the parody below:
Coffee Prince parody. You can watch the original drama (with subtitles at http://www.hulu.com/coffee-prince)
I wanted to talk a little bit about same-gender relationships in Korea, and what this means. I posted the above two videos as examples of what I will talk about. The above are parodies of original music videos or dramas. For example (I updated with the original music video) the second video posted above is a parody of the song Abracadabra. It is a song by the kpop girls group Brown Eyed Girls, and members from two different kpop groups joined together to make a parody. The last video is a parody of a Korean drama called "Coffee Prince". I posted a link where you can watch it, if you would like, but it is a parody done by the kpop group Big Bang. These are just two examples of parodies done, and like SNL or other parodies they were not taken seriously, and as far as I'm aware, none of the above males were questioned of their sexuality.
First, physical contact is more common in Korean culture than other European-standard culture. This is just a personal observation, if you disagree please feel free to jump in. The reason why I say I have observed this, is because, in American society, there is a time and place for men to have physical contact. Context matters. In a serious moment where you feel someone needs motivation, you take a towel and slap the butt of that male to tell them to get going and get moving in front of a huge crowd of people. This is very normal in American society. Where? In football. I'm guessing, however, that if you tried to do that to a football player off the field... eh, I wouldn't recommend it.
However, physical contact is more of a social norm in Korean society. Holding hands, shoulder-to-shoulder, ect is very normal in Korean society for same-sex friends. It is a sign of affection, a show of closeness. But let's backtrack. If you saw guys holding hands in America, what would you assume? They are homosexual? After you watch the above videos, you might be a little uncomfortable. To be honest, I was, particularly the first one. It wouldn't matter if it was same sex, different sex, it would still make me uncomfortable. In any case, but was there an outbreak saying "oh they are definitely homosexual?" actually no, it was considered a hilarious parody. Mind you, we just talked about Beyonce & Justin and the SNL skit, so you could easily argue otherwise, but there is an assumption of heterosexuality in Korea. It does not mean that there are no homosexuals in Korea. It means that it is not, unlike America, a thought that necessarily comes to mind if two males are holding hands.
Now, let me say that it isn't a socially-accepted norm everywhere in the US, and I am in no way trying to belittle the hardships that homosexuals go through just like gender identity and racial identity still play a huge factor in today's society. But in Korean society there is an assumption you are straight. Which is why the increase of homosexuality in Korean movies and dramas is rather fascinating, but overall still it is an "outside-looking in" type of thing. There are not many homosexual entertainers in the mainstream Korean entertainment industry.
EDIT: I was actually speaking to a Korean-American female today about this issue ironically. She had mentioned she thought that all Korean males are homosexual because of the way they are "touchy-feely". I would challenge you (as I did her) of taking off your own lense, much like we are talking about in class. What is it to critique another person's culture (even if, in some ways, she considers it her own)? If it is a social norm to be more physically affectionate, what does this mean? Are they all homosexual, just can't come out of the closet? Is it actually a more homophobic culture because of the unacknowledgement (is that a word?) of homosexuals in Korean culture?
I watched this one show where Nichkhun,2pm, was being interview in his homeland Thailand. The interviewer asked Nichkhun if he was gay because people (air being shown on TV) watched the Nichkhun during his trainee years and showcase, where Nichkhun always hugged guys/males. Nichkhun said he was not gay but it is how people express their affection to other people whether they are close or not. When Nichkhun was involved in activities during his trainee in Korea, he was being touch, or spank on the butt, or simple hugged. He, himself, thought he was gay. But he realized, "oh", so there is how Korean people express themselves. He gradually being affected himself with other male idol or people.
ReplyDeleteSo homosexuality, people make it stereotype or that how they want to portray. That is what being accepted in Korea.
I would love to see that clip if you have it, that is a very interesting thing for him to point out and say. Do you think that the homosocial relationship is specific to Korea? Do other countries have this homosocial relationship as well? Particularly because Nickhun lived in a variety of countries, I think he is a very interesting case. If he had this perspective, what does this mean when other people watch video clips like the ones above without understanding culture?
ReplyDeleteI agree that homosocial relationships are more accepted in Asia, specifically Korea. In my opinion, this is partly due to the fact that, like Joyce said, there is an assumption of homosexuality in the country. In addition or in relation to that, I think this cultural trait is also due to the fact that homosexuality is not as accepted here in the US. I'm not saying that homosexuality is something that is completely accepted here, but the US has had more progress with homosexuality than Korea. From articles I've read in the past about homosexuality and media in Korea, this issue is still a taboo. Life is Beautiful, a drama that came out last year about a homosexual couple caused a lot of criticism and controversies. The controversy got to the point where the scene of the couple's wedding vows were cut from airing.
ReplyDeleteI also just recently read an article about Rateen, a website considered as a "haven" for homosexual teens in Korea. According to the article, online search engines still ban teenagers from looking up the keywords "homosexual", "homosexuality" and "gay" from the Internet. There was also a recent article about a Filipino student who was expelled from graduate school in Korea for being gay.
Also, like Joyce said, you won't see many homosexual celebrities on TV; in fact, only one comes right to mind. Actor Hong Suk-chun, whose career took a downward turn after admitting his homosexuality, talks about his struggles as a minority in this article.
Amber from f(x) can also be considered evidence for the theory of heterosexual assumption in Korea. Although pre-debut pictures have shown that she has always had a tomboyish style, especially in clothing, everyone still assumes that she is a straight female, therefore no major issues have come up about her sexuality. Going along with the taboo theory of homosexuality in Korea, it's almost as if no one dares to express publicly if they think Amber could actually be a lesbian, even though some might have lingering thoughts of it.
The homosocial culture of Korea and Asia is, in a way, also perpetuating the generalization that Asian males are effeminate. The "Abracadabra" parody Joyce provided actually made news on an international level when several websites posted the video as a Chinese gay porn video. Obviously, ignorance plays a very big part in this issue, but it brings to question just how much is too much when it comes to same-sex affection? Now that Korea is playing a bigger role in globalization, I wonder how sexuality will be affected.
Hi Cheryl :)
ReplyDeleteSo, in the case of the U.S., do you think there are more opportunities for homosexual men? What about "Don't ask don't tell"? Though it is not a school standard, there are still ways in which homosexuals do not have opportunity or have to marginalize just to be a part of something like the military. Is there no standard of heterosexual norms in the U.S.? The first instinct is not to question their sexual preference of a person, unless they do something "abnormal" that would maybe make you question it. I definitely agree there is not as much about homosexuals in the media in Korea. But there are movies that could and have go into the more risque mainstream, because television and dramas in general are more PG-rated. Though this is another argument in and of itself, thinks like homosexuality and sexual acts are not portrayed on Korean television as much as, say the U.S. Look at Gossip Girl, a show that targets teens.
I actually thought it was interesting because I saw a poster for RENT when I was in Korea last summer, and I was surprised to see it because it has homosexual themes in it. Also, now that I think about it, (that poster was for an international tour) RENT also has a Korean version, with lyrics fully translated. What does this mean when certain facets of media, like movies and theater, portray homosexuals, but others don't? Also, in the most recently popular Secret Garden, there was a homosexual character, though they didn't really go in-depth with him.
Is same-sex affection too much in Korea? And what constitutes as too much? I showed the Dirty Eyed Girls parody because I think it was an extreme case, but is that video an example of same-sex affection. The parody that doesn't necessarily follow even the original music video.
Is being affectionate toward the same-sex equal effeminacy?
The other issue is not necessarily the relationships, but the way it is viewed. Does being affectionate toward a same-sex friend make you more feminine or less masculine or is that a stereotype? Is it necessary to keep, is this something that also needs to be Westernized?