Kpop depicts masculinity in a certain way through music videos and live performances. Men and boys are pressured to look a certain way as well as women and girls are also pressured. By Kpop showcasing masculinity in a certain way, these ideals get stuck within a society and can become the social norm.
In Epstein and Joo’s article, they state that the ideals of masculinity in South Korea can best be explained by stating what the ideal perfect man must look like. They state that a man should have a “muscular nude torso, featuring well-oiled skin that is smooth and firm, bulging pectorals, highly defined abdominal muscles, and chiseled arms” (2012: 3). These ideals could also be linked to Kpop stars trying to break into the international field of entertainment because having abs and big biceps is the idea of masculinity in the west (Song, Velding 2019: 2).
The trend for South Korean men to showcase their abs came from the performer, Rain. The globally, successful and popularity of Rain helped form this standard of showing off performers’ abs (Epstein, Joe 2012: 5). A term was later coined for this idea called “chocolate abs” (Epstein, Joe 2012: 4). Due to this sudden increased trend of this type of masculinity, it quickly became commercialism which helped spread the trend even more. This ideal of masculinity can also be connected to the likes of plastic surgery within South Korean society. They both are extremely commercialized through advertisements on the television, subway stations, or in magazines. This spreading of ideals through commercialization leads to the growth of these ideals accumulating within South Korean society. This is making people think that this is the social norm now and that they must look this way to be successful in life now.
These ideals of masculinity within Kpop can also be connected with the South Korean military. Since all South Korean men have to go to the military, it is held in high honor. “[…] military service to South Korean society is constitutive of milita-rized masculine ‘Koreanness’”( Yeo 2017: 297).
The idea of masculinity within Kpop has evolved throughout the decades. Is this current idea of masculinity here to stay or is it just another trend that will fade away? No one knows for sure but societies in the world are constantly evolving due to technology and new advancements everyday. Will our ideals evolve as well?
I agree that masculinity in Kpop is often represented physically through the body. A fit body, along with the presence of bulging muscles and abs serve to create an unrealistic portrayal for men to recreate. Although I feel as though male idols have more of a female gaze, their prevalence in the media also affects how men view themselves. I see a pressure for men to fit in with society instead of expressing themselves freely. And if this masculinity is the norm, these portrayals of masculinity may add to some of the misogyny in Korean society. While masculinity appears to be shifting, as some of you mentioned how masculinity has also been shaped by the idea of a “flower boy,” these concepts continue to emphasize the body as a tool for success.
Thank you so much for your comments guys! I’m glad you guys liked the essay as well! I think it’s interesting how some of you think that the idea of masculinity will change and others think that it won’t.
To answer the ending question I believe people's ideals are changing! Especially as our generation gets older and embraces things outside of the norm. What it to means to be a "man" has been evolving and is now much different than it was when my father was younger. I think good examples of this would be people like Taemin successfully taking control of his "prettier than a girl" image and molding it into a fluid interpretation all his own. "Move" was the cause of much discussion in the K-pop community for its dance and Taemin's various comments nowadays about how he is just doing things his own way and owning his own style- not trying to fit in any sort of traditional "masculine" box. It's interesting to think about for sure.
@nicsand I really liked what you said and agree that the commercialization of this body type is making it the norm. I remember when 2pm was unique and different when they debuted because they were muscular men. The term people even used to refer to them was "beasts" but now it is common place to have muscular or well-toned idols, and if you are not well-toned or muscular, you are given the image of being the cute one like Yang Yoseob in Beast (Highlight now). Also, it is interesting how the "flower boy" look or trend seemed to kind of fade like in 2013 it was a really popular look and term thrown around all the time, it was even in drama name titles like Flower Boy Ramen Shop. With that in mind, I definitely think it is a trend and eventually fade, but it will stay longer because it seems to be more prevalent and pushed in the k-pop world for men. Jay Park even said like 2 years ago that he feels pressure to keep up his body by working out, but he just wants to rest now that he is older. Also, I definitely think Korea's ideals for men is being more drawn from the western world like you said that having big biceps is the idea of masculinity in the west, but this ideal does not seem to be transferring over to women as much or at least not where I can tell unless we count sexualization as being a western idea in media.
I completely agree with you stating that idolization of masculinity and particular masculine traits evolve so into societal ideals and certain cultural norms. I honestly feel that this pressure to look how one particular person looks is so toxic for both men and women. From personal experience I know that the pressures of society to look like a small group of people can easily make you feel inadequate in numerous ways, it makes you want to change and conform until you finally feel as if you are good enough. It is a lot to go through and it is a very draining process to get out of. But, though it is not the healthiest of ideologies I believe that it is so ingrained into Kpop and into the South Korean society that it will be hard to ever break free from because, as you said, people are surrounded by this commercialized visualization of masculinity that they feel as though they must look this certain way to gain success. And although there is this current visual people strive to gain and uphold, I do believe that ideals will evolve as society does, but I do not think it will be any more helpful or less harmful to individuals than what our current ideals are.
@nicsand I definitely agree with you about how the commercialization of these body images of masculinity are contributing to the trends changing in the body image of men. Since male idols have been idolized for a long time now as the "ideal boyfriend" style in the media, it could be that many of their fans also began to idolize this new trend of chiseled abs and large biceps as it was forming. For male fans, they may have wanted to look just as their favorite idol looked, and for female fans they could have expressed their attraction to this new look which could also in turn lead to a shift in the body types men strive to achieve. Then there comes the idea of masculinity through the Korean military service. While I believe the body type trend of masculinity may change, I feel it would take much more time for the masculinity gained from military service idea to change. Since this is an idea based on Korean national pride, I feel as though this idea of masculinity is more ingrained in the minds of Koreans and would not be as easy to change.