Male Gaze in "As You Wish"

The concept of the male gaze is present and dominate in almost all forms of media, but seems to be especially pervasive in the world of K-pop music videos. Upon learning about male gaze, I soon found myself unable to watch music videos without previously ignored or unrecognized aspects jumping out at me. I believe this mindset is why I was surprised after watching WJSN’s “As You Wish” for the first time. In this essay, I will argue that “As You Wish” is a refreshing change from the traditional style of a girl group music video shot through very forward male gaze. While the male gaze is still ever present, emphasis on other shooting techniques make for a unique viewer experience. I went into it expecting to see the normal “long legs and bare thighs [deriving] an especial boost from the choreography” (Epstein and Joo 2012:3). While leg shots were present, they were few and far in between. There was also a lack of slow panning body shots, shots of the girls in any sort of compromising position, or excessive showing of skin. In a sea of girl group music videos, “As You Wish” stands out for what it chooses to focus on.

Women’s legs being an object of emphasis in girl group music videos is nothing new, as they have become “a showpiece item for the propagation of a triumphant discourse of Korean physical beauty and commercial power” (Epstein and Joo 2012:9). So to see a girl group with nine beautiful members not use this asset excessively is surprising, though not unwelcomed. Instead of legs, there is an emphasis on close up shots of hands and faces, traditional in the “way in which [MV’s] often bring the idols face into focus in extreme close-up frames” (Elving-Hwang 2018:197). I believe the emphasis on attaching a face to the dancing body gives more power to the female idol and less to the viewer, forcing them to see the idol as an actual person and not an object. The creative direction of this music video seemed more driven in showing the girls uniformity. In the main dance scenes and office scenes they all wear the same outfits. My knowledge of male gaze made me brace myself for plenty of possible “innocent” shots of the member’s legs when they were sitting down, or shots of them bending over to pick something up. To my surprise, such scenes were virtually nonexistent. Instead, the close up shots of them stamping seals, or their smiling faces while doing the work were what stood out much more.

While I have been praising this music video for the lack of blatant sexual content, it would be foolish to say it has none whatsoever. Nearly every female idol is sexualized due to “K-pop’s pervasively sexualized content and...lookism” (Lin and Rudolf 2017:28). The concept of lookism, coupled with the desire to produce aesthetically pleasing content, resulted in a music video that I believe seeks to make the viewer’s jaw drop in awe at the beauty of WJSN. The members all look visually flawless, with perfect hair, makeup, and gazes to match the whimsical sound of the song. Heavy emphasis on a female’s beauty can be seen as a form of sexualization, however I believe that in the context of the blatantly exploitative sexualization, lookism is tame and should not be put in the same category. Typically, “in their traditional exhibitionist role women are simultaneously looked at and displayed... (Mulvey 1975:11), however I think the members are not being displayed in a way that seeks to make them look submissive and weak. This music video shows them as beautiful humans, rather than beautiful objects.

Works Cited

Elfving-Hwang, Joanna. “K-Pop Idols, Artificial Beauty and Affective Fan Relationships in South Korea.” In Routledge Handbook of Celebrity Studies, edited by Anthony Elliot. 190-200. London: Routledge, 2018.

Epstein, Stephen, and Racheal Joo. “Multiple Exposures: Korean Bodies and the Transnational Imagination.” In Japan Focus, (2012): 3-7.

Lin, Xi and Robert Rudolf. “Does K-pop Reinforce Gender Inequalities? Empirical Evidence from a New Data Set”. Asian Women 33, no. 4. (2017): 27-54.

Mulvey, Laura. “Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema.” Screen 6, no.3 (1975): 6-18