Are Korean men too feminine?Many unfamiliar with the young generation in Asia may be shocked at what they see in Japanese, Chinese, and Korean media. Asian men sport-ing eyeliner with dyed perms, colored contacts, and shiny, tight-fitting outfits are becoming very common. READ MORE >>

Is there a Kpop and Illuminati affiliation?

The “whitening”of Asian beauty

JYP Entertainment files Twitter harrassment lawsuit on behalf

of Wonder Girls’ So Hee

B.A.P confirms comeback, loses two members

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Kracism & hip-hopAfrican American fan at Winthrop reflects on racist

remarks by Kpop artists and America’s cultural and musical influence on the genre

By Sarah Auvil - auvils2@winthrop.eduWhile Kpop fans at Winthrop may come in all colors, Korean celebrities’ appreciation for international fans may not be quite as diverse and open-minded.

Brittany Lawrence, a sophomore biology major from McClellanville, S.C., got into Kpop through the movie Ninja Assassin, where she was first introduced to her idol, the actor, model, and music artist Rain. She is now a fan of BEAST, Big Bang, SHINee, Super Junior, Ft Island, and DBSK, U-Kiss and 2pm, Miss A, 2NE1, the Wonder Girls, and f(x). She says the genre’s ties to African American influence are obvious.

“[I feel] African American culture influenced the majority of Kpop music today,” Lawrence said. “From the clothing styles, to lyrical composition ... to even the way they walk and carry themselves.” Lawrence referenced how almost every Kpop group, male or female, has at least one rapper, the loose clothing many groups wear with a “swag” attitude, and even including words like “shawty” in their lyrics.

Lawrence recalled two incidents of racism in Kpop - Seungri from Big Bang’s controversial comment about a van driver and Taeyeon from SNSD saying Alicia Keys is pretty “for a black person.”

Leehom Wang, a Taiwanese American from Rochester, N.Y., is known for coining the controversial term “chinked out” to describe his unique music, which is a fushion between R&B, hip-hop, and traditional Bejijing opera and Chinese ethnic minority’s sounds, including Tibetan opera. The “whitening” of Asia is nothing new, but some artists, like Big Bang, are known for only using Cauca-sian women in their videos. Popular Korean American artist Jay Park, on the other hand, (to many interna-tional fans’ appreciation) used a black dancer in his recent video “Know Your Name.”

Big Bang’s member Taeyang, center, has been compared to Usher and they are known for their hip hop style and having popular two rappers. However, their member Seungri, second from the right, is known for making a racist com-ment and the band almost always uses only white women in their music videos (see “HIGH HIGH,” “Bad Boy,” “Blue,” “Beautiful Hang-over”). Kpop has been scrutinized for adopting and drawing influence from African American music styles, then racially stereotyping. -Photo courtesy of Seoulbeats.com.

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Asia’s f lower men

Male or Female?

By Sarah Auvil - auvils2@winthrop.eduMany unfamiliar with the young generation in Asia may be shocked at what they see in Japanese, Chinese, and Korean media. Asian men sport-ing eyeliner with dyed perms, colored contacts, and shiny, tight-fitting outfits are becoming very common.

Asian men taking on a more feminine role is nothing new historically in Asian theater and opera, but each country’s influences are different.

-Japan. Some argue the visual kei and feminine styles for men are a reaction to the militaristic generation of Japanese men set before them. Known in Japan as “grass eaters,” there is fear that “the feminization of young men means that Japan’s birth rate will continue to plummet,” ac-cording to ABC’s Mark Willacy. The shift is especially interesting consider-ing spoken Japanese emphasizes distinctions between gender.

-Korea. Today’s South Korea’s dramas and pop music are known for idolizing beautiful, feminine men known as “flower boys.” The men’s sk-incare market in Korea is booming - and some say Korean advertising’s gender portrayals may have had a role.

-China. Some argue the one child policy influenced the dynamics of gender, spoiling the men and in effect changing how they are raised. Chi-nese and Taiwanese media also follow suit from their Korean and Japanese counterparts, who set the fashion and style trends for the whole continent.

Many Winthrop fans included Big Bang’s leader G-Dragon (Kwon Ji Yong, above) among their top favorite Kpop artists. The 23-year-old rapper and singer is known for his extremely innovative fashion choices and hairstyles, and is some-times called the “male Lady Gaga.” - Photo courtesy of fanpop.com.

Gackt Camui, left, a huge music star in Japan, used to be in visual kei band Malice Mizer. In visual kei or Japanese gothic lolita style, shown right, it can be very difficult to distinguish artists as Asian or even as male or female.

Japanese rock star Miyavi, left, versus his baby pic-ture, shown right. - All above photos courtesy of fanpop.com

Boys Over Flowers, one of the most popular Korean dramas all of time in South Korea and abroad, has four rich “flower boys” on cast.

G-Dragon raps about being an Asian fashion icon.

Kpop and Illuminati:Are Korean artists hiding cult messages in their music?

Videos pointing out so-called “satanic symbols” and ties to the Illuminati in Big-bang, 2NE1, and Shinee videos have run rampant on Youtube. Screen shot from 2NE1’s music video of “I Am The Best,” one of the alleged videos.

Symbols Gallery:

Students’ Say:

Poll:By Sarah Auvil - auvils2@winthrop.edu

A big debate has broken out in Kpop, as many popular U.S. music artists, the NBA, and even Tupac’s death all have been accredited to the work of the “Illuminati,” a secretive Satanic cult. It is believed this group works behind the scenes, giving artists sudden fame and riches in return for selling their soul. The musicians in turn hide Satanic symbols like “666,” pyramids and the all-seeing eye in their music videos. American artists such as Beyonce, Jay Z, and Lady Gaga and have all been accused. But is there really a conspiracy?

While these Kpop Illuminati conspiracy videos are indeed creepy, many people who are crying “Illuminati!” are not taking into account fashion trends along with religious and cultural differences. Here are some things to consider before you burn your Kpop posters:

- Fashion. Stars like G-Dragon from Big Bang and CL from 2NE1 are known for their innovative outfits and fashion sense. Many items such as Nazi hats, leather, bright colors and piercings have all been a part of cutting-edge Asian fashion for over a decade.

- Religion. Taeyang’s monk scene in “Fantastic Baby” is under fire, but since when does Buddhist mediation or yoga = Satanism? Something is amiss here, the creator of the video did not even know which religion it was from - not a good sign!

- Culture. A sign in one culture can mean something completely different in another; it can be dangerous to interpret things in another culture the same way you would in your own, or pick out individual snippets and screenshots out of context.

Music videos in general are subject to different interpretations. Since the cult is said to be subtle and secretive, the Illuminati debate will likely remain inconclusive.

“On some level I do believe that the Illuminati is real and that it has control over the music industry. ” -Courtney Massey

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Are you a Blackjack? Watch Minzy dance to “Boom Boom Pow”

“I find the Illuminati references unsettling, because I highly doubt that the symbols, lyrics, etc. that were pointed out in the videos were intentionally used for the purposes of the Illuminati.”-Katherine Le