White: K-Pop, Horror & the Curse of Fame 

The K-Pop industry reminds me of Disney Channel/Nickelodeon Stars. The stress of training so young, forced into stardom overnight, the pressure to be a ‘good’ role model.

I've been a k-pop fan for about 6 years now but last year was the first time I ever lost myself to the parasocial nature of k-pop. I just started university but then the pandemic hit. I don't think I've ever been so lonely. I had known no one at uni for the 3 weeks I was there in person so when we switched to online learning, I was completely alone. My course is pretty intense in workload so my mental health really took a downturn. That's where k-pop stepped in. Idols replaced my friends, k-pop industry drama replaced cares about my actual life and the only time in a day I would smile was when they made a joke. It's better now but it really made me think about the nature of the industry, how it lures in lonely consumers with a mirage of a relationship. I think that's what makes k-pop so addictive. As a consumer you are not only being sold the art produced by idols in terms of singing and dancing, you're also being sold the idol themself. Their love and affections, their personality. You're being sold a lover, a friend, a sibling. But they are in fact none of that, they don't know you. What a strange and uncomfortable position to be put in. For millions of people to love you and to know as much about you as they would a family member, but for you not to even know what they look like.

alongside xenophobia, there's also such a level of victim blaming in terms of the trauma faced by idols in the industry. so many people say they hate k-pop because of the industry's problems and then they say something like "they had the choice to leave." you especially see this with idols who have unalived themselves. they're treated as butt of the jokes by so many people and it's so frustrating. not to mention there's also a level of racism with the victim blaming which relies on the stereotype that asian people are self-reliant and cannot suffer from mental illnesses which is based in the model minority myth.

People always get confused when I say the idol industry in Asia is not really that different from the music industry here in western parts of the world, it's how they sell it that makes them look "different" often at times it's not that different. As always thank you for the video

This movie sounds like Perfect Blue and The Ring had a twisted lovechild. And I love it.

something i hate mostly about kpop, is their view of age. as in.. well firstly how young their debut idols are - so they get se*ualised soooo young. But also.. how when they hit their late 20s ... and turn 30, they are obsolete. my personal favorite group, SHINee, everyone now, has reached that age. Key said, how he never expected to be a singer at 30. and when he won an award last week, for BAD LOVE, he was so shocked. As they hold this belief that it is pretty much around time to be done as an idol.... WHY? western idols have careers into their 60's. i mean look at celine dion and madonna and coldplay and u2, and eminem and so so so many ... you are not OLD at 30. They FINALLY old enough to have something really interesting to say. it makes me so sad.... and that is for a boy group! Don't even get me started how hard girl groups have it :(

on female fans hating on cute, traditionally feminine girl groups: a lot of female fans think the more girl crush concept is inherently feminist bc the songs are often about women showing off how cool they are and how mmuch they love themselves, which, btw, is great. go show the world you're cool and you love yourself! but they often think that cute ggs inherently cater to gender roles and cant be empowering to women/be feminist songs. however, we have time and time seen how that is just not true. there are cute songs with strong and important messages, like "no oh oh" by clc and "kiss later" by yeojin from loona, which are both about consent.

i feel like for years i wished there was a show or movie about how shit the kpop industry is (the entertainment industry in general at that) or something that highlights the things idols have to go through. and not some curated reality show either, something that's honest. didn't think we'd get that from a horror movie of all things, can't believe i never knew this existed omg

After the terrace house scandal, when the crew literally harassed one of the members so they could film her being driven into suicide, there's nothing that will surprise me about the entertainment industry.

Those sexual abuse stories you talked about where you showed the idol’s statement made my skin crawl. Industries are abusive, exploitative, and nasty ESPECIALLY to women and it makes my stomach turn and blood boil

Not mention how young people get into these industries like with Jihyo of TWICE being 8 when she signed and training for 10 YEARS. Most of her childhood was spent training for something that wasn't even definite, imagine if she didn't debut. I really hate how entertainment industries of all countries are taking away these kids childhoods either through acting or singing.

The fact that more younger girls are becoming idols is actually pretty scary. I’ve seen multiple ggs who have girls from 11-16 year olds in these ggs and they’re already getting sexualized and hated on it’s actually sick. Then they have to deal with staving themselves and face getting abused. I wish more kpop stans would talk about the dark side of the industry more rather than trying to sugar coat it and glamorizing everything about kpop.

What really got me into kpop was how absolutely crazy the industry is. It's like early Hollywood on fast forward- it's blowing up into this huge cultural hotspot so quickly you can really see the growing pains. I'm a huge fan of SHINee and the amount of scummy people exploiting their very real trauma as 'top # reasons they hate the kpop industry'... It's vile. Also a fan of TWICE and to this day *Momo* gets shit for being a bad influence on young teens because of the ice cube story, when she was clearly pressured to go on that diet in the first place. People forget idols are real people who are just trying to follow their dreams in a horrible system. Just like the millions of people screwed over by record companies in Hollywood (or in pretty much every creative industry.) Parasocial relationships mixed with xenophobia is... just an awful mix.

Girls feel the need to separate themselves from girlhood, I think because some part of us understood girls aren't allowed personhood, even if we couldn't articulate it. Maybe there's some resentment there too; my niece started insisting that she had to wear dresses to be pretty at age three. I always favoured the non-feminine characters as a kid precisely because I felt like the world was telling me to be feminine. 'Girly' is used as a box in a way 'boyish' isn't.

So happy u spoke about the whole “cute versus sexy” debate. As someone who is a fan of Twice, I really did get annoyed when they got so much hate for doing cute stuff between 2015-2018. And now people say they were only good for the cute concepts and their more mature music sucks now, even though the girls are participating more with those concepts and providing personal insight through their songwriting. It’s like these girls can never win. Also a note about the whole exploitation thing, I remember BTS Namjoon once said how there were a lot of “bad people” in the music industry and quite a lot of “Lou pearlmans” and no one..... followed up with that. Not even the Kpop fans. (Also omg you did such a good job talking about this. I love that you also mentioned that western industry is also as dark and evil as Kpop. This was very nuanced and well put) Edit- okay idk why this comment became some kind of thread to discuss conspiracies around BTS’ looks and management, including their label mates. All this listing of the “plastic surgeries” they got is further proving the point this video was trying to speak against: dissecting their insecurities and speculating their private info like what kind of surgeries they got is weird and sensationalising this to surface level. Y’all don’t find BTS, txt and enhypen good looking? That’s... fine. I personally do. They’re then the few who are actually saying you don’t have to be perfect to make it into the music industry. And regarding the management, BTS is still under a private part of hybe so shareholders won’t have a say in what they do. They have far more creative freedom. They may not agree with everything their label does but their agreement doesn’t come from animosity or intense need to get out quickly. And that’s the whole point- BTS (and their fellow labelmate txt) have been trying the most break the jaded practices of Kpop in favour of the artist well being. Yes you can criticise hybe, but trying to still flag the whole BTS are tortured narrative is just hurting the professionalism and transparency they have worked hard to get so that other Kpop labels can follow suit and be pro artists. So when I mentioned the whole Namjoon talking about Lou pearlman thing, he meant in Kpop in general. If he was hinting at his own company then the company won’t have allowed that quote to publish xD. Yoongi has also spoken about the evils of the music shows. Kpop corporates in general have not be kind to BTS, that’s why they’re hinting at it- I mean this is the same industry was close to creating a political scandal by going on a meeting together to discuss about BTS future without even involving BTS’ reps and lawyers

the nuance and objectivity with which you commentated on kpop as an industry is really refreshing, i never see commentators discussing kpop without sensationalizing it in some way and being incredibly disrespectful to idols or condescending to fans to get their points across.

There is a movie that refers to all this world, the name is "helter skelter" and it's a masterpiece created by a mangaka. So this reminds me of it, but in helter skelter is as dark as this one. Btw helter skelter is japanese, so is more focused on japanese media that is maybe the same as korean, really creepy

I don't know if someone will read this, but I have something to share, even though it is not k-pop related. I used to study singing in my country's conservatory, I was preparing to become an opera singer. After the first recital we had at the campus' main auditory on my second year, the teacher was going through every one of his students' performances, making observations, etc. Then he told me something roughly translated as: Next time wear another type of dress, something not as covered up. Even though the comment was not really explicit, I knew what he meant, the way he said it, and because I was the only girl in my class wearing a dress with long sleeves (it was winter), no cleavage, floor length, and he only commented on my dress, no one else's. That for me was a red flag, I felt really uncomfortable in that moment. A few weeks later I ended dropping out because I was starting to realize if you wanted to get noticed and go far, you needed to do whatever they asked. That teacher called me shortly after I dropped out and he said something like "you don't have to do anything you don't want", but we all know how manipulative this is, because if you do it because you want to succeed, and then show any kind of inconformity, they'll tell you "well, we didn't force you to do it". Thankfully everything stayed in words, but that's just because I got out as soon as I saw the first sign. I can't even imagine the trauma and the pressure these poor women have to endure because they have been groomed since a very young age and in a vulnerable state. I was 23 years old when this happened to me, so I knew better and I had a good support system, but they've been brain washed and sadly get manipulated and abused. As we know, this kind of abuse is prevalent in entertainment/arts. But maybe the abuse going on in k-pop seems more brutal since the whole industry feels like a factory, like fast fashion. Sorry for the long text, and sorry for my grammar, english is my second language.

I hate that when we talk about hings like this, people respond like "well, it's normal." or "It always happens, what's the big deal?". I realized this is said a lot in the kpop community as well. We should take this topics seriously. We shouldn't avoid this conversation. Thank you for talking about it

The only K-pop group I follow is Loona, and this theme of needing to be edgy to stay relevant really hit me. Guess I need to watch White now...

In my opinion, Disney kids are somewhat comparable to idols -- they have to be good at singing, dancing, acting, and have a squeaky clean image. Then there's also the Nickelodeon kids... I think entertainment industries all over the world are problematic

"Be new to us, be young to us... but only in a new way and only in the way we want. And reinvent yourself but only in a way that we find to be equally comforting but also a challenge for you. Live out a narrative that we find to be interesting enough to entertain us, but not so crazy that it makes us uncomfortable." - Taylor Swift

omg yes! the internalized misogyny was what created such a huge division between SNSD and 2NE1 fans. I was a Sone and enjoyed many 2NE1 songs but so many blackjacks despised SNSD because they were either "too cute and girly" or "too sexy and slutty". I remember one hater was shocked when i told them that that's why i liked them so much, i love hyper femmeninity. Now i'm so glad that the new generation of girl groups seem to get along, it gives the fans some sense of shame when they try to pit the against each other.

Everyone: squid game Yhara: obscure horror movie 🤷 Just makes sense

10:30 I find these kinds of critiques to be hilarious, because we can all admit that K-Pop's sound and aesthetic is largely inspired by (Black) American culture (I mean, you have some folks who scoff at the idea or, even worse, say K-Pop idols do it better, but those people are anti-Black losers), but no one ever wants to talk about how far that shit actually goes. The trainee system is the Motown system of the '60s and '70s on steroids. The way the groups are configured (so to speak) is a damn near copy and paste of the teen pop groups of the 'mid to late '90s and early '00s. Nothing we've seen in K-Pop is anything we haven't seen before. The good *and* the bad.

why did i think the title was about white people and kpop?? i was confused but intrigued LOL

The shit trainees have to go through becomes even worse when you remember that most trainees are children / teenagers. They're developing and it's their first impression of being out in the world, it'll always affect them

It was truly a god awful time for kpop during the sexy concept era. AOA, dalshabet, MISS-A, Girl's day, Stellar, Hello Venus, Hyuna... all of these groups debuted with cute concepts and were forced to change drastically. You could tell the girl members weren't comfortable with this concept and all sort of disgusting things they had to do to promote their songs (like going to army camps to see pervy guys) I've always loved the cute/girly concept because it was a very "traditional" concept in kpop (big groups like SNSD did them for years). Now the sexy concept is kind of done, having way more female fans enjoying girl groups and a more feminist approach to concepts.

I know I'm in the minority but knowing something has a good ending, even if its a spoiler, will make me more likely to see it.

I remember watching this horror movie ages ago! Makes me want to watch it again! Great video🔥

bruh it's almost 2022 and the way the last 2 years have gone idk how anyone has the energy to hate or abuse anyone. honestly. i'm exhausted.

sa talk starts at 11:58, ends at 14:47

ty for the clarification on how many of the issues within the kpop industry can be applicable to the western industry. i feel like at times (especially now since kpop is gaining attention) non-kpop fans try to minimize the other aspects of the genre itself and ignore the perspective of actual non-toxic kpop fans just to prove their point on denouncing everything kpop-adjacent (which at many times are rooted in ignorance and xenophobia). loved your input on this!

I'm from South Korea, and I've constantly been immensely cynical of our country's music industry. I didn't resonate with the obsessive beauty standards it propagated among audiences. I don't enjoy the overwhelming vapidness that tailgates a culture where every dance move, every note sung is a desperate struggle to maintain relevancy. It disturbs me how readily the public objectifies and sexualizes these idols who, at times, debut as early as the age of 14 or 15. Media outlets prattle the news of a celebrity suicide at a rate too frequent to be comfortable, leaving one to wonder whether or not these gigantic corporations even give two shits about the mental health of their "assets." And the fact that every grisly imperfection is hidden under this bubbly, saccharine, candy-coated exterior makes me nauseous. All music today lies in the intersection between art and product, but K-pop always seemed to lean closer to the latter, flawless and lifeless. I've never seen this movie, but I think I'll be checking it out. Thank you for this.

this is undeniably gonna be a good one

i'm someone who got into kpop fairly young (i was 15) and at first i had a really romanticist view of the kpop industry and engaged heavily in the fandom on twitter so this movie sure was a wake-up call for me. it's not that I didn't know that the industry had issues but hearing things and seeing people go through it are two different things. when you see it you can't be distracted by the facade anymore and you see just how brutal or disgusting it can be for these poor people. since then I have developed a more critical stance on the entertainment industry and have distanced myself from the fandom (not that it was bad in general, I meet some really cool people there but the drama and toxcitiy just became to much for my mental health). i still listen to kpop and I still support the groups that I like but I sure grew out of that sunshine and rainbows view I had when I was 15 and I hope others can do that to and see things for what they are.

"idk the ghost I guess" got me. Dunno why I can't stop chuckling at that lol

As others have mentioned, I really recommend Satoshi Kon's 1997 animated film PERFECT BLUE. It deals with the same issues (idols, fanatic fans, exploitative agencies) but it's more a psychological thriller. And just as with this film, so many years later it's still 100% relevant.

1) I miss Orange Caramel SO MUCH, OMG Banhana and WJSN Chocome are kinda in the right direction but OC is just that special. 2) I didn't know that After School were in a film, and a horror film at that! I'm excited to watch it. Great video as always ✨💜

it would be great if you made a commentary on the obsessed perfectionist in tv and media, like perfect blue, black swan and whiplash

man thank you so much for that talk about the xenophobia with which people often discuss this topic. The practices that are common in kpop are common in EVERY MUSIC INDUSTRY, kpop just makes it easier to critique for "westerners" because we like to sit on our thrones and pick apart the problems of other places. Kpop has a LOT of big problems that appear to only be getting bigger as the industry grows at this unsustainable rate, but no entertainment industry has clean hands here. Same building, different coat of paint. Until models of power like this are completely dismantled, the abuse of desperate kids who want to be singers will continue (And I will definitely watch the whole movie now, thank you for a spoilerfree vid)

Thank you so much for the nuance you gave to this topic, especially given how so much of the coverage of the kpop industry is treated as if western music industry doesn't have the same or similar issues. You can discusses the issues with the kpop industry without making it seem that the any other entertainment industry is fine. Also, this video made me want to watch this movie! You are one of my favorite creators, and I appreciate the care you give these topics

i've been into kpop on and off for over 10 years and i've known some of its horror stories for that long. i was there when taeyeon of girls' generation was almost kidnapped on stage (not like, there-there, but in the fandom). and honestly i was never too baffled by horror stories or trainee system because i've know for much longer that that's how entertainment industries all over the world work. they're so incredibly exploitive of young talent that they work to the bone only to discard in less than 10 years, especially if they fail to adapt and grow with their audience. child labor laws do not apply to kids in entertainment, and that's all over the world, it's not just kpop. it's hollywood movies, it's kids' shows, it's the worldwide music industry. they just work slightly differently here in the west -- now, but few decades ago it wasn't all that different than how it works on the east right now. i'm honestly a little scared that with the rise of kpop worldwide, producers in the usa will look back into those models and rework what south korea and japan have already reworked from them to make it even more beneficial to those very few at the top of record labels and other entertainment companies. it's truly the stuff of nightmares.

I got into kpop in 2013. My first ever group that I got into was BAP, and my ult groups (to this day) are EXO and f(x). You can imagine then, given what all 3 groups went through, that I spent very little time with the rose-tinted view of the industry many new fans bask in. I'd like to thank you for making this video, it's objective look at the issues in the industry without diving into sensationalist rhetoric, like comparing idols to machines (the racism/xenophobia there is so blatant), or doing things like bringing up Jonghyun, Sulli, or Hara as case studies without considering that they are people. I've seen too many thinkpieces that do exactly that, it was nice to see you bring some nuance to the conversation and also be respectful. I'll definitely have to check this movie out, especially since it features After School and my favourite T-ARA member! I'm also a big Perfect Blue fan (stream Angel of Love) so this sounds right up my alley. Edit: also kinda unrelated but I just wanted to mention that I miss both the cute and sexy concepts for girl groups (with consent ofc. Stellar released bops but if them being treated better meant I missed out on hearing Vibrato, so be it). Both concepts seemed to have disappeared for a common girl crush concept, or hi-teen kinda vibes if the members are softer looking. Maybe this is just me getting old though, but I'm kinda tired of empowerment at this point (/hj). Just give us some bubblegum pop and some pussy music again, PLEASE.

Thank goodness someone pointed out this film. With how many people spread misinformation on kpop acts and such, I’m glad someone has talked about it. I think what’s even more outrageous is that Eunjung was in a group that wasn’t unpopular, but didn’t hit the same type of success like Pink Dolls until a couple of weeks after this movie came out. And a year later, the group ran into trouble within their group. I think it shows you how real and fickle the K-Pop industry actually is.

honestly there are so many parts in this film that legit send a shiver down my spine. the high note recording that at the end just is a fucking scream. the whisper of behind you, the on screen unaliving with chemicals, it's just....done so well.

Thank god this wasn’t just an ‘AsiaPop Bad. Jonghyun dead. Sulli dead. Stupid fangirls, manufactured industry.’ video like most of the ‘dark side of kpop’ videos are

I worked at a cafe with a girl who’s family is well involved in the Korean entertainment industry. When I asked her why she gave it up, she told me that the industry was ugly and she didn’t want to be a part of that anymore.

It is very important I think to have woman-led narratives in horror that deal with industries that are either staffed by mostly women (as was the case witb CAM from 2018, if I recall correctly, one of my favourite horror films), or, as demonstrated here, where the women are far more likely to be exposed to harm and exploitation than their man counterparts! Thank you for your exploration and illustration of these aspects in the Idol Industry! I will definitely try to be one of the three to watch this movie as the subject matter has always (morbidly) fascinated me, both in reality (recently with high-profile cases such as Kesha and Britney Spears) and in fiction such as in Perfect Blue... Also everything you've revealed about this film looks extremely well made and intriguing so I am hyped to see if I can well... see it!

Reminder than us ballerinas and western labels ALSO have a trainee like system.

thank god for a nuanced video about a great movie that comes from a place of genuine fascination and somebody who actually likes the music and knows how the industry works. too many times i see creators i've previously enjoyed hop on a bandwagon and use those "dark side of kpop" videos to further their own agenda (they even come off as xenophobic or technoorientalist sometimes which is a whole another discussion to have). not saying videos that like that shouldn't be made but they're 90% coming from an outsider's perspective with zero understanding of the industry and their own biases when constructing the video.

My best friend who introduced me to kpop showed me this movie early in my induction to the nonsense and when I say it stuck with me to this day, I was so excited to see you were reviewing this next. We talk about the exploitation of kpop and the toxicity of fandoms and I'm definitely gonna send this to her as a half reminiscence-half cool looks like we're on the same page. Lastly when it comes to being sexual but not too sexual in kpop I distinctly remember the hate that SISTAR, Miss A and Hyuna got for their more sexual songs and my God while it has gotten better a lot of the hatred for super cute concepts has stayed the same and that's damn disappointing Edit: Bro if I have to hear OMG BoA's 35!!! one more goddamn time when TVXQ are basically given DILF status (with no kids lol) I'm gonna scream let go of the age thing it doesn't matter

"What do you mean she can't perform after breaking her neck?" And just when news about Ruby Rose comes out... Also, the clip from TLC's Behind the Music where Left Eye explains how you can sell 10 million albums and still be broke should be required viewing for any aspiring musicians.

Sometimes I see fans praising companies for not being explotative and it confuses me because: 1. We don't know what goes on behind the scenes and we probably never will because of nda's. 2. Are we really setting the bar at "isn't abusive"? 3. The companies themselves don't produce the music, or create the choreo, or record and perform the songs, or tailor outfits, or record music videos, or... you get the point. The real work comes from the creatives who worked on the project. Companies provide the money, yes, but that money comes at the cost of the freedom (social, financial and creative) of their employees. There's more to it probably but I think you get what I mean. Even if the head of the company is an idol you used to love, assuming they only want what's best for your faves is naive. The goal is money, and those in power will often do whatever it takes to make it.

Thank you so much for the recommendation! I love "dark examinations of fame" narratives (Perfect Blue, Helter Skelter, Black Swan), so this is perfect.

The part you mentioned about fandoms getting more "toxic" the larger they get, or the "toxic" fans getting louder and more numerous the bigger an entertainer is, rather, reminds me of being a taylor swift fan lol. I been a "stan" (ngl i hate that word) since the beginning of her career, and I am simultaneously embarrassed and disgusted by how some of her fans harass her "enemies" and exes, like the whole Jake G and his SISTER??? getting death threats when red (TV) was released last month. The unhinged fans give the rest of us a bad look, and it's truly a shame that stuff like that overshadows an entertainer's talent and artistry so often.

yhara always out here keeping our minds fed! can't wait to give this a watch.

I've spent a lot of time in Jpop and Johnny's fandom, which has it's own issues that are not dissimilar. Definitely going to check this one out!

Another interesting note that I think a lot of people forget, is that KPop is something that the South Korean government has pushed billions of dollars into. It’s not necessarily a bad thing, but this very very specific image is something cultivated by the government as a way of obtaining some amount of soft power. SK isn’t a large or particularly powerful country, so they’ve very much tried to gain soft power in technology and their outer images, vs the hard power of the US. It also worked as a way to reform the image of Korea in the eyes of the west, as up until the 90s Korea wasn’t considered a 1st world country. So KPop as this cultivated image is often associated with Korea even if it’s not particularly ‘Korean’ because it’s a partially a tool being used to help maintain a specific image of S.Korea. This mostly just means that western perceptions of KPop and Korea based on this specific cultivated image is different, and that the harshness abound in the industry is encouraged because it helps continue a more positive perception of Korea by way of these almost perfect people.

I’m SO GLAD you talked about this movie. I remember watching this when it came out and it is, UGH a stealth masterpiece on kpop especially given what we’ve all come to learn about the kpop industry. Also the song is a BOP! (Not to be that person, but I also did a video on the exploitative nature of the kpop industry specifically in the west. There was a western Kpop idol training company opened in New York around the same time this movie came out and I talked about it)

I really need to watch this movie, just hope I can somehow find a legal stream of it somewhere... The part where you mentioned about people having a xenophobic view of abuse in the Kpop industry was very on-point. I find this view that both ignores the very real abuse that goes on in our own industry while shaking a finger at the abuse of Kpop idols a is a one-two punch of racism and misogyny. There's this unshakable undercurrent of, "Stop being ungrateful and be glad you're not in one of _those_ countries where they _actually_ hate women." They wield the idols' stories of physical and sexual abuse to turn around on the artists in the Western world that are experiencing the very same thing, then tell them they're just using it for clout. Great video as always

One thing that pisses me off is the fact we have all this knowledge on how unfair the entertainment industry is (both western & Kpop) and everyone disagrees and talks bad about it for a bit then just shrugs their shoulders and goes “welp! That’s show business” ….it’s so sad and unfair I hope changes soon come

The movie reminds me so much of perfect blue. A daring and almost brutal critic of the entertainment industry and the damage it can have on the idols/stars.

i dont hate cute concepts im literally a lesbian and i CRAVE cute concepts, AND sexy concepts. but i absolutely hate when a company gathers a group of young women and has them singing in school uniforms about their first loves, eating lollipops, and skipping around on clouds into their late 30s. its ridiculous. personally i dont believe people prefer cute concepts over sexy concepts, but its just that these tone deaf agencies think that being cute is all a woman is worth in that blasted industry,. the boy groups get away with the cute concepts because thats not all theyre about. no group that has only one concept survives in the industry. irene is an example that ill always remember. momoland literally had booty shorts with no safety shorts. even twice get uncomfy sometimes having dresses that have too much cleavage, or people literally trying to look up their skirts from below the stage and its ridiculous. im tired of it. all the groups i like with genuine comfort and affinity in their concepts and outfits are incredibly popular and comfortable and those that aren't are probably just not that good idk i dont keep up with all 60 groups that debut every month

Stellar as a group is a great case study on this issue. Loved those girls and hated what their "team" did to them, they didnt deserve the exploitation they faced and it breaks my heart every time I think of it.

Thank you for such an insightful and nuanced essay! I always click on anything about kpop with some trepidation bc it’s usually just someone with no interest in the industry or its history regurgitating some “dark side of kpop” article by white writers intent on ignoring that western music industries have many of the same problems. This was a breath of fresh air. And I definitely need to check out that movie.

19:08 I loved Shinji in this movie! The scene where Shinji says "The real Neon Genesis Evangelion: The End of Evangelion were the friends we made along the way" brought me to tears, truly a masterpiece of film alongside "It's Morbin' Time" ( _Morbius_ , 2022) and "It's Gruin' Time" ( _Minions: The Rise of Gru_ , 2022).

I love that you mentioned the xenophobia involved when people discuss the Kpop industry, as if it's the only industry that exploits people. And I wish I could embed 8:19 - 11:52 in my mind. I've already seen society despise hyper femininity in American media, and the amount of Kpop fans that do this too is crazy.

This movie was so ahead of its time. Eunjung did so well!

As much as I enjoy kpop music, I have found myself unable to really engage in the fandom side of it due to a discomfort I couldn't quite place. After a fair bit of thought, I think what it comes down to is the difference in the narratives that western and Korean music industries tell. Kpop is surprisingly open about the way in which the ultimate goal is to turn people into idols and idols into objects to be consumed. So the idol's image must be consumer approved in a way that to me looks claustrophobic and impossible to sustain. The flaws of this system thus become something of an open secret or are even a selling point. Whereas I grew up with the American/western myth of exceptionalism - where so many stories revolve around being "discovered" because their talent shone so bright that they couldn't help but become a star. Look at someone like Susan Boyle or the entire genre of reality TV talent shows (American Idol, The Voice, America's Got Talent, etc). We like "real people" with (socially acceptable) flaws and thus ignore how manufactured and abusive our own music industry is. And yet even knowing the harm that both industries commit, I still find myself unable to embrace kpop fandom the way that I do western music or even other Korean media. I think discussions like this are a good way to confront what biases cause that feeling for me and many others.

Okay honestly I'm so glad you called trainees being scooped up as kids and forced to live in dorms and trained in this way grooming bc that's LITERALLY WHAT IT IS, but people do not fucking see it at all. It seems from all the problems kpop has the fact that they literally exploit children never comes up super prominently. I'm sure the fact that a lot of kpop fans themselves are kids adds to it but it's just something that has made me so deeply uncomfortable. I liked kpop since I was a teen and back then it felt so normal somehow but now when I see idols who are younger than me talk about how their last memories of being normal are basically from elementary school it's honestly chilling like I cannot fathom how much that effects you on an emotional level and that's not even getting into how it would impact their development and stuff......

Loooved that movie when it came out and that song is so addictive. I used to love K-pop but kind of drifted away as my favourite groups were all pushed farther and farther away from popularity because they were getting older, which happened at the same time as more and more allegations of abuse against idols started surfacing. Now listening to songs I used to love is so bittersweet.

Just a quick education on how kpop in general works: Most groups only see any payment after 3 or 4 years. This is an industry standard. So AOA wasn't alone in that. Many groups take years to break even and make profit.

this seems to be in the same vein as perfect blue! Will watch it soon thanks for the rec ♥️

This channel is the gift that keeps on giving 👏🏽👏🏽

I was so happy to see you made a video about this movie! I haven't seen it in years, and this gave me a renewed appreciation of it. What a solid choice.

I love your editing, your videos always have such insight and nuance, I so appreciate getting the chance to hear your perspectives

god i never get the cute concept hate when it comes to girl groups, ty for touching on it. also this movie is currently on tubi for free!

Aaaaaa thank you so much for reminding me of this movie! I’ll have to rewatch it since I haven’t seen it since middle school.

Yes Yes Yes YES! the way I've been obsessed w/this movie (and it's cursed song which is a bop 😆) for years and it seems like I've known no one else whose seen it until now! I was shook the first time seeing it, I couldn't believe it was roasting the Kpop industry right in they face and like you said it's more relevant now than ever

i can't find where to watch this anywhere but i'm now determined to track it down. thank you, i wouldn't have heard about it otherwise!

i can always count on yhara for the best horror recs

You got me so interested in this movie and I can't find it streaming anywhere! Great video, as always!!

Guess I've got another entry to add to the "yhara recs" pages of my to watch/read/listen list. It's still so long lol -- every time I make a good dent in it, it just fills right up again. You really spoil us, thank you! 🧡

First, I'm very thankful you used this movie to make this video. I really liked the movie when it came out (I'm a huge T-ARA fan) and I thought it spoke about the industry well. Even now years later, sadly yeah it's still as relevant. I feel conflicted as a K-pop fan, especially for how long I've been a fan, but it's best to be critical and want better for these idols. Two, your video was well spot on. In particular the section where you talked about the cute concept really struck a chord with me as a huge defender for bright concepts. Thank you for the video. It was really really good. There isn't really good videos trying to critique the industry without making it seem like it's only "over there" like you said.

I remember when this movie was on Netflix forever ago, it had me so shook. some of the scene of the girl singing the high note is burned into my memory

I'm so glad you're covering this!! I watched this movie years ago and the trampling scene has always stuck with me.

Thank you for this! This flew completely under my radar; I'm gonna watch this ASAP!

I'm a used to be 2nd generation fan and wow this early 2010s kpop sounds nostalgic. I really hope Eun Jung, a former member of t-ara, will have a comeback as an actress

i watched this movie on netflix with a friend who was into kpop before i even knew it was a thing (and certainly before it was as mainstream as it is now). i remember the song, and how chilling and sad the stories of the girls made me feel, but that was also before i knew anything of the industry. i barely touched the industry on my own (got really into f(x) in 2019 before realizing they were disbanded and people were wondering when their return might come, and then a few months later, one of the former members ended up taking her own life. it was at this point i truly discovered how dark the idol industry could be (i had a vague knowledge of the western side at least, from various artists including taylor swift with everything going on with her song ownership). seeing this video and not only being reminded of this movie but seeing how it really touches on so many issues in the industry including that the other girls teamed up against the other, etc, knowing what i know about the industry... it makes me wish that we lived in a world where this was just a horror movie. not something that touches on so many real world issues

This has been one of my favourite movies for years and years, and the song gets stuck in my head so bad. I also have a weird thing about mirrors, so the mirror scene always does me in! This was an incredibly insightful video, thank you!

Love your voice, the flow, and the seamless transitions

I am glad I'm not the only one that thinks this is an underrated gem. The analysis/ retrospect on the industry was amazing to see, especially for the time. We're still learning about the trainee contracts and the amount of debts they're given *sigh* I could go on

I will be at least one of the three you need to go watch it who hasn’t seen it before!! Also loved the use of Monster toward the end 😌

as always, this is extraordinarily well-articulated. thank you so much for your content, your hard work, your incredible research (and brain), and the 7th sense

I really appreciate your videos and also your video recommendations. Thank you for both!

Oh my word Yhara, what a great video! I used to LOVE T-Ara (what an emblematic group to illustrate kpop’s messiness) and haven’t heard abt this film! Will definitely check out, thanks for the effort in keeping this spoiler free. If you ever want to make a video abt korean media (clothing, cultural appropriation, girl groups trends, anything), we would be highly interested 😁

despite having been a fan of kpop for 5 years, i’ve had to distance myself from it many times for the exact reasons listed on this video. sometimes even the littlest offhanded comments i’ll notice in a variety show episode or some behind the scenes group video will shock back this awareness of exploitation. im very sympathetic toward girl groups although not being an avid fan of any (i love a lot of gg music i just havent invested in any of the groups themselves). it’s very clear to me how much more boy groups can get away with. :/ i’d never heard of this film until now, and i’m very likely going to give it a watch! (despite my weak stomach). very well done with this video, i love watching nuance critiques on the entertainment industry :)

Loved this movie in high school. Thanks for bringing it back up and adding such great commentary

Amazing! Im really proud of your channel and you,i have been watching your videos for a long time, its reallt something to see how far you've come as a creator