Survey responses suggest that American female fans of K-pop girl groups simultaneously critique Korean society and music industry and recognize the impact of their position as foreign fans on their perceptions of representations of empowerment in K-pop. These are findings from the U Go Girl: The K-pop Girl Group Fan Study and are based on…
Tag: girl groups
U Go Girl! The K-pop Girl Group Fan Study
U Go Girl! The K-pop Girl Group Fan Study is the latest survey in the iFans: K-pop’s Global Fandom project. This survey seeks to understand the appeal of K-pop girl groups for female fans outside of Korea and will be open March 20, 2019-September 20, 2019. Click here to take the survey! If you have…
Whose Generation? GIRLS’ GENERATION!: Gender, Audience and K-pop
by Crystal S. Anderson, PhD As the number of female groups increase in number in K-pop, commentators and scholars continue to focus on the meaning of the representations produced by these groups. While some argue that such representations are geared towards men, this ignores the way the majority female fanbases of these groups construct meaning of…
Ethnicity, Glamour and Image in Korean Popular Music
Crystal S. Anderson, PhD Elon University The 1960s girl group concept makes regular appearances in K-pop. While some think that this kind of image represents a lack of ethnic identity in a quest for mainstream acceptance, I suggest that the 1960s girl group image promoted by women of color represents an ethnic glamour aesthetic. Contemporary…
Pure Love f(x): Feminisms and K-pop Girl Groups
Crystal S. Anderson, PhD Associate Professor, Elon University (U.S.) K-pop girl groups tend to be described as sexy, fierce or cute. Some suggest that images of fierceness encourage girls to be empowered, while images of cuteness take away their agency. However, responses by fans of f(x), a K-pop female group, suggest that fans prefer unique…
KPK: Kpop Kollective 