Underage Idols, Sexualization and Abuse in K-Pop
Let’s Rant about Underage Idols, Sexualization and Abuse in the K-Pop Industry
The K-Pop Industry has helped brought forward the Greatest Performers, Dancers, Singers and Groups to this day. The industry is a Trillion Dollar powerhouse for South Korea and has boosted the Nation’s connection to the World.
K-pop has played a huge role in Korea’s Tourism boost, the rising love for Korean Dramas and Movies being appreciated by International fans as well as benefiting the overall Economy. While K-pop has only been around since the early 1990s, less than 40 years old and it has changed the Music Industry for the better.
K-Pop may have many great things, but there are also a lot of dark sides within the K-Pop Industry as a whole. Today, we’ve decided to write a semi-well-researched rant about some things that we have a problem within the K-Pop Industry.
Before we begin, feel free to like the blog before we go along with it. Please note, if you want to support or request a Blog and Post Topic, please follow us and Message us on Twitter. We will link all the sources used within the blog and in a Google Doc visible for all.
Bare in mind, this post contains references to Suicide, Depression, and other Mental Health Disorders with references to Trauma. Please continue with caution if this may trigger you in any way. This Blog is supported by affiliates as we’re not in a country that allows Stripe Pay, so Medium can’t support us.
Now, let’s start the blog.
Abuse
Personally, we consider encouraging toxic productivity, overworking and lack of mental health care, and mistreatment, to be forms of abuse. But, unfortunately, that’s not all. There have been hundreds accounts of abuse within the K-pop Industry. Recently with Omega X, we as K-pop fans have proven to stand together in unity and fight for what was right, but there are many times when fandoms can’t help or the perpetrators aren’t brought to justice.
One such company that always finds its name in the news is JYP. Known for cutting promotion times with their Idols and Groups, enforcing harsh diets and overworking Idols when injured. It is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the shit show that is JYP Entertainment. While JYP has produced some of the biggest names in K-Pop, it really takes the crown when it comes to the Mistreatment of it’s Idols.
This should not be acceptable, considering JYP is worth literally hundreds of millions and their Idols bring in that revenue. It’s downright disrespectful and considered mismanagement to basically give the people responsible for your wealth, not even the proper promotion time. Disregard their original and new ideas from the Idols and even mismanage album production.
Then, you overwork them, force strict diets and encourage toxic productivity with harsh schedules. Though we have used JYP as an example, many other Companies have abuse, mistreated and mismanaged their Trainees and Idols to the point where it is detrimental to both their physical and mental health.
This is just a sample of the shit many Companies do to their Idols and Trainees, we’d like to go on about other Companies like YG (wow, YG got some human and sex trafficking scandals, shaking my head?) SM, the Labor abuse in K-Pop, and the lack of proper living arrangements for K-Pop Idols. But that would make this blog an hour long. It really just shows that these Companies don’t give a shit about the people they have in their care and are in it for the Money.
Tell me here, what are some moments that just make you furious about K-Pop Companies?
Underage Idols
At You Reign™, we are not fans of child artists, singers, vloggers, or whatever it may be. We will go as far to say that we despise it when Children, those under the age of 18, are put in front of a camera for views and money. So, we especially hate it when K-Pop companies debut Idols under the age of 18.
On top of that, proceeds to immediately sexualize them. That’s a definite no-no and abuse in our eyes. That’s not to say we hate Minor Idols, we don’t mind if the K-pop Idols are like 16 minimum, but they are singing or performing in clothes and a theme that fits a minor. That’s okay, especially if their target audience is also within that age range.
But, Companies aren’t debuting these underage idols for just a teen audience. They are put in downright sexualized concepts and outfits and advertise the minors for mature audiences. We just do not want to see any child debuting out there and doing these adult concepts.
Not to mention, when they debut them so young, 16 and younger, not even finished growing into themselves or with school. Or worse, have them as a trainee since they were a pre-teen, this fucks with their Mental Health. It’s horrible seeing them honestly, kids under 18, training and working, not getting to be a child, a teen, not getting to act their age. That type of mental toll will either make or break you and we don’t like either choice.
Idols should be 18 and above, for any sort of concept and they should be able to choose if they’d like to show any parts of their body to their fans. Companies should not be accepting Trainees under 16, if they aren’t prepared or willing to debut them within the next 2 to 3 years. Especially if they aren’t finished with High School. No more of that 5 plus years of training bullshit.
That clearly messes with a person’s mental health, cough, Bang Chan, cough. Please tell us we’re not the only one that thinks this should be rectified. Teens 13 to 16 should be in a free and open environment, able to grow and learn more about themselves as a person. Putting them in the K-Pop industry at so young, for sometimes 5 plus years, stifles their growing minds, disrupts their mental health, and endangers them.
Proven to making them more at risk of sexual assault, depression and suicide. No more children debuting, period. We know for a fact, that we will never be supporting any group or Idol that’s under 18 doing an adult concept and any company that pushes them forward will face retribution.
Sexualization
This topic was added in at the last minute because we just realized how important it is and we rarely hear about this being discussed. So, here’s our two cents on Sexualization in K-Pop. Firstly, we sexualize a lot of K-Pop Idols. I’m sure you do too, I’ve seen your twitter, but thankfully, only adult Idols. And who can blame us when R M, Lee Know and Jackson exists?
That, however, does not excuse forced sexualization. Many groups are given a mature concept and within it, members are required to show skin and flex looks or muscles. This pertains to both male and female idols or groups. Many of the time Idols aren’t even comfortable being over sexualized, forced to bare with it when presented with it on Reality Shows, Skits and Fan Meets.
As for the fans, now we’re not trying to be hypocrites here, but if you aren’t aware, let us update you. Recently, BTS did a RUN Episode of them doing Arial Yoga, which left them in some uncomfortable positions while wearing sweatpants. This left some impressionable moments that some ARMYs decided to spread online. It was shocking, to say the least, and definitely embarrassing for that part of the fandom.
It made us really think about this and had to draw some barriers because, at the end of the day, these are living people just doing their job. They aren’t expecting to be bombarded with simp material, dirty letters and smutty fanfic. Especially considering that some of these idols can be in relationships, come from a modest culture and can even be on the Asexuality spectrum. We have to respect them as human beings sometimes.
Idols and groups shouldn’t have to rely on looks, beauty and muscles for a spectacular performance. We love them anyway, even their odd personalities. Their private parts should not be highlighted and spread all over the internet. We want them to be comfortable with showing their body before they do and when they do. Most importantly, they have to be mature enough as well, so from 21 and up, they can start showing body parts, as long as they are comfortable with it.
The same goes for female K-Pop Idols. One of the reasons it took us so long to get into K-Pop was that we had a hard time liking Girl groups. This is personal, but we found that they were always in little skirts and the cameraman just seemed to linger too long on inappropriate moments, to the point where it just creeped me out.
To this day, most Girl groups are expected to be in skirts doing intricate choreo and singing. Where are the long pants, the boots, actually practical outfits for dancing? We are not trying control what they wear, more so to see the freedom in dancing and performing. Then there is the obvious sexualization that comes with being cis women in the K-Pop Industry.
They can wear what they want, I have no problems, as long as they approve and are comfortable while performing. To us, it just seems like half the time, they can’t move too much in those dresses and little skirts.
Okay, that’s enough for now. What do you guys think? Did anything here stand out to you, let us know in the comments below. This will be separated into more parts because we would like to talk about homophobia, racism, mental health and other issues soon!
Thank you for listening to or reading this!✌
Until next time guys and have a peaceful holiday🎄
Remember, you Reign Here👑
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Notes
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