Problematic Korean Video Friday over at Poptimists: Orange Caramel A~ING♡

[koganbot]

Orange Caramel's "A~ing♡" is our problematic video of the week, which I posted over at poptimists, but since almost no one there writes comments anymore, I'm putting it up here as well. As Mat says, "It's odd, because they almost have a supermodel look to them with their long legs, and it just seems grotesque to put them in cheap girly Halloween costumes." I

Comments

[anonymous]

The way I see it: this is an expression of playfulness. To quote Johan Huizinga in “Homo Ludens

[anonymous]

I have to stop writing things like “implicitly implies”…

[koganbot]

I just added this edit to the thread (should have added something like it last night but it was 3 in the morning and I was exhausted):

EDIT: Of course, just because something might strike us (in our ignorance) as grotesque doesn't mean that there's anything wrong with it, or anything problematic. Or the problem might only be ours, that we don't understand what's going on. But women acting girlie can raise a red flag. That is, do women in that world generally have a choice not to act girlie. What are the consequences for those who don't act girlie?

I've only skimmed the piece about Huizinga and games. I take it that Huizinga's a big deal, still, though I'd never heard of him (which wouldn't mean he's not a big deal, since this is one of the many areas in which I'm not well-read). I gather that he works hard to show that "play" is not the opposite of "seriousness." But it looks to me that he failed to* - though he should have - also taken pains to show that play is not always or necessarily the opposite of work. And he seems far to

[koganbot]

"he seems far to rigid" = "he seems far too rigid"

"and that it wouldn't be a good idea to say that anything 'has an element' if it can't be reduced to a material interest or to profit"

=

"and that it wouldn't be a good idea to say that anything 'has an element of play' if it can't be reduced to a material interest or to profit"

[askbask]

Raina confessed,”When I first heard about Orange Caramel’s concept, I was shocked… Honestly, I was embarrassed and surprised. I had no idea we would do a concept like this. It wasn’t a style that I liked.”

However, she continued, “After practicing several times, I realized that it was very addicting. The more we would do it the more attached I got to the song and began to enjoy it. It was fun to see others’ shocked reactions to the fact that After School would release a concept like this

[askbask]

Heh, yeah, they haven't held back on recounting their first reactions. Seohyun couldn't stand to sing parts of Oh!.

Thing is, I don't consider Gee cutesy, not in the annoying-cutesy way. Jeans and t-shirts, that's a solid look, and the song isn't that sugary.

This is annoyingly cutesy

(catchy song tho)

[tarigwaemir]

That is, do women in that world generally have a choice not to act girlie. What are the consequences for those who don't act girlie?

For what it's worth, yes, women do have a choice. It's kind of an expression of personality. Whenever I've been in a Korean social group, someone will invariably bring up the question of whether men actually like women with 애교 (this sort of cutesy younger girlishness).

I don't know Orange Caramel's target audience, but I know a lot of these idol bands are actually targeted towards elementary school students, so I suspect that makes it skew more childish.

What I find interesting about the music is its retro sound; I think they're deliberately echoing old songs.

[askbask]

I enjoy fan chants as a barometer for gender distribution in the core fan groups. Maybe someone could write a thesis on K-pop fan chants sometime... and explain the loud chanting during _ballads_. I don't think I've ever heard as manly chants as those Orange Caramel get, though.

I would say that most of the big girl groups get dominant girly screams, including Miss A, 4Minute (and Hyuna, with the most ridiculously long 'screaming the artist's name' section in fan chant history), 2NE1, etc..

Hardly a scientific endeavour as the chants sound different from show to show. After School mostly gets girly screams as well, far as I can remember. Perhaps the more cutesy the song, the weaker the girly shouts of support? Or maybe they're still there, but drowned by truly engaged guys.

SNSD gets a mixed chorus, but on the topic of fan chants I have to post this video with the loudest Music Bank crowd ever. And any excuse to embed this compilation...

[askbask]

I don't know, but I guess the boy band fan chants are seen more as a lustful thing than mere support. I've seen plenty of male fans voice their admiration for male idols in other settings, like the 'guerilla date' things where they go out in public for an interview with crowds around them, and other public appearances.

[askbask]

A little late, but putting this out there. This is what the group comes up with when they're promoting a song written & composed by one of the members, Raina. Playtime's over.

I like the vocal timbre of the two first members singing here, Nana and Raina. Slightly nasal but not only that? Sticks out more (in an exciting way) in their cutesy tracks.