
Though the issue of
sexualization has always been a hot topic in kpop, it seems like
2015 was a particularly controversial year. It was difficult to avoid the uproar when Stellar's Vibrato dropped with all its vagina imagery. This summer saw numerous complaints of "the war of skin exposure" when it seemed every girl group in the country had their comeback between June and July. And of course if you've been on the internet anytime in the past week you already know that IU is catching heat for the 'lolita concept' of her latest album.
However, as commenters on various sites have pointed out, some of these criticisms are
hypocritical when taking into account
kpop's long history of sexualized 'underage' concepts. Kpop has seen many 'lolita' and 'shota' concepts come and go without a peep.
This post is dedicated to compiling 10 such examples, in an attempt to shed light on an existing double standard that doesn't nearly get enough criticism.( in no particular order )written by
leopolitanmusic videos:
HELLO VENUS, 1theK
1,
2,
3,
4, SMTOWN
1,
2,
sment, MBCkpop,
PLEDIS OFFICIAL,
woollimentarticles linked:
korea times, omona
1,
2,
pann via kpopkfansspecial mention to the grand narrative who wrote a brilliant
4-part article on the lolita complex in kpopand asianjunkie who compiled
even more examplesdo you have more examples (especially of male groups since i dont know them as well)? share them in the comments! do you disagree with any of these entries? also, is op unfairly slandering SM, or are they more guilty of this than other companies?