Research Question: In what ways do male K-pop idols defy the traditional American beliefs of gender & sexuality of men? What does this reveal about our cultures expectations for both men and women?  

Korean male idols are often seen as feminine or in other terms “gay” by most Americans who aren’t accustomed to the South Korean music industry. This is because of the separation and distinction of male and female characteristics in American culture. A male is expected to look a certain way in order to be considered “masculine” and vice versa. According to traditional American beliefs of sexuality, a male can either be a masculine heterosexual or a feminine homosexual. However, even heterosexual Korean male idols show more feminine traits than masculine. They wear makeup, dress in colorful pieces of clothing, grow out their hair and dye it different colors in which an American individual would normally see females doing. By analyzing the appearance of a male K-pop idol in South Korea, we are able to see how most gender expectations in American culture are way out of proportion because male K-pop idols are found to be very feminine and yet are accepted by the population and have become quite successful.

Male K-pop idols have what is called “soft masculinity”. “Soft masculinity is a hybrid product constructed through the amalgamation of South Korea’s traditional seonbi masculinity (which is influenced by Chinese Confucian wen masculinity), Japan’s bishonen (pretty boy) masculinity, and global metrosexual masculinity.” (Tunstall, 2014) The result is a mixture of both masculine and feminine characteristics. One feminine trait a woman is “supposed” to have and a male is NOT “supposed” to have is wearing makeup. However all male K-pop idols wear makeup. GDragon, the lead singer of the K-Pop group Big Bang, models for the makeup line The SAEM. (Tunstall, 2014) In America, makeup has become a symbol of femininity and if a male wears makeup he will most likely be viewed as a homosexual. On the contrary, GDragon is a heterosexual man, and to many he is still seen as a very masculine idol. Not only do male K-pop idols wear makeup, but also many of the men in South Korea too. “Of this approximate male population of 19 million men in South Korea, it is estimated that at least 1 in 10 wear make-up and this number is likely to increase.” (BeyondHallyu, 2013) This shows how make-up in Korea is not only portrayed as a feminine product considering that the percentage of male consumers are that high. Instead make-up serves its purpose to enhance their image, whether male or female. According to traditional American beliefs, that would mean that every 1 out of 10 men in South Korea who buy cosmetics and skincare would be “gay”, which is most unlikely. “Since these forms of Korean ‘soft’ masculinity are the opposite of American hegemonic masculinity in which men are expected to be strong both emotionally and physically, when exposed to Korean masculinities […], fans were able to expand their idea of masculinity and understand that masculinity varies by culture, and that it is not a fixed trait but a socially constructed one.” (Brockman, 2013) Since every culture has a different perspective of masculinity, the traditional American belief that a man have all ‘masculine’ traits in order to be heterosexual is not a fact but instead as the quote says, ‘socially constructed’.

Another part of male K-pop idols’ appearance is their wardrobe. In the music video, “Juliette” by K-pop group Shinee, all members have on bright skinny jeans, each member with a different colored pair of jeans. 4 out of the 5 have on sleeveless, bright colored, tie dye shirts. In American culture it is not fashionable for men to wear such tight or colorful clothing because it will supposedly send a message to viewers that they are neither manly nor heterosexual. This type of appearance is looked down upon because it doesn’t support the ideas of a patriarchy. Another group that wore colorful pieces of clothing is JYP Entertainment’s 2PM in their song ‘My Color’. In the music video all of the members wear different colored suits. One of the member’s suit color is pink. Despite the fact that he was wearing a color that is considered ‘girly’, he still received lots of love and attention from his fans. He would most likely be viewed as ‘gay’ according to American beliefs because pink is a color for females not males.

The last aspect of male K-pop idols’ appearance is their hair. In Big Bang’s music video, “Fantastic Baby” three members have hair that strays away from the traditional American short cut hair. GDragon, the leader of the group, has half of his head shaved off, but on the other side he wears extensions that touches the ground. His hair is both black and light reddish-orange. The second member has short baby blue hair that is styled so it doesn’t cover his face. Lastly, the third member has blonde hair with bangs that covers his right eye. Males with colorful hair are not looked down upon in South Korea. Since America is a patriarchy anything that seems to oppose its conservative values will always be looked down upon. Males having more feminine traits are a step closer to gender equality, and if there is gender equality there will be no patriarchy. Another group that sport feminine hairstyles is SM Entertainment’s EXO in their music video, “Wolf”. In the MV, one of the members has pink hair with faded rainbow highlights. Since his hair has such a “feminine” color, most Americans would see him as weak. In today’s society, anything associated with women is considered weak, which results to being “feminine” as an insult. In American culture a male who embodies any feminine traits is pushed down and called ‘homo’ for fear that those who do see these feminine traits in those with power will create empowerment for women and end up destroying the patriarchy as a whole.

In American culture only women are expected to wear makeup, dye their hair, and wear colorful pieces of clothing. Any males who have any of these attributes are looked down upon and considered homosexual. However in South Korea, males who do have these attributes are accepted and are even seen as attractive. This just shows that femininity in young men, or men in general, has no negative effect on a society at all. For a man to be pretty or fashionable does not necessarily mean that they are homosexual. And vice versa, if women were to be masculine in any way then it wouldn’t necessarily mean that they are homosexual. Accepting femininity in a male-dominant society is a trend that America is yet to fall into because of our conservative ways. If America were to do so, we would be that much closer to truly achieving gender equality in this country.

Works Cited

"BIGBANG - FANTASTIC BABY M/V." YouTube. YouTube, 6 Mar. 2012. Web. 23 Mar. 2015. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AAbokV76tkU>.

Brockman, Aozora. "Are Korean Male Idols the Cure to Asian American Emasculation? [BLOG]." Asian Fortune. N.p., 15 Sept. 2013. Web. 23 Mar. 2015. <http://www.asianfortunenews.com/2013/09/are-korean-male-idols-the-cure-to-asian-american-emasculation/>.

"EXO_늑대와 미녀 (Wolf)_Music Video (Korean Ver.)." YouTube. N.p., 30 May 2013. Web. 23 Mar. 2015. <https://youtu.be/gAal8xHfV0c>.

"From Macho to Make-Up: Shifting Gender Ideals in South Korea - Beyond Hallyu." Beyond Hallyu. N.p., 21 May 2013. Web. 23 Mar. 2015. <http://beyondhallyu.com/culture/from-macho-to-make-up-shifting-gender-ideals-in-south-korea/>.

"SHINee 샤이니_Juliette(줄리엣)_MUSIC VIDEO." YouTube. YouTube, 6 July 2011. Web. 23 Mar. 2015. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XwkP3qfwqs8>.

Tunstall, Elizabeth. "Un-designing Masculinities: K-pop and the New Global Man?" The Conversation. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Mar. 2015. <http://theconversation.com/un-designing-masculinities-k-pop-and-the-new-global-man-22335>.

"2PM | My Color (Samsung Corby CF) [HQ:MV] (ENG SUB)." YouTube. YouTube, 6 Dec. 2009. Web. 23 Mar. 2015. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=19JJ0Hhkm44>.