How Female K-Pop Idols Suffer Gender Inequality and on Feb
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IMPHAL, TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2020 55 years ago: The Beatles start shooting 'Help!' How female K-pop idols suffer gender inequality and On Feb. 23, 1965, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr began filming the second are held to different standards: 'It's totally unfair' Beatles movie. Originally K-pop singer Way, a former voice actress Kim Jayeon was named Eight Arms to Hold You member of girl group Crayon fired by game company -- an innocent but prophetic Pop, remembers being Nexon after tweeting a pic- phrase that was definitely better confused when her agency ture of herself wearing a than the working title Beatles 2 once called her and other T-shirt with the slogan "Girls -- the title was eventually members of the group to do not need a prince". changed to Help! And that's discuss the revelation of a The shirt was produced by exactly what the band needed relationship between two K- feminist group Megalia4, an around that time. pop idols. online community that many The four knew their According to Way, the gamers have referred to as an fabness was waning. Chrome Entertainment agency "anti-man group". Beatlemania was taking its said the career of the female Park Yee-un, also known toll, making it impossible for concurred: “He didn't say, in the saddle, after the suc- celebrity was virtually over as Yeeun of the South Ko- them to escape the bubble of 'I'm now fat and I'm feeling cess of 1964's A Hard Day’s now that the relationship had rean girl group Wonder Girls, fame that surrounded them, miserable.' He said, 'When I Night, with an increased been made public. The agency sparked outrage and was ac- leaving the quartet detached was younger, so much budget that meant he could warned them not to get in- cused of being a feminist after from the kind of everyday younger than today.' In other shoot in color this time. He volved in any romantic she posted a review of the world that inspired the songs words, he blustered his way had a very keen sense of what relationships if they valued controversy. as I do," Way says. trait of An Jung-geun, a movie Kim Ji Young: Born that helped blow up that bub- through. We all felt the same he wanted Help! to achieve – their careers. Meanwhile, a viral compi- Meanwhile, Tiffany famed Korean activist under 1982, a film adapted from the ble in the first place. way.” Still, “Help!” remained only he didn’t necessarily "I didn't understand why lation video showing different Young of Girls' Generation Japanese rule. Many critics 2016 book of the same name Lennon knew what he was one of a handful of Beatles share his vision with the the company was saying that male idols swearing - includ- received harsh criticism in and media outlets raged over credited with launching the doing when he wrote the title songs Lennon didn’t criticize, movie's stars. only the girl's career had ing Sunggyu from Infinite - 2016 when she uploaded an their ignorance of history, and conversation about gender track. “I meant it, it’s real,” though he noted, “I don’t like “The film was out of our ended when the relationship resulted in no backlash or Instagram story that included the two K-pop idols shed inequality in South Korea. he said later. “It was just me the recording that much; the control,” Lennon said in the involved two people," Way coverage by media outlets. an image of the Rising Sun tears while apologising at a One online comment read: singing ‘help’ and I meant it.” song I like. We did it too fast ‘60s. “With A Hard Day’s tells the Post. (A spokesper- (Though the male idols' Flag, the wartime flag of the comeback showcase. "What kind of discrimination Separately, he told Playboy in to try and be commercial.” Night, we had a lot of input son for Chrome Entertainment swearing was not directed at Imperial Japanese Army Some keen K-pop observ- have you experienced in your 1980 that, at the time, he “was A Beatles movie was al- and it was semi-realistic. But said they were not aware of fans - like the Lovelyz video which many Koreans associ- ers noted that criticism of an life?" Another celebrity, Irene fat and depressed, and I was ways going to have to be with Help!, Dick Lester didn’t the conversation). depicts - the crux of the criti- ate with memories of idol's lack of historical knowl- of Red Velvet, was also at- crying out for help.” commercial, of course. Direc- tell us what it was all about.” In South Korea, the issue cism toward the girl group violence. edge depended on their tacked for revealing she had McCartney more recently tor Richard Lester was back UCR of gender inequality - also was at the swearing itself, not Although Young shared a gender. They noted how dif- read the book. known as "men's gender au- who it was aimed at. "They handwritten apology almost ferently the media and public Meanwhile, Son Na-eun thority" by feminists - has were acting like an innocent immediately after posting the reacted when P.O of boy of girl group Apink came been making headlines in group. This is a huge turn photo, public anger did not band Block B was asked to under fire when she uploaded Megan Fox to star in outer space thriller Aurora both domestic and interna- off," one comment read.) subside and she was removed name the place founded by a now-deleted Instagram post tional news coverage of the "The public treats female from the reality show Sister's Bak Hyeokgeose, a founding of herself with a phone case Gibson produced Restora- country. celebrities more harshly be- Slam Dunk. monarch of Silla, one of that had the slogan "Girls can tion, the 2016 sci-fi thriller Gender authority can take cause Korean society has a The timing of the post - Korea's Three Kingdoms. do anything" on it. directed and co-written by many forms. In South Korea, very male-dominated struc- made on Korea's Independ- Although most middle- "The way people rage and Willis. Bridges joined the one of the most obvious ex- ture and a culture that ence Day - added fuel to the school students would be able threaten female idols who writing team last year. amples can be seen within the discriminates against flames. But some felt the criti- to answer the question, P.O show even the smallest sign Gibson has served as a K-pop industry, where ob- women," says Kim Sujeong, cism of Young was answered "China", and the of being feminists shows production liaison on numer- servers say girl groups are a communication science pro- disproportionate, especially public stayed quiet. how [what people expect of ous Warner Bros. pictures criticised more harshly than fessor at Chungnam National considering her immediate According to Kim, the women] is blatantly differ- including The LEGO Movie their male counterparts for the University. "People demand efforts to repair the damage. amount of criticism targeted ent," Kim says. 2, The LEGO Ninjago same behaviour. that female K-pop idols are Oh Ji-eun, a Korean at P.O was small compared Way, now a YouTube Movie, The LEGO Batman In February last year, a kind, submissive and mature. singer-songwriter, fired back with the response that the creator for her channel Movie, Happy Feet Two and video of Mijoo, a member of Then they get irked when at Sister's Slam Dunk's deci- AOA members received. "Wayland", said that some of Legend Of The Guardians. girl group Lovelyz, reading idols do not fit the norm." sion to remove Tiffany from "If it is not about gender her friends who are also “It’s incredibly exciting to sexual and predatory com- Way is no longer involved the show, tweeting: "I think and people just want idols to former K-pop idols are happy have Megan star in the film, ments being made about in the K-pop industry, but this situation has gone this far have a greater social con- in their new careers now that Megan Fox will play an Snack Productions, Gibson a testament to the strength of herself during a live-stream says that when she was an only because Tiffany is a sciousness, shouldn't people they are free from having to astronaut stationed in outer will produce with Arclight, the project,” Gibson tells IF. spread like wildfire online in idol, she felt intense pressure young woman … Don't you welcome female idols who live up to harsh public expec- space who discovers dangerous Jordan Gertner (London “I honestly couldn’t think of South Korea. "Show us your to conform to public expecta- think situations like this hap- have an awareness of gender tations. shock waves in Aurora, a Fields, Spring Breakers, anyone more perfect for the breasts," read one comment. tions of how a female idol pen way too frequently when equality?" Kim asks. "But the "There are stricter stand- feature scripted by Toby The Virgin Suicides) and role. In the background, view- should act. they are about young public doesn't do that." ards and more limitations for Gibson, Stuart Willis and Pete Balkanic Media’s Jonathan “Gary introduced us to ers heard another member of "My agency told me to women?" Feminism has been widely female idols than male idols, Bridges. English (Ironclad, A Good Lazar. After seeing A.I.