I've always been asking myself why do some people choose to become celebrities. Well, exactly the same question as why people write blogs hahaha. I mean, yeah,if you become a celebrity, you get famous, you get rich, you can probably travel to many places or buy anything you want but all of these have limits. You get the fame but you have no privacy. All your moves are sort of "monitored." You are expected to act in accordance to what/how people "want" to see you.
One of these limits is you have to watch EVERYTHING you say. Expressing comments that would attract hatred is a big NO NO in the business or else your career/reputation/confidence/image will suffer.
CAP of Teen Top on "daughter" issue
I am writing this entry because of the "recent" incident involving one member of a boy group. CAP of Teen Top uttered this line "I would hit her and keep her locked up" which angered many netizens.
Teen Top was a special guest on Mnet Wide Entertainment News 2 weeks ago. They were asked how they think they'd be 10 years from now. This was CAP's answer
“
When I’m thirty I want to become a father. I will raise my children in
a cool way. I would give my son anything he wants and I will take care
of him so he can grow up. As for my daughter, it is a woman’s job to
stay at home. If she needed to be I would hit her and keep her locked up
at home.” (Jan.17th, 2012, Soompi)
Never did he know that his answer would irk so many Korean netizens and even international K-Pop fans who expressed their disappointments and dissatisfaction.
I've seen the show so if I were to tell you my opinion I'd like to offer two sides of the coin here. His mistake was his answer itself. He could have just made it like this
"I would raise my children well or discipline them if I have too" but it went overboard when he tried to distinguish it by the child's gender.
On the other hand if you've seen the show, and fairly understands Korean language, it seems that he wanted to appear cool and funny at the same time. Cool in the sense that he wanted to "protect" girls because it's "dangerous" outside as what he said as his answer from how other members reacted to his answer.Another mistake, was when another member, jokingly, did a follow up saying "
so you will just hit her in your house?" "
your house is more dangerous then."
I have nothing against Teen Top. In fact I've already encountered them many times. They're very polite and seems really close to each other. But no matter how young these idols are, since they've entered this kind of profession, they are expected to be prepared for these kinds of issues.What is your opinion about this?
Some Super Junior Members on "Fat" Issues
This is quite an old issue but let me just take it out for reference for our topic here.
On 13th June,
Yesung appeared on MBC’s “Quiz to Change the World”
and made a couple of comments that weren’t really that appropriate on
national television. When asked, “What’s the most unnattractive image
when a woman wears a mini-skirt?”, Yesung chose the “right” answer which
was “women who have fat legs.” The other answers were, “women who have
hairy legs” and “women who open their legs when sitting.” (Though some
men would disagree on the last one.)
He was then asked by the MC on why he had made that choice; Yesung
replied, “I think fat women are lazy.” Once he said that, singer Yang
Hee Eun asked him, “Are you saying that I’m lazy?” to which Yesung tried
to cover it up by saying he was only referring to young women. And if
he already wasn’t in enough hot water, the other guests chimed in, “So
you’re saying that Yang Hee Eun is old?” which Yesung added, “
Yes, that’s exactly what I’m saying She’s not fat… her body suits her.”
(June 15th, 2009 Allkpop)
---------------------------
Shindong, has faced criticism for a comment he made during the broadcasting of MBC radio station
Shim Shim Tapa.
On the 29th, a female listener revealed to the radio station that she
recently fought with her boyfriend because of her decision to go on a
diet. When she shared with him her diet plans for the new year, he told
her, “
Don’t start if you’re only going to quit after a few days. Your body isn’t the type to change with a diet.”
Kim Shin Young, who co-hosts the radio station, stated, “
To a girl, a negative comment about her weight is equivalent to asking for a punch.”
The Super Junior chubster then commented, “
If someone had to lose
weight, I would tell that person to lose weight. Lose some weight, why
can’t you take care of yourself. When I say this, the person might
think, ‘Look who’s talking,’ but I would reply, ‘I’m a boy and you’re a
girl.‘”
To this, both Kim Shin Young and announcer Gu Eun Young
retorted, “
Why does gender matter in this situation? So girls have to be skinny and boys can be…” Taken aback by their remarks, Shindong quickly explained, “
I’m just saying. Honestly, I would want the person that I love to be more pretty or more handsome.”
(Jan. 30th, 2010, Allkpop)
-----------------------------
During the February 22
nd broadcast of
KBS 2FM “
Super Junior’s Kiss the Radio”, the show featured a Kpop In China special, where
Shinee’s
Key filled in to replace
Eunhyuk as a host DJ.
Kang Mi Yeon,
miss A’s
Jia and
Fei were also special guests on the show.
When the DJs asked Jia and Fei when their group would be making a
comeback, the two members responded that they were still in the midst of
preparations. After commenting that he believed there would be more
news after
KBS 2 drama
Dream High ends,
Leeteuk suddenly burst out, “
Suzy needs to lose weight first!”
(Feb. 26, 2011, Seoulbeats)
It seems that every year, 2009, 2010, 2011, Super Junior has something to say on this issue
Before coming to Korea I never really mind my figure, I still don't haha, but since almost all the people around me talk about it, sometimes you will be forced to take some actions. At my school alone, there are 6 gyms for students to exercise because everybody wants the s-line, chocolate abs that celebrities have. Almost every subway station in Seoul, there 2-3 gyms around the vicinity, not to mention more numbers of gyms in every neighborhood.
Sad to say but what Yesung, Shindong and Leeteuk mentioned about being fat is very common in Korea. I myself heard it from many Korean friends. They said almost exactly the same line as they dislike fat girls because it means they're lazy. And if you ask them what about men? They would say it's ok for men to be a bit chubby just because they're men. And take note, it's not only male friends, many of my female Korean friends also think the same way.
What's your say on this?
Source:Soompi, Allkpop, Seoulbeats
Talking about double standards in Korea, there is one thing that comes to mind, xenophobia (fear of foreigners). Newly-elected lawmaker in Korea (under Saenuri Party) Jasmine Lee, a Filipina who became a naturalized Korean citizen since 1998 is said to be a victim of malicious attacks on the Internet. I have many Korean friends who are happy of her being elected and representing multiculturalism in Korea so people who are not pleased with it are the least I expected. I don't know but, as a foreigner living in Korea, I've felt how the Korean government is trying to make programs that would enrich multiculturalism in Korea but it seems that there are some people who are not supportive of it. 
