BLACKPINK

[Dangerous Maknae]

If female idols can't use the nurse costume as a concept then the same argument can be used for other jobs like cops as well. Girls Generation probably would have to remove all their videos from the internet if they were active now because basically every era was a concept. They even sexualized sailors.

 

[Sophon]

Crazy Over You makes me wet.

 

[boom bazooka joe]

If nurses are sexualized at work I think the finger should be pointed at the ones sexualizing them, not at Jennie for wearing a nurse outfit.

Fully. Sexual harassment against nurses (or to anyone, of any kind) etc. is rancid but Jennie wearing a slightly sexy nurse costume for .5 seconds while rapping about doctors is likely not even a fraction of a contributing factor.

 

[Salami]

If female idols can't use the nurse costume as a concept then the same argument can be used for other jobs like cops as well. Girls Generation probably would have to remove all their videos from the internet if they were active now because basically every era was a concept. They even sexualized sailors.

It’s every group. The amount of boy groups who dress up as schoolboys or sailors, they all do it.

 

[ultraviolet]

The double standards are still here and it shows

 

[dewzero]

If nurses are sexualized at work I think the finger should be pointed at the ones sexualizing them, not at Jennie for wearing a nurse outfit.

Let's not mischaracterize what actually transpired. The Korean Health and Medical Worker's Union directed their statement at YG Entertainment. Whether YG staff created the video treatment, or Jennie herself came up with the nurse-patient scene and handpicked the outfit, YG had the final approval, and the Union knows that full well. This is their full statement per the translation from Soompi.

In the YG Entertainment group BLACKPINK’s “Lovesick Girls” music video that was released on October 2, one of the members appeared in a nurse’s outfit. The cap, tight and short skirt, and high heels are completely different from an actual nurse uniform. The outfit and portrayal directly imitate the typical sexual stereotype and excuse it as a simple “costume.”

Even though nurses are professional healthcare workers, for the sole reason that there are more women in the profession, they have been subject to sexual objectification and derogatory portrayals expressing doubts about their professionalism. Nurses have been fighting for a long time to change this, and in 2020, when the discussion about women’s rights is more active than ever, YG Entertainment sexually objectified the image of a nurse in BLACKPINK’s music video. The music video gained almost 100 million views in three days since its release.

In a real hospital, not the ones in the media, nurses are fighting at the frontlines of COVID-19 and taking on the risk of infection for the safety and survival of the citizens. There has been a climate of heroizing nurses as well, but there are still those who call nurses “hey” or “young lady” and let out their stress on them or exercise their power on them. Furthermore, nurses are the healthcare workers who are the most frequently exposed to sexual abuse. If the media continues to show a distorted image of nurses, situations like these will only get worse.

After the music video was revealed, hashtags like #NursesAreNotCostumes, #Stop_Sexualizing_Nurses, and #nurse_is_profession appeared on social media. Sexual objectification of professions with a higher ratio of women to men has gone on for too long to simply think of this as the voice of the minority in an online space.

The Korean Health and Medical Worker’s Union strictly opposes sexual objectification of women and nurses. As BLACKPINK’s new song is ranking high on charts globally, we call on YG Entertainment to take responsible measures to match their popularity and influence.

 

[junglefish]

I remember the same thing happening to Hyori when she released U Go Girl (I'm very old!) and thinking it was ridiculous, but reading @dewzero's posts, I get where the complaints are coming from. Now, those who use this as an excuse to bash Jennie... Poor them!

 

[dewzero]

Fully. Sexual harassment against nurses (or to anyone, of any kind) etc. is rancid but Jennie wearing a slightly sexy nurse costume for .5 seconds while rapping about doctors is likely not even a fraction of a contributing factor.

If female idols can't use the nurse costume as a concept then the same argument can be used for other jobs like cops as well. Girls Generation probably would have to remove all their videos from the internet if they were active now because basically every era was a concept. They even sexualized sailors.

I apologize for the double post but combining all of my replies into one would be too long.

This is... not the hill to die on y'all. Are we, a forum full of non-Korean K-pop fans, really arguing for girl AND boy groups - since there are accusations of double standards and misogyny at play here - for the right to fetishize as many professions as possible, at the expense of the occupational safety of the actual people in those professions? Sure, any profession can be sexualized and any uniform can be fetishized, but the extent of the fetishization is also influenced by power dynamics and gender dynamics. People can sexualize cops / sailors / military personnel in their head all they want, but most people know to behave appropriately when interacting with them due to obvious consequences. In a predominantly female profession like nursing, where there's so much projection and internalization of its caring nature and 'feminine virtues', nurses, especially female nurses, are much more susceptible to realized acts of fetishization. Regardless of whether you personally find Jennie's nurse costume sexualized or not, the matter of the fact is female nurses in Korea consider it in poor taste and perpetuating a culture where sexual abuse towards female nurses has been rampant. Is it unfortunate that Jennie's involved in this due to YG's shitty optics? Yes. But take your stan goggles off first.

 

[Salami]

I apologize for the double post but combining all of my replies into one would be too long.

This is... not the hill to die on y'all. Are we, a forum full of non-Korean K-pop fans, really arguing for girl AND boy groups - since there are accusations of double standards and misogyny at play here - for the right to fetishize as many professions as possible, at the expense of the occupational safety of the actual people in those professions? Sure, any profession can be sexualized and any uniform can be fetishized, but the extent of the fetishization is also influenced by power dynamics and gender dynamics. People can sexualize cops / sailors / military personnel in their head all they want, but most people know to behave appropriately when interacting with them due to obvious consequences. In a predominantly female profession like nursing, where there's so much projection and internalization of its caring nature and 'feminine virtues', nurses, especially female nurses, are much more susceptible to realized acts of fetishization. Regardless of whether you personally find Jennie's nurse costume sexualized or not, the matter of the fact is female nurses in Korea consider it in poor taste and perpetuating a culture where sexual abuse towards female nurses has been rampant. Is it unfortunate that Jennie's involved in this due to YG's shitty optics? Yes. But take your stan goggles off first.

But you also need some context here. It’s some female nurses. This is not a black and white argument where nurse = sexual harassment. Impersonation/costume etc is nothing new. I’m not dismissing what people are feeling, but wearing a nurse outfit doesn’t mean it’s fetishising nurses. It’s just a costume that fits with the lyrics of the song. That’s it.

 

[BBANGEL]

@dewzero your posts were actually really informative and made the context of the situation a lot clearer so I thank you for that, when I learned about the controversy I just imagined the media or the public trashing Jennie.

 

[dewzero]

But you also need some context here. It’s some female nurses. This is not a black and white argument where nurse = sexual harassment. Impersonation/costume etc is nothing new. I’m not dismissing what people are feeling, but wearing a nurse outfit doesn’t mean it’s fetishising nurses. It’s just a costume that fits with the lyrics of the song. That’s it.

Ddd come on now. What do you mean by some female nurses? It would've been different if this was the opinion of some nurses on social media that went viral, but this was an official statement issued by the union representing Korean health and medical workers. They didn't just put that out to endorse some voices. And the argument was never "nurse equals sexual harassment", that's a gross misinterpretation. The actual argument here is "the use of sexualized nurse costumes in K-pop music videos risks hampering ongoing efforts to fight sexual abuse against female nurses and healthcare workers in Korea." Impersonating and wearing costumes are indeed nothing new in music videos, but that doesn't automatically justify wearing impersonating anyone or wearing any costume either. YG and Blackpink are entitled to their artistic license, but they're not exempt from criticism for not reading the room. And you know Jennie is not wearing actual scrubs in the video. This is what nurses in Korea wear to work, like nurses anywhere else in the world. I'm gonna quote the union's statement again:

In the YG Entertainment group BLACKPINK’s “Lovesick Girls” music video that was released on October 2, one of the members appeared in a nurse’s outfit. The cap, tight and short skirt, and high heels are completely different from an actual nurse uniform. The outfit and portrayal directly imitate the typical sexual stereotype and excuse it as a simple “costume.”

The lyrics that play over the nurse-patient scene is "no doctor could help when I'm lovesick". Where does the nurse or the nurse costume even factor into the lyrics? YG could've had Jennie serve us a fabulous five-figure-salary psychiatrist look in head to toe Chanel. I guarantee you no one would've said anything about that. The "straightjacket" look and the glamourization of mental illness is a whole different issue altogether that other members have already brought up.

 

[collxtion]

Also, what about Mr Mr? Was there another video? @collxtion

Yes and no. The video was shot once, but during the editing process the footage allegedly became corrupted. They ended up having to go back and do extensive reshoots—basically half or more of the video if I understand correctly—which is why there are pictures (including some of the teasers) with hairstyles and outfits that are different from the final video.

Caused a bit of drama too because their delayed comeback had a cascade effect across the industry.


Topically, one of Taeyeon’s missing outfits was a nurse uniform.

 

[Salami]

Ddd come on now. What do you mean by some female nurses? It would've been different if this was the opinion of some nurses on social media that went viral, but this was an official statement issued by the union representing Korean health and medical workers. They didn't just put that out to endorse some voices. And the argument was never "nurse equals sexual harassment", that's a gross misinterpretation. The actual argument here is "the use of sexualized nurse costumes in K-pop music videos risks hampering ongoing efforts to fight sexual abuse against female nurses and healthcare workers in Korea." Impersonating and wearing costumes are indeed nothing new in music videos, but that doesn't automatically justify wearing impersonating anyone or wearing any costume either. YG and Blackpink are entitled to their artistic license, but they're not exempt from criticism for not reading the room. And you know Jennie is not wearing actual scrubs in the video. This is what nurses in Korea wear to work, like nurses anywhere else in the world. I'm gonna quote the union's statement again:

The lyrics that play over the nurse-patient scene is "no doctor could help when I'm lovesick". Where does the nurse or the nurse costume even factor into the lyrics? YG could've had Jennie serve us a fabulous five-figure-salary psychiatrist look in head to toe Chanel. I guarantee you no one would've said anything about that. The "straightjacket" look and the glamourization of mental illness is a whole different issue altogether that other members have already brought up.

Nobody is going to watch that video and think “I’m going to abuse a nurse because they’re all hot and I want to do that”. The two are not linked at all. This is on the same lines as kids shouldn’t play GTA because they’ll be tempted to go on a shooting rampage. Was there an increase in arson after Playing with Fire was released?

 

[elektroxx]

Crazy Over You makes me wet.

Give me some pan flute and I'll have no choice but to stan.

 

[dewzero]

Was there an increase in arson after Playing with Fire was released?

Since you're being willfully obtuse and have resorted to whataboutism to prove your point, I don't see the point in continuing this dialogue anymore. Be blessed!

 

[Salami]

Since you're being willfully obtuse and have resorted to whataboutism to prove your point, I don't see the point in continuing this dialogue anymore. Be blessed!

This isn’t what about anything, I’m being ridiculous to highlight how ridiculous this whole thing is.

 

[Dek]

wow

 

[bad karma]

I ended up buying the 3 versions of the album last night as well as the cassette as they had reduced signed bundles on their store... And I already had the shiny pink version on order with HMV so I’m happy to see that they could get to number 1!

I had only really dabbled in their music before Friday but I really love the album and have gone back through their discography as well.

Also fell down a rabbit hole on YouTube and learnt how iconic Jisoo is!

 

[Laurence]

Just a had a listen... I'm not a (K-Pop) fan or anything, I know a few songs like Kill This Love et all... But still decided to give 'em a stream.

Had a listen to The Album. OK. I see the appeal, it's all pretty basic I think? Is that pretty big in the genre or so? Or just now? Not sure how I'd compare it to more things I know or earlier stuff.

How You Like That is soooo weak though, ouch. Ice Cream too. I guess it's not for me. So that was a pretty bad start of The Album.
Moving on, the rest was pretty average.
But the Cardi track really lifted it all up. Wew. Love Sick Girls is fine too. Could it be better? Yes! But it's at least way better than what came before. And the final track is kinda cute too.

 

[He]

Just a had a listen... I'm not a (K-Pop) fan or anything, I know a few songs like Kill This Love et all... But still decided to give 'em a stream.

Had a listen to The Album. OK. I see the appeal, it's all pretty basic I think? Is that pretty big in the genre or so? Or just now? Not sure how I'd compare it to more things I know or earlier stuff.

How You Like That is soooo weak though, ouch. Ice Cream too. I guess it's not for me. So that was a pretty bad start of The Album.
Moving on, the rest was pretty average.
But the Cardi track really lifted it all up. Wew. Love Sick Girls is fine too. Could it be better? Yes! But it's at least way better than what came before. And the final track is kinda cute too.

K-pop is not a genre.