not too physically demanding - such as interviews, or they can be very physically demanding - such as variety shows. While the interviews and variety shows may be fun, it can get tiring when it’s one after the other for a few days…y’know?

So these are just some career related things…but what are other possibly more personal issues that can put a lot of stress on Kpop artists?

Well, they are constantly under the scrutiny of the public eye. We take advantage of the fact that we do not always have to be concerned about what we say, what we do, where we go, who we’re with, what we’re wearing, what we eat, etc. Of course many of us still feel pressures by these things - and some of these things we should be concerned about for moral reasons, but imagine having to deal with a lot of these personal issues while being in the public eye. 

How our bodies look is a big concern among practically everyone. Kpop idols have to represent an “ideal.” This requires they be put on diets that restrict what and when they eat. They are criticized heavily whether they get plastic surgery or not, for the way they look. This constant scrutiny does a number on one’s self esteem, feelings of self worth and overall body image. This definitely relates to anxiety and stress related illness. 

Our bodies are also subject to illness. It’s only natural. Being an idol and having to work non-stop during certain periods of time can really negatively affect the immune system. Too much stress does in fact negatively affect the immune system. This means injuries and illnesses - even the common cold - can take much longer to recover from than normal. 

Like most people in the public eye, Kpop artists also do not have much privacy. They’re followed everywhere by crazed fans and cannot enjoy a healthy social life. Humans are social beings. Believe it or not, being able to go out with friends and socialize with others does help one blow off steam and relieve stress. This isn’t always possible for artists and they have to be constantly worried about who is following them.

Also, Kpop artists have to deal with the same tragedies and personal struggles that we all do. They have to deal with the death of friends and loved ones that can cause them emotional turmoil. They do encounter financial problems and debilitating stress induced addictions to alcohol, drugs, sex, you name it. They have to deal with illness devastating diagnoses of friends, family members, or even themselves. They have to deal with anti-fan behavior that induce fear and can lead to suicidal thoughts and actions. Like anyone, these problems can accumulate and lead to emotional breakdowns, a need to escape, and frequent hospital visits. 

Before people shoot their mouth of on how Kpop artists shouldn’t be complaining about their lives/should hold up a strong exterior, they need to realize that Kpop artists are working under the same human conditions that we all are. Fortune and fame are things many people dream about and yeah some Kpop artists are able to achieve but that doesn’t remove stress from their lives. 

I’ve heard people bitch about Idols crying or talking about their hardships or complaining about certain conditions. I just think - how dare you? Yeah maybe you want to be in their shoes but that doesn’t mean your life will be any better or any worse. You’re too caught up in materialism to realize that there is more to being a Kpop aritst than the clothes, the money, the fame, etc.  

Anything that causes negative stress to build up in their lives can lead to some very bad health problems. It is painful for the body and causes mental anguish. Kpop artists are not robots free from stress. Stress is a much stronger force than you can imagine. They’re not superhuman and able to simply ignore it or overcome it. This isn’t something that has to be the result of being worked like slaves. These artists do enjoy what they do and they chose to be in this industry. (This doesn’t mean we cannot be critical of companies that may or may not be working someone too hard - but this goes for any industry) This career path is multi-faceted which means there are multiple things that cause stress and stress related problems. It’s not just from one source.

The reality is a Kpop artist can have just as much if not more stress and stress related health problems than a student, someone at a desk job, someone in the military, a politician, etc. Every career has some stress inducing conditions. Kpop artist actually do keep up a good front for the most part. They smile. They sing and dance without showing much pain or fatigue. This is why people question so often, how could this or that Kpop idol end up in the hospital? You just have to understand stress, the human condition, and the conditions under which they are working to understand that this is just something that happens. Next time you hear someone “complain” about it, just realize if they don’t relieve stress somehow it could build up to them ending up in the hospital or worse. 

I don’t want to make it seem like their life is terrible because it’s not always like that. I’m just asking that people have a little more understanding before they bitch about this. I find it insulting, personally, to treat these things that have so negatively impacted my own life as absolutely nothing - as just complaining. It does people no good for others to tell them to just suck it up and deal with it. THAT DOESN’T MAKE THE MENTAL AND PHYSICAL HEALTH PROBLEMS GO AWAY. 

Compassion. Y’all need it.

I am quite enjoying doradora promotions. I kinda separate the competition aspect from the promotions themselves. I am getting a little more passionate about the competition aspect though because it is UKISS’ desire to win and it’s ultimately up to us to help them win. I get a little antsy because in order for this to happen, I know we have to increase our numbers and do whatever possible to help - even if it is small. Increasing our numbers is difficult because information for voting/comeback tutorials hasn’t been circulating as much as desirable outside of the Kiss Me fandom. So…y’know…it’s kinda hard to get more people outside the fandom involved if they don’t know what to do or are completely apathetic.

If I get frustrated, it’s mostly because my stresses of everyday life are merging with the stresses of trying to help UKISS win. So I apologize if I do get negative~ I know I’ve said I didn’t want to get negative here. How I act may be a little bit contradictory and I apologize for that - it’s been a very stressful semester but I’ll try to keep that frustration out of fandom. Fandom is supposed to be a place you can relax and share common interests and experiences. So I truly think we should focus a lot of our energy positively. 

I still don’t think we should be getting upset about things we generally cannot control like who our competition is. We shouldn’t have a quitter mentality though. By quitter mentality I basically mean we can’t think oh this counts for little to nothing so we should just not do it at all or what’s the point of doing x, y, or z when it “gets us nowhere” - that’s exactly why we have a hard time keeping up on the charts and things. Just do what you can do. The reality is we need numbers to help us but we as individuals can only do so much. If UKISS doesn’t win one day or another, it doesn’t mean you didn’t try to the best of your abilities to help them. Sometimes you really can’t be doing all the things necessary to help them at any given time. For example, on my campus with my campus’ internet, I am unable to stream on BUGS. It does frustrate me but there’s nothing I can really do about it here. Therefore I’m focusing my efforts where I can help. 

Win or lose, I think UKISS will continue to do well as a group. They have won awards before (about 8? in 2011) but they’re not wins on any of the major weekly music shows. The reasons why UKISS and Kiss Me’s want them to win an award are varied - some very personal. It seems like these awards are correlated with respect. Should they get an award many feel that UKISS will be treated with much more respect and less like rookies. I have these feelings too but sometimes I also feel that we should feel honored to follow such a determined and hard working group of boys. UKISS’ road to success has been very bumpy and uncertain but UKISS has always made their own way. They haven’t followed the clearer paths to success like other groups have but they’ve followed their own path - rocky and woodsy - the path less traveled, that has shaped them into the fine young men that they are.

It has been such a joy to have seen them improve over the years. I can’t help but smile when I see them perform, no matter we’re winning or losing. No matter whether they’re winning or losing, they’ve always given their all. Even if they go in knowing the odds are against them, they show us their best because that is what they want to do. They’re not just a group that has been passed over promotion after promotion identified entirely by their sob stories. We’re not just a desperate fandom who constantly feels left out and small. This isn’t what defines us or UKISS. UKISS really enjoys what they do…all of them do whether this was their dream or not. We Kiss Me’s really enjoy what UKISS does and all we really want is to show others why we love them so much. We want people to be able to experience the same happiness we do when we see them perform. This is why during Neverland promos, we were trying our best to be welcoming and teach people everything we knew about UKISS.

This is why we’ve strived to be more welcoming, more understanding, and more hardworking. We are far from perfect - we are human and capable of making mistakes. We are subject to our emotions at times and yeah it’s normal to feel upset or annoyed after putting in a lot of effort. As long as we do not allow it to consume us, we will be okay. 

Ah~ so how about those UKISS thighs? Doradora is really a blessing lol.

…because he’s not “typically” beautiful in the idol sense - y’know? Nothing about him screams “I’m conventionally beautiful and pretty!”

He’s got these strong eyebrows that seriously look like they belong to an anime character. He’s got these big ole’ expressive eyes that kinda pop out when he’s being silly or when he’s excited. His jaw is /still/ slightly crooked. His nose is atypical and no matter how hard he tries his smile will forever be down-turned. His hands altogether are fine but his fingers are bent oddly. His thighs are really irrationally big for the rest of his body. etc. etc. 

But goodness gracious with all his “imperfections” he is one of the prettiest and most beautiful man I have ever seen. 

His fluffy hair. His cheekbones and jawline. His delicate looking eyelids and eyelashes in contrast with his stronger features. His perfectly shaped ears with the right amount of piercings. The way his anime character eyebrows knit together when he’s singing or when he’s curious. The way his whole face lights up when he smiles his down-turned smile. The perfect length of his shoulders and his muscular upper arms in contrast to his thinner lower arms and wrists. The long length of his arms in general. His strong toned chest in contrast with his far less toned abs - and the way that his torso tapers in and then out again at the junction between the two. His short torso and long legs. Widened hips and thick thighs in comparison to thin calves and ankles. His ass that just kinda blends into his thighs. His back that is prone to bad posture and perfectly sized feet.

How he looks when he thinks he’s being cool, when someone is hugging him or when he’s hugging them, when he’s focused and determined on something or when he’s lost in space. How he sleeps like a passed out 5 year old that had too much fun at the amusement park. How he acts like a bright-eyed kid one second but is so cynical the next.

My bias is extremely imperfect and odd-looking. He can’t speak perfectly well but I could listen to his voice for hours. He can’t sing well - though he is improving - but I could still listen to his voice for hours. He’s frustratingly annoying at times and tries too hard to be cool - which backfires a lot. He’s immature yet independent. He’s a load of walking contradictions. He’s good and bad, kind and mean, arrogant and humble, patient but can’t sit still, the most affectionate and the most distant, quiet and reserved at times but loves to connect with people…to socialize, so not a kpop idol or celebrity of any kind but acts the part. He is not television Eli, kpop idol Eli, give me a character to play entertainment industry so fans can stereotype me Eli, cheap characterization in a fanfic Eli, - he is way more than the material image he’s given and no one can replicate that; not entirely. 

He is a human being that no matter how long he’s my bias I will never figure him out and that’s okay, it doesn’t bother me too much. As long as he stays on the right path. As long as he doesn’t fuck up or say anything stupid - again - and even then, when he does mess up, I don’t hate him I’m disappointed more than anything else. I suppose how like his parents get disappointed with him when he makes major mistakes. But dammit he tries to rectify things and better himself, and aren’t we all to some extent?

Eli is beautiful and pretty because he’s so not supposed to be…he has broken many of the conventional standards of beauty and what is pretty and what is handsome, what is masculine and what is feminine. He is a living conundrum and that’s why I like him…and that’s why it overwhelms me when I look at Eli and I think, fuck! I thought I knew this and that but I don’t. 

Congrats Eli. You’ve driven me to insanity with your weird self.

tl;dr:

Eli is weirdly beautiful and it overwhelms me and I want to cry but I don’t like crying so instead of crying I decided to express myself in prose. 

KoЯn isn’t heavy metal kpop fandom - they’re nu-metal. That makes me sound pretentious but I used to listen to both and there are differences. Nu-metal combines elements of heavy metal with other music genres. (Hence the dubstep collaboration with Skrillex) Just needed that clarification. Sorry. But keep reading, the important stuff is at the very end.

It’s really no big deal if Taemin swore when he sang this song. Other idols have sworn in performances before. I guess it’s shocking because South Korea is very strict on censorship but y’know idols probably speak in vulgarisms outside of the public eye all the time. 

Stop saying this was the defining performance that turned Taemin into a “real man” -that he’s no longer a “girl” etc. and all sorts of offensive things. Alright. I don’t know how many times I have to go over that it’s pretty sexist to associate weakness and submissiveness with “girliness” and badassery with “manliness.” Gender roles and stereotyping much? C’mon people. It’s also rude to refer to someone with a gender they do not identify with. He’s not “no longer girly Taemin” or “girl” Taemin. He was never “girly” or “girl” Taemin. He was just Taemin. Okay. Got it? Good.  

Plus idols are multi-faceted and can portray different sides to themselves other than the image they’re given by their entertainment companies.

The imagery from the performance disturbs me. I can’t properly judge, because I don’t have the fancam but from what I’ve heard people mimicking Native Americans were involved in the performance. Well, I know they were in the performance because performers were wearing mock war-bonnets and mock hula skirts - which is actually a really poor and stereotyped portrayal of Native Americans. 
Anyways, mimicking stereotyped Native American culture, especially mimicking them as “savages” is really not okay.

This isn’t the first time this has happened in Kpop. T-ara promoted a song with a rather offensive concept involving the exotification of Native Americans and portraying them as “savage”: Yayaya. I don’t have the time to rant about this but someone else did. They explain why it is bad to portray cultures this way pretty well. I really encourage you to read it here. 

I do not mind him performing the song. I think he did a good job at performing the song but the performance itself had very insensitive elements. Unfortunately cultural appropriation is a common problem in the media, not just in Kpop but worldwide. Here are some commentaries (and blogs dedicated to this issue) as to why this is a very bad thing:

1. http://gardant.tumblr.com/post/16714602433/life-with-the-dead-unpopular-opinion-a-rant-on
2. http://feminoonas.tumblr.com/post/16295965946/cultural-appropriation#notes
3. http://colorblinding.tumblr.com/post/12142898253/what-are-you-supposed-to-be-im-a
4. http://delacroix.tumblr.com/post/16101755406
5. http://tea-and-anthropology.tumblr.com/post/15980021259/rejecting-ethnic
6. http://fucknointellectualfails.tumblr.com/
7. http://www.racialicious.com/2010/11/01/the-orientalism-of-nicki-minaj/
8. http://www.racialicious.com/2008/09/18/cultural-appropriation-homage-or-insult/
9. http://zinelibrary.info/files/culturalappropriationread.pdf
10. http://mycultureisnotatrend.tumblr.com/
11. http://nativeappropriations.blogspot.com/2010/04/but-why-cant-i-wear-hipster-headdress.html
12. http://iheartthreadbared.files.wordpress.com/2010/04/3223223918_8c26b9105d_o.jpg (cultural appropriation bingo ftw)
13. http://apihtawikosisan.tumblr.com/post/17269241821/an-open-letter-to-non-natives-in-headdresses

Please please please…do not support this kind of thing in Kpop. That is no good for the industry and most importantly is not good for those that are negatively impacted by these stereotypes. He can still perform the song, they’ve just got to get rid of those racist elements.

I would like it greatly if other Kiss Me’s focused their efforts solely on UKISS instead of worrying about our “competition”

Just buy the album from sources that count on the charts if possible. If not possible, please support UKISS legally. If you have a soribada account, stream doradora. Make and reblog all the GIFs and edits and things. Show pride and confidence in UKISS - but don’t get cocky and rude. Vote when the opportunities arise. Accept new fans and teach them about UKISS. etc. 

Leave arrogance at the door. Leave sadness at the door. Throw out all the damned negativity for once. If you’re gonna complain about who our competition is or if you’re gonna constantly doubt our chances at winning - I don’t wanna hear it. I want to enjoy a comeback wholeheartedly for once without a constant rain cloud over my head. If Kiss Mes focused that negative energy into something more positive then fuck maybe we’d be able to win something! 

Get rid of the piss poor attitudes and enjoy what UKISS has worked very hard to give us. Be grateful, enjoy, support them and shut the fuck up about shit we cannot control.

high levels of this bullshit:

1. sexism
2. cissexism
3. misogyny 
4. misrepresentation and disparaging of non-heteronormative individuals
5. misrepresentation and disparaging of non-neurotypical individuals
6. male chauvenism
7. the virgin vs slut dichotomy 
8. the promotion of unsafe sexual practices
9. the promotion of unhealthy relationships
10. dub-con
11. non-con
12. rape being “justified” as a kink
13. the promotion of “rape drugs”
14. the promotion of other abusive practices 
15. the dehumanizing qualities of fanfiction
16. the submissive vs dominant / seme vs uke dichotomy - and how that plays a role in sexism
17. poor understanding of anatomy
18. the glorification of stockholm syndrome
19. ableist and racist vocabulary
20. pedophilia
21. the glorification of mental illness
22. the disparaging and stigmatization of people with mental illness
23. fat shaming and the reinforcement of “acceptable” vs “unacceptable” body types
24. The unwillingness of the writers to give the characters realistic body types or adhere to their actual body types.
25. The promotion and glorification of dangerous kinks in general - especially self harm and ones that immediately harm others.
26. The promotion of animal abuse
27. Stereotyping in general
28. Exotification and fetishization of non-whites
29. Sexual objectification of human beings in general
30. Ethnocentrism and the Advanced vs. Primitive dichotomy
31. The promotion of crime - sex crimes, violent crimes: murder & cannibalism 
32. JUST INACCURATE REPRESENTATION OF JUST ABOUT EVERYTHING YOU CAN THINK OF

And that’s why I fucking hate a lot of fanfics and am super picky.

Ooo~ yeah that usually happens with each group with some exceptions. 

Generally I refer to lots of men as pretty. I don’t think of it as gender specific. It’s hard for me to describe what is pretty and what is handsome but I consider them distinct. I think they can apply to anyone regardless of gender. There ain’t nothing wrong with being pretty! Even the most stereotypical ”masculine” men have “pretty” features. Generally I associate pretty with delicate & soft. Handsome with prominent striking features…etc. I think Kevin can be handsome and pretty.

I personally don’t see how Kevin is “girly” - like, how do we even define girl? What is feminine or “girly” depends on the culture you’re in as it is a sociocultural construction. Even so, I don’t see Kevin’s behaviors fitting that “stereotype” of femininity in America or in Korea. 

 The thing I don’t like is when people assume things about Kevin, or other idols like Kevin. It’s interesting because they get assigned with all the things women are assigned with: weak, dependent, emotional, submissive, wimpy, etc. - and I think that’s not just insulting to them but to women also.

I don’t want people talking about femininity as if it’s a bad thing or a sign of weakness. I don’t want people who actually like more, as they say “feminine” or “girly” boys, to assign them with these stereotypes. I think it’s insulting. 

Omonatheydidn’t to me is a refuse for rather shitty and backwards attempts at social justice in Kpop as well as indulges heavily in gossip and things of that sort - which is one of the reasons why I don’t go there.  

I think a lot of the people who go on there for the purpose of expressing anger over something someone has possibly done wrong end up 1. not addressing the problem 2. resort to bashing and witch hunting.

I don’t think addressing bad things people do in that manner is productive. Nope. Not productive at all. I typed up a rant about problematic people and how I think they should be handled here…and I don’t think they handle things this way and I’m uncomfortable with how they run things similarly to 6 theory’s Allkpop forums. 

Plus, some of the commentary in response is on the same level as the garbage found on Allkpop - rife with body shaming, slut-shaming, racism, ethnocentrism, ableism, homophobia, etc. 

Of course tumblr has its fair share of all of these things too, I just tend to hate livejournal communities *centered* around celebrity gossip and all that. 

but that’s just me. :)

What people tend to say:

How dare you call my bias fat! My bias is not fat. *insert generic they’re not fat, they’re muscular or have curves* blah blah blah. *insert body shaming of thinner people*

What people should be saying:

I think it’s rude of you to insist that my bias needs to lose weight or imply that my bias lacks work ethic because of his or her weight. Having more fat or weighing more than the “average” or “ideal” person is not a bad thing. What matters is if my bias is healthy and they are healthy so kindly stop body policing and fat shaming idols. It is unrealistic for everyone in the industry to fit socially constructed beauty and body ideals. They don’t have to fit socially constructed beauty and body ideals for you but they’re often pressured to in the process. Desperately trying to achieve these ideals can cause damage to their body image, self-esteem, and health. Obviously you’re more concerned with the superficial rather than their well-being. 

~

You can’t promote body acceptance by implying that they can’t be anything but “muscular” or “curvy” - because in some instances, yeah they do have more fat on their bodies and that’s okay. You can’t promote body acceptance by shaming people by referring to them as “sickly thin” in response. You can’t promote body acceptance by saying “this” or “that” is what a real person should look like.

Body acceptance means accepting everyone’s bodies as real. It’s about not seeing someone as less of a person for the way they look. It’s about not shaming people or policing what people should strive to look like. A lot of you, when you hear insults or harsh criticisms of someone’s body you resort to these negative things. Don’t do that. That makes me sad.  

The use of the word “ghetto” and words like it is a bit personal for me. This is a rant I did based on it. So kindly stfu and check your privilege.

tea-and-anthropology:

It seems like this is something we tend to neglect or forget about altogether. 

These are pejorative terms often used to describe individuals of a “lower socioeconomic class” and their living situations in America:

• Ghetto  
• Redneck
• White Trash
• Trailer Trash
• etc. (there are many but I’m focusing primarily on these)

Using these words to describe other people is not okay. I don’t care if it’s a joke, it’s not funny to those affected by these terms. It is humiliating and pejorative. It gives people of a lower economic standing some very very bad stigmas. Stigmas that say that people of a lower social class are lazy, ignorant, that they deserve to be “poor,” and that they deserve to have to live with some of the horrible conditions they live with. Every time you fight over who race-wise benefits more from social assistance programs ultimately you’re still running the risk of making some damaging assumptions about people of a lower social class no matter their race. I’ve seen it happen multiple times. From whites and from people of color. Every time you use these words to describe one another, you are negatively affecting people who live in Ghetto and Trailer communities - both whites and people of color.

Now, I am white. I do not deny that I benefit from being white and that I have privileges inherent to white people. I say this because I’m about to get personal with this shit:

My parents grew up in a ghetto neighborhood in New Jersey. There were very few white families in these neighborhoods - this was around the 60’s and 70’s. Despite being the only white kid in his neighborhood, my dad bonded with the other kids in the neighborhood. This isn’t to say there was never any racial tension between whites and people of color who lived in these communities. Of course there was racial tension but both whites and people of color had to face some of the negative stereotypes that come with a lower socioeconomic status.

The difference was, my parents could move out of the “ghetto” if given the right opportunity and they would no longer experience such stereotypes. A person of color could move out of the “ghetto” and still be heavily stereotyped. This is because while stereotypes towards people of a lower socioeconomic status are applied to people across all races and ethnicities, some pretty terrible stereotypes are a unique problem to people of color of all socioeconomic statuses. 

Now here’s where I’m really gonna get into this shit. I’ve been called a redneck, white trash, and trailer trash by other whites and by people of color. Why? - solely because I’ve grown up in a trailer park. I’m 21 and I’ve lived here for about 16 years. I don’t consider myself to be poor. I think there are many people worse off than me and I enjoy many privileges. This does not mean I’m free from the stigmas associated with people who live in America’s trailer parks. 

Let’s talk about white trash. White trash is a term used by whites as well as people of color who are privileged in an economic way to describe people who are white and who are of a lower socioeconomic status. Whites separating themselves from whites who are of a lower socioeconomic status by assigning them as “trash” is not okay. Fighting oppression caused by whites by verbally abusing whites of a lower socioeconomic status and assigning negative stereotypes to them is not okay. Referring to anyone as trash is not okay.

Which brings me to this point. Trailer trash and redneck are terms commonly associated with whites while ghetto is commonly associated with people of color for various historical reasons. However, all these terms can refer to someone of a lower socioeconomic status regardless of their race. In my community, there are whites and people of color - all different people of color. You can bet that not only do people of color who live in my community have to live with racial stereotypes but also with these pejorative terms that refer to their socioeconomic status. These terms are damaging. 

I can’t speak for kids who grew up in “the ghetto” and my parents have been long removed from that area of NJ but I can speak for trailer park kids.

Trailer park kids are the first to get picked up by the school bus in the morning and the last to get dropped off after school. Trailer park kids are sometimes dropped off at the entry to the park on the side of a busy road because they don’t want to drive through the park. Trailer park kids are laughed at by other kids if the bus driver happens to drive through the neighborhood. Trailer park kids are called trailer trash, white trash - if they are white, and rednecks. 

Trailer park kids go missing all the time but the cops assume we just ran off. Trailer park kids live in constant fear during tornado warnings but people make jokes about our homes being destroyed on a daily basis. Trailer park kids can hear their neighbors domestic disputes because the walls are so thin but people make jokes about domestic violence in trailer parks all the time. Trailer park kids overhear people talking about how this and that is trailer-trashy. Sometimes this is said by friends, friends who may or may not know where they live. Trailer park kids live with their friends asking them what it’s like to live in a trailer park on a daily basis. 

Trailer park kids have to hear their friends say “I didn’t expect it to be this nice” when they come over to their home. Laws restricting where sex offenders can live have lead many sex offenders to settle in trailer parks. I had a sex offender live in a trailer no more than 10ft from my home. Where we can move our homes is restricted because certain areas don’t want trailers “uglying” up their land. Trailer park kids need to always travel in groups or else carry a bat with them if they want to walk around at night. Heck…even during the day. 

This is how people see us:

• backwards
• stupid 
• ignorant
• lazy
• messy
• trash/waste
• disgusting
• broken

How this makes us feel:

• Ashamed
• Embarrassed
• Disgusting
• Inadequate

How these attitudes towards trailer park dwellers affect us:

• Where we can move our homes
• That the gov’t can restrict potentially dangerous sex offenders to our neighborhoods, settling next door to our families, children, and teens.
• Since people see us all of low worth, it’s okay to endanger our lives
• We’re expendable 
• Higher levels in alcoholism, domestic abuse, rape, vandalism, teen pregnancy, etc. are blamed entirely on our socioeconomic status. 
• We’re the butt of everyone’s jokes
• If our homes are damaged in any way and/or are falling apart it’s our own faults. (Which btw we’re fined if our homes don’t look “nice enough”).

Since living here, I’ve seen people lose their homes in fires on many occasions. I’ve heard of kids going missing. I’ve seen people’s property become purposely damaged - tires slashed, homes defaced. We’ve had criminals, murderers, hide in the woods behind our homes and have been given little warning in advance…and we’re basically blamed for all the problems that occur within our community. We’re trash…trailer trash…and that’s the reason bad things happen to us.   

This is why it is important that whites recognize their economic privileges over other people regardless of their race. This is why people of color as well need to recognize their economic privileges over other people regardless of their race. Of course, white people, no matter their socioeconomic status still need to recognize the privileges they inherently have from being white. You can take a white person out of a “poor” economic situation and they will no longer suffer some of these damaging stereotypes. You can take a person of color out of a “poor” economic situation and they will still suffer negative stereotypes and institutionalized racism. 

As a white person, I will never have to face racial stereotyping to the extent that people of color do. However, I’ve had a taste of what some of this severe stereotyping is like because of where I live and because of how much money my parents make. I can’t imagine what it’d be like to be a person of color living in these same conditions and I shudder at the thought of how people would treat me if they already treat me negatively as a white person living in a trailer park. This is why I encourage all people regardless of race to check their socioeconomic privilege before they dive into using these pejorative terms. 

“Now, even though Hyuna is being marketed in this way, we’ve noticed that a lot of comments on Youtube and elsewhere have been calling her like a skank or a slut, and we gotta say that is totally unfair.  This is simply the “sex sells” role that her company is putting her in; and just like an actor or actress playing a role, this does not necessarily reflect her personality outside of these videos.  While you may not like the role she’s playing, calling her a skank is not fair to say.”

1. It’s unfair to call any woman a skank or a slut based on what she wears and whether or not she enjoys being sexual or having sex. 

2. Sex sells - yes. You know what else sells? Slut-shaming music and media ! Misogynistic music and media ! The policing of women’s bodies - heck we’ve built a whole industry on controlling women’s bodies! Oh no, GOODNESS FORBID a woman actually CHOOSE to dress or act in a sexual manner. 

3. This doesn’t necessarily reflect Hyuna’s personality BUT it could reflect her personality. If it did indeed reflect her personality would you treat her like less of a person? Given the comments, probably yes! This would make you a judgmental sexist asswipe. 

graciegr4c3:

lycheequeso:

You’re so fucking stupid it’s not even funny anymore. 

Seriously, how old are you two again?

…and you still lack critical thinking skills?

“Critical thinking skills”  I died a little, too funny seriously.  When Kpop fans almost never demonstrate them and then criticize others for doing so.  

And what does your comment have anything to do with mine?

Are you even aware at what I was referring to? Most likely not given your response.

I was referring to some of the sexist and racist/ethnocentric remarks they have made in the past - things they will not own up to because they see nothing problematic in their behavior as well. We called them out on their behavior on multiple occasions but they continue to degrade our opinions and criticisms as well as behave like obstinate children. They continue to bring this up just to stir up trouble. They know they have a lot of eyk worshipers who would kiss their ass in a heartbeat so obviously they don’t care about the few of us who do have a problem with the things they say and how they say them.

This has nothing to do with kpop and everything to do with real life societal problems - problems in which we must think critically about. Problems like the blatantly sexist commentary they’ve given in the past that contribute to the oppression of women. Problems like them likening the word “ghetto” to things that are broken completely ignoring the very real problem of poverty, ghettos, and the negative stereotypes given to those living in these sort of neighborhoods - which they are contributing to due to their attitudes towards the term “ghetto.” Problems like full grown adults not being able to discern between someone simply not agreeing with them because their opinion is different (and possibly being mad about it) and people feeling genuinely hurt and angered because their actions and words negatively impact their day to day lives. Problems like adults giving very ethnocentric descriptions of another culture with a dash of linguistic elitism.

I’m not talking or giving my opinion just as a kpop fan but also as a linguist, as an anthropologist and as someone who is very much concerned with societal issues. See, I don’t like their jokes nor do I like their opinions on my favorite kpop idols but I’m not going to raise issue with it too much because it is just that - opinion. I do not care, and I’m not gonna get “butthurt,” if they say “person x has ridiculous hair” or “person y dances awkwardly.” I am going to care and I am going to take issue when they get abusive in their language and refuse to acknowledge how some of their words contribute to societal problems. 

So get off the eyk worshiping wagon and think critically about why others are criticizing eyk for their behavior. 

I’ll review 4minute’s Volume Up MV because as per usual, Eat Your Kimchi’s review was well…stupid. While they didn’t resort to slut shaming this time, they did wank a lot about people criticizing them for some insensitive things they’ve said in the past. Also their jokes were pretty bad. Not bad in the scandalous sense, just bad in the incredibly not funny sense. I have no problem with them expressing their opinions about MVs but I feel like they missed the point entirely on this MV and they were quite pedantic about the content - really pedantic about really irrelevant things.  

Volume Up is an empowering MV for me. It shows a different side of 4minute. 4minute as a group has been heavily criticized time after time. They have been the fandom’s punching bag for some time. I’m not talking about just harmless opinions here okay. How they dress, how they act, how they sing, is brought down in a harsh manner often. This video, shows a bit of that pain. Contrary to EYK’s beliefs, it’s not about being surrounded by a bunch of hot guys. No. They are assuming that they should be happy rather than “mopey vampires” because there’s a bunch of “hot guys” around them - how demeaning to the message is that? Sorry! This MV isn’t about you and your struggles 4minute~! Look at all these menz - uhuhu~ Yeah, how about no.

This MV was a lot different than other MVs - especially from previous MVs they’ve done. It’s no longer about a cutesy image and having an upbeat catchy tune. That’s not what is important overall. First, it’s no longer cutesy. They’re dressed in a very classy and ornate manner. Second of all, while this song is quite dynamic and the sax is just out of this world, it’s not meant to be upbeat or have an “upbeat” message to it. 

As for the distribution, I don’t have a major problem with it at all. No, this isn’t Hyuna + 4minute. Every one of them stood out to me. What matters to me is that the distribution of parts lends to a good song. I heard a lot of people complain about Jihyun’s small part but I don’t think her part was small. The duration might be small but I think her part really stood out for me. Everything was very elegant and I liked the way she took control of the dance with her partner. When I think of this MV I’m not entirely focused on Hyuna, but all of them. They really made each part unique for each member. Nothing was forgettable.  

In essence, this MV shows women taking control of their sexuality. The dance was quite powerful and while sexy, it wasn’t quite as objectifying as a lot of female MVs tend to be. They are in control of the moves. It isn’t a regular “routine” and that’s a good thing. They’re expressing real emotion through their moves and have a powerful presence. It’s not cookie cutter.

In a world where a lot of female groups’ MVs are made to be cookie cutter, for mass consumption, and made to treat them like robots - we need more MVs like Volume Up that show a different side to women in kpop. We need more MVs that focus on women from the non-objectifying, non-dependent on men, non-femininity = weakness, perspective. I think this MV does a dynamite job at that.

4minute has come a long way and this new song is honestly one of the best things I’ve heard from them yet. 

The inability for people to discern between different forms of martial arts is kinda obnoxious sometimes - especially when people use it to lump different martial arts in Asia together. No. A lot of them are culturally unique - although practitioners may be from different cultural backgrounds.

Ok. Here’s some basics:

China: Wushu/Kung fu, Wing Chun, Tai Chi, etc.

Japan: Karate, Jiu Jitsu, Ninjutsu, Judo, etc. 

Korea: Hapkido, Taekwondo, Tang Soo do, etc.

Some may derive influence from each other but ultimately they were developed and perfected in their respective countries. 

Aside from the obvious language differences given with the names, you can generally go by this to distinguish where they come from:

if it contains “do”

(도 or 道) = way of

…usually* Korean

if it contains “jutsu” 

(術) = technique/skill

…Japanese

.

.

*Jeet Kune “do” (截拳道) isn’t Korean. It is a martial created by Bruce Lee. It is very popular in MMA.

Okay. I’m done.