Anonymous asked: I don't want to be the asshole but here it goes; I was expecting this to be about Korean feminism, and this blog to be run by Korean feminists. Not it to be feminism in kpop. Sorry.
No, it is fine, and you are right. This blog needs a re-haul so people know it is about non-Korean Western fans addressing the fandom and attempting to sensitively navigate cultural issues. We do not speak for Korean women or Korean feminist issues.
Anonymous asked: Hi! You don't have to answer this *question* (it's not really a question); I just wanted to make a comment about your post about eatyourkimchi. You said that their videos contain racist, classist, slut-shaming content. Yes, I admit, I enjoy watching S&M's videos (please keep reading!); from what I've seen, they've made massive efforts to not be racist, with disclaimers and what not after lots of their sentences. Even if you don't think they succeeded, shouldn't the fact that they don't want to
be racist be taken into consideration? The slut shaming: this issue is very very complicated; while you may have your view of what is right and wrong, and think it is obvious/easy to see the logic behind it, others (like myself) still have a hard time with it. On one hand, I think women should be able to be/act/dress as sexy as they want; the double standard is ridiculous. On the other hand, I feel that there must be some line between sexy and indecent. My opinion on this isn’t decided,
and it probably never will be. My point is, I don’t think it’s fair to hate on S&M for “slut-shaming”; it’s a thorny topic on which people have strong opinions, and misunderstanding happen easily. Lastly (wait. This is your second point. Sorry! argh. but anyways) you said they are classist. Um. I guess I’m not really sure what you mean by this, and of course you don’t have to explain to me if you don’t have time, but I’ve never seen them say anything about their social status or wealth.So, sorry for the super long *ask*, but thank you for taking the time to read it! I hope you have a wonderful day/night :D
Sorry, my criticisms sticks. Reread what I wrote to see how I feel about “there’s a difference between sexy and indecent” (surprise-there isn’t, that’s merely your opinion, making such a distinction is slut shaming and dangerous and entitled. No one cares what your opinion on indecent is, keep it to yourself and your body.) They perpetuate and say shitty nonsense with no thought to the consequence or care for the harm. They’re selfish, greedy, and exploitative. They’re ignorant and obnoxious. Seriously, their shit isn’t that great, they’ve just sort of got a monopoly on feeding biased nonsense to a (often equally ignorant and orientalist) young and impressionable audience and access to good filming material and time that others of us instead spend on work and school.
Intent does not matter. Intent does not change the harm done. Also, given that they’ve been faced and challenged and called out many times for their ignorance, hell, they responded to what I wrote, and still ignored the criticisms and still went about their way, shows that their intent is especially for shit.
It really isn’t complicated at all in the end.
Admin Briana
Not misandrist or feminist, but a lot of good empowering K-pop songs.
Send em’ in and the list will keep growing! Most of these have English subs.
Step - KARA
Pretty Girl - KARA
Himnae - SNSD
Girls Girls - Wonder Girls
Party (xoxo) - GLAM (thanks leorizanzel)
I Am The Best - 2ne1 (thanks reeminiscing)
Bad Girl Good Girl - Miss A (thanks reeminiscing)
Anonymous asked: Any other “Empowering Pop Anthems” you could list for us? =D
Haha I knew I was going to get this question. I’ve really got to compile a comprehensive list, I just have random tracks I’m always bumpin’ that make me feel like a queen! Me and my circle of kpop friends were talking about this on Twitter and we came up with some “Misandrist Kpop” tracks & videos. I’ll see if I can’t make post a tracklist later today or have a video spam! Feel free to send suggestions, ya’ll!
Admin: Briana
[video]
Anonymous asked: Hey, I love your blog! It's a nice escape from the mass amounts of slut-shaming and internalized misogyny in the k-pop fandom :) I was wondering what your thoughts are on Miss A's "I Don't Need A Man", since it's definitely more outwardly feminist than many songs/videos in the k-pop industry.
Thanks a lot, we appreciate the kind words!
Oh, I absolutely love it. I’ve been waiting for the video to come out and I’ve been jamming to it for the past few hours! I adore the styling (the imagery with the shoes/purses/clothes/GENERAL HARD FEMME OPULENCE made me so happy and drove me to look for a crown on Etsy. Oh kpop, stop encouraging my materialistic side!) the song, the lyrics, the message it all rules! It really speaks to my life, especially, over the past few months, since my mantra has been “I PAY MY BILLS, I RUN MY LIFE, TRY AND STEP TO ME, BOYS!” XD. Definitely my latest HBIC anthem!
-Admin Briana
Anonymous asked: Hi Feminoonas! I'm just gonna start off saying I love this blog deeply. Secondly, while I agree with everything you say about slut-shaming and the whole fan-debacle surrounding Hyuna, I still have a problem with her image. Not because I think she's a slut, but because the suggestiveness is a concept created FOR her (not BY her) by a group of men from Cube, for the purposes of drawing in attention from (predominantly male) fans. She owns it, but it still bothers me. Am I wrong in this viewpoint?
Hello, admin Briana over here (I know, shocking!) and funny enough, like freakishly coincidental almost, I just kind of wrote about this today on my personal blog? Link here and here.
I agree with you, but there’s more to it than that. Essentially, the thing is that while it is very valid to be wary and critical of the male gaze, critical of patriarchal norms and dictates, of negative, misogynist, and unrealistic displays of sexuality, and the the media sells women and people consume them, that does not mean we should come at women and tell them they must be “brainwashed” or “exploited” or “adhering to the patriarchy” for the way they express themselves. Yes, I know that Hyuna’s image is largely controlled and dictated by men and is made for male consumption, but I still support her and support the freedom for women to express themselves how they see fit, and don’t assuming that any woman who is being overtly sexual or raunchy or merely expressing themselves in a way I wouldn’t is automatically doing it for men.
Anonymous asked: Hey I noticed you posted something about cultural appropration recently and I have an honest question. Recently i have started driving with my windows down more often and I decided to wrap my hair in a scarf. I was going for more of a 60s look but a friend of mine said that I looked very arabic in it. Its a purple translucent scarf with gold stitching and I got it at a thrift store years ago. I am being culturally insensitive by wearing it?
Personally, I wouldn’t take it as such. There are plenty of other cultures who have women wrap their hair to keep it in check (I’m thinking of Italian, Greek, Portugese, Polish, Baltic women), wrapping the head in a scarf is not a specifically Arabic thing. I think if it’s for practical reasons, which your reasoning seems to be, then it’s perfectly fine. Sometimes when it rains and I forget my umbrella I’ll wrap my hair in my scarf so it doesn’t get wet and gross. This isn’t me trying to appropriate any culture, but rather a matter of practicality. However, if you were wrapping your head in the fashion of a hijab for fashionable reasons (e.g. you think it looks cool), then it’d be problematic.
Hope that answers everything!
Anonymous asked: As much as I enjoy your site, I find that it lacks scholarly input. There is nothing wrong with providing a link to tumblr sites. However, I would like to see an argument that has been peer reviewed. People like Dorthy Smith or Melvin Tumin have written literature on topics like feminism and race. If you are able to state your argument and say "look so and so also wrote about this, so stop arguing with me unless you can find another person". Would you be able to provide things like this?
feminoonas has never claimed to be an academic/scholarly resource. this is a casual undertaking for us. however, if you have articles you think would be relevant or interesting, you can submit them and we will be happy to post them up.
[video]