What Obsession with Celebrity Couples Tells Us About Ourselves

[ashiva.livejournal.com]

Yu Hae-jin (left) and Kim Hye-soo

(This is a column by Choi Seung-hyun from the Chosun Ilbo's News Desk)
The public's fixation with the love lives of celebrities reveals the hidden desires of our society, and ubiquitous access to the Internet has caused news or rumors to spread at the speed of light. At the start of the New Year, the Internet was filled with news about top actress Kim Hye-soo and actor Yu Hae-jin officially announcing they have been dating. The Korean public has grown used to far more scandalous and sensational revelations, but the reason they were so surprised to find out that Kim and Yu were dating is because their relationship appeared to transcend social classes.

While Kim played the roles of confident or arrogant career women or femme fatales who stop at nothing to get what they want, Yu has mainly played supporting characters such as jesters or criminals. And when their relationship became official, the public's response was overwhelming. Kim was praised for judging a man for his personality rather than looks, while people wondered what secret skills Yu must have in order to win the heart of such a beautiful woman.

But a closer look at all of the comments posted on the Internet reveals the prevailing mentality among Koreans who look at social or financial status rather than the genuine feelings two people may have for each other. Many people have already reached the conclusion that Kim is the superior commodity simply because of her looks and are debating on various Internet message boards who is benefiting more from the relationship. People are referring to the couple as "beauty and the beast" or congratulating Yu for bagging such a great prize despite being a "loser."

Too many people judge celebrity couples with money as the sole gauge. When a female celebrity marries into a wealthy family -- many seem to get hitched to scions of the large conglomerate families -- people often post snide comments on Internet message boards, saying the rich family actually has no power in the business empire controlled by their relatives or that the actress probably married because of the vast real estate owned by her in-laws since her husband's company is nothing to brag about.

When a famous actress marries a humble office worker, people say her husband's father-in-law must be a powerful figure in his home town. When two celebrities get married, people start comparing the amount of TV ads they were in to deduce which one is bringing more money into the marriage.

Last year, matchmaking firm Sunoo surveyed 20,000 office workers on what attributes they considered most in their potential spouses and found that 28.29 percent chose social and economic status, followed by personality (29.27 percent), appearance (23.82 percent), and family background (18.62 percent). In other words, there was no single trait that was overwhelmingly desired by ordinary people. Times have changed, and even celebrities are attracted to each other by that mysterious thing called love. Then why do people insist on viewing celebrity couples through such materialistic lenses?

Perhaps the way we view celebrity couples reflects the way we secretly view those around us. Maybe we have become so jaded that love has degenerated into an emotional scheme to find a wealthy partner, and this characteristic of ours is being manifested in our vicarious fixation on celebrity couples.

The most shocking of all the comments posted on the Internet about Kim and Yu are those who praise the actress for her "unshakable conviction" in choosing the actor. This is certainly a newfound application for the word "conviction." Kim was simply being true to her emotions, just as many of us are when we meet that person we always dreamed about. Besides announcing the love they share, Kim and Yu probably would like to make another announcement to the public: "Please leave us alone."

Source: The Chosun Ilbo

Comments

[stopthedisco.livejournal.com]

It tells us that some of us need boyfriends/girlfriend of our own.

[stopthedisco.livejournal.com]

He isn't even THAT bad looking either, beauty is different to everyone.

[swtazndork.livejournal.com]

mte.

[rubus-phoenic.livejournal.com]

LOL. THIS.

[froggster.livejournal.com]

Times have changed, and even celebrities are attracted to each other by that mysterious thing called love. Then why do people insist on viewing celebrity couples through such materialistic lenses?
because netizens are dickweeds.


also woohoo, for not being materialitic or whatever since I've never cared for celeb couples.

[aburstofyellow.livejournal.com]

Me too.Or celeb pairings, even. Like Taec/Yoona. I have nothing against it except that I think it's mostly for publicity...

[aburstofyellow.livejournal.com]

When a female celebrity marries into a wealthy family -- many seem to get hitched to scions of the large conglomerate families -- people often post snide comments on Internet message boards,

When a famous actress marries a humble office worker, people say her husband's father-in-law must be a powerful figure in his home town. When two celebrities get married, people start comparing the amount of TV ads they were in to deduce which one is bringing more money into the marriage.

Netizens again. Can't seem to get a life >.>

[sociologique.livejournal.com]

This. A thousand times this.

[mrskwonjiyong.livejournal.com]

good stuff. :)

prevailing mentality among Koreans who look at social or financial status rather than the genuine feelings two people may have for each other.
not only koreans but probably everywhere nowadays.
honestly, i'd go for a guy earning more than i do rather than someone that can't sustain my needs. practicality?

pffft, whatever. love will prevail in the end no matter what, just like in those k-dramas.

[theycallmeriz.livejournal.com]

love will prevail in the end no matter what, just like in those k-dramas.

After you pretend to be a guy, who he hires as a housekeeper, who he grows more and more attached to while his bitchy ex-girlfriend tries to keep you two apart and then he walks into you having a shower, discovers your true gender, has a major period about it and then chases you to an airport before you fly to a foreign country and admits he loves you and will go against his wealth-obsessed parent to prove your love is real... :'L

Yeah. I'd marry a guy for money. Seriously, if I can't fall in love with someone, why is it so bad to think about the financial needs of me and any kids I have? :')

[zngnn.livejournal.com]

it tells us that they should let IDOLS date publicly jfc.

[sayitisso.livejournal.com]

seriously, guh.
and, um, your icon is possibly the best thing I've seen in a really long time.

[sayitisso.livejournal.com]

This is done all over the world, really. I mean, my mom buys all of the "cotilleo" magazines in Spain that try to dig as deep into celebrities' lives as possible and judge commoners, too, when they become involved with big stars. She proceeds to criticize everyone in the magazine, as if she's living a better life and would know how to handle herself if she was famous. Though it may be taken to unnecessary extremes by Korean netizens (as always, big surprise guys...) this happens everywhere.

[hoyah.livejournal.com]

this

don't we at omona also do this? obsess, in any case, even if we don't always make the same judgments.

[hyunaa.livejournal.com]

i've seen so many comments on random couples where people are like "she/he can do so much better" just because the guy/girl isn't traditionally handsome...lame.

[goldengutgirl.livejournal.com]

skipping all the issues to say HOLY SHIT KIM HYE SOO IS DATING, ALL IS RIGHT EEE I LOVED HER IN STYLE SO MUCH! So happy for her, that smile she has on that picture just shows how happy she is (her nose sort of wrinkles when she smiles I sound like I have a girl!crush from Style lmao...oh wait) <3

[sparklop.livejournal.com]

This isn't really isolated to korea, its everywhere.

but only in korea do they insist on making netizen comments front page news, so it seems worse then other places...

once again, let the idols date and see pretty people with other pretty people

[black-silver.livejournal.com]

but only in korea do they insist on making netizen comments front page news

yah good point...i really wonder why that is...

[waste-a-name.livejournal.com]

she looks so happy smiling at him. what's so wrong?

spiraling into slightly OT...

[black-silver.livejournal.com]

great post!

Maybe we have become so jaded that love has degenerated into an emotional scheme to find a wealthy partner
oooooh...

not saying that i think this is the case with Korean celebs, but i'm trying to take into consideration the thought that maybe there are people who legit do not marry for 'love' but for pragmatism...?
like, we being the young generations we are now, we're taught from a very young age that we're supposed to marry "for the right reasons" aka ~love~, but...that's not how marriage as an institution started out, is it? i'm sure there are people who really do see it more as a survival/merging of assets process rather than as this grandiose romanticized affair that movies, culture, society, etc. have been feeding us for so long
i mean, here in the States, we have people marrying to gain citizenship status and myriad other things, and i used to think that was zomg so wrong~~!!1, but now it's more like...well, you do what you gotta do to get on with your life

Re: spiraling into slightly OT...

[spunspider.livejournal.com]

THIS-ing you baybeh. In my culture marriage is arranged and a practical affair, people don't generally date, even. Of course, you also have your star-crossed lovers dying for each other but for the most part, that kind of love just doesn't exist, it appears after marriage, supposedly. Not everyone gets to find ~true love~ and in the end, how much are looks really going to matter?

but on the other hand

[black-silver.livejournal.com]

man, some people are reeeeally motherfucking shallow >______<

whew!

Amazing technique maybe?? >:D

[the-crazy-cat.livejournal.com]

Last year, matchmaking firm Sunoo surveyed 20,000 office workers on what attributes they considered most in their potential spouses and found that 28.29 percent chose social and economic status, followed by personality (29.27 percent), appearance (23.82 percent), and family background (18.62 percent)

How many chose performance in bed? It's not listed.

What? It's a very important criteria y'know. Definitely a must have attribute in my potential spouses. XD

[leelun.livejournal.com]

didn't you know tabi is also a journalist? jk

[vanny92.livejournal.com]

I say Bravo to them.

We need more average looking people in this world to stop prejudice against people who are 'not-so-goodlooking'.

[itendtoflail.livejournal.com]

i don't care who she's dating, just wanna say that kim hye soois my woman crush and ANYBODY who gets to take that home is one lucky dog...

[spunspider.livejournal.com]

The way plastic surgery is rampant in Korea, it's no wonder this is made headline-worthy. Someone average or less than average-looking is going to look even 'uglier' in the midst of all that beauty, fake as it may be.

Not gorgeous but I don't think he's all that badlooking, dude up there disagrees. Korea thinks Yoona is insanely beautiful, hardly any intl kpop fans, even those who like her, agree. What does that tell us?

[xkimchi-ninja.livejournal.com]

Korean beauty standards are odd. Yoona's a pretty girl, but I've always found her kinda plain, none of her features really stick out to me.

[turdferguson.livejournal.com]

people all over the world still marry to gain status and money. love is for poor people.

[dalpaengi.livejournal.com]

XD I'm pervert cause I thought the same thing about her boobs.

[thsk.livejournal.com]

they're adorable.

[shadowfax.livejournal.com]

Yu has mainly played supporting characters such as jesters or criminals.

lol he really has (: but he does it well