Introduction

Introduction

Introduction

Following World War Two and the 1970’s, the world has witnessed what economist Karl Polanyi (1944) coined as the Great Transformation in economic ideology, mainly to that of a free market economy. This has brought with it key changes such as globalization and financialization, but it is important to note that because the shift has mainly been sourced in the treatment of the labor force, several consequences have fallen to laborers. In particular, this shift has enhanced gender gaps and reinforced faulty reasoning behind gender-based discrimination in the workplace. The Korean popular music (K-pop) industry is a workplace influenced by this ideological shift and the gendered consequences culminate from both ideological assumptions and traditional South Korean (hereafter referred to as Korean) gender roles. Economist Seeraj Mohammed argues that women’s labor is seen as less valuable than men’s and that where a workplace becomes feminized—either through a higher percentage of women employed or a general association of the labor with femininity—the value of the labor decreases (2008, p. 29). The K-pop industry has codified both aspects of feminization in its relatively short history. By analyzing primary sources such as interviews, social media, and musical content, in this article, I discuss the ways in which women in the K-pop industry have experienced the negative influences of feminization through four lenses: a triple shift, catering to the male gaze, decreased agency, and a shortened career timeline. As a result, girl group idols are more frequently exploited, as companies swap priority to nurture artists for profit maximization. While K-pop represents a possible pathway for many young Asian women to pursue dreams of success and share their artistry, they can become trapped in a difficult-to-break cycle of discrimination due to a rigid set of gender mores—hyper valued for their bodies without the agency to dictate what is done with them (Hong, 2014b, 120).

¹ Liz Jonas is a recent graduate of Miami University. Throughout her undergraduate experience she researched the culture of K-pop and the feminist intersections within the industry. She is now working towards a PhD in Health Psychology and hopes to continue work on feminism.

Introduction

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