When K-Pop Flirts with Queer Baiting
By Judy Bokao
K-pop is no longer a new concept in the global entertainment industry. This music genre from South Korea has taken over, with millions of fans worldwide. Several factors make the K-pop genre unique, from catchy tunes, to attractive idols, and dazzling performances by musicians talented in dance, vocals, or rap. As the influence of K-pop continues to expand, the industry has come under scrutiny, especially with the rise of the controversial queer-baiting marketing strategy designed to leverage queer culture for profits without explicitly or authentically representing the culture.
Queer baiting in the K-pop industry is manifested in various contexts. For instance, the queer community is applauded for its love for unconventional gender-fluid fashion. Usually, k-pop male idols dress in skirts, crop tops, and fishnets during music videos and live shows or concerts, while women dress up in oversized shirts, trousers, and suits. Moreover, male idols are unafraid to tap into their feminine side through make-up, including lipstick, eye shadow, eyeliner, and hairstyles that enhance their gender-fluid images.
Most stage performances provide opportunities for these idols to display intimate interactions between members of the same gender, which are most times scripted. For instance, if you go on YouTube and search “the gayest moments in K-pop,” you will come across several videos with millions of views dedicated to these queer representations of idol interactions. These companies use fan services to promote the shipping of group members and entertain the fans by pairing idols in fictional relationships. The flirtatious moments shared by these idols excite the queer community and ally fans who follow their content online as they enjoy imagining that the relationship between these idols is genuine.
What is the appeal of queer baiting in the K-pop industry? South Korea has remained a largely conservative society concerning the representation of LGBTQ+ rights. Therefore, these entertainment companies use queer baiting to appeal to LGBTQ+ culture all over the world without making political or social statements that may harm their domestic market. The globalization of K-pop pushes these groups to find ways to provide their diverse fans with inclusive content, especially fans from Western countries, which are more progressive when it comes to queer representation. Through queer baiting, the companies can cater to the demand for the representation of the queer community without confirming their stand on LGBTQ+ rights.
It is easy to sell queer baiting in the K-pop industry, mainly due to the appeal of soft masculinity. Also, the nature of how K-pop groups are formed breeds speculations of queerness due to the members’ close and intimate interactions. Members of K-pop groups spend every moment of their time together during training and living in dorms. After their debut, they stay together to promote their music and shoot YouTube documentaries or reality shows. They are seen cooking together, playing video games, chatting, and goofing around in the houses and music sets.
As a result, they develop affectionate relationships, creating ships like Taekook of BTS, Chanbaek of EXO, Jensoo from Blackpink, NaJeong of Twice, or TaeTen from NCT, among others. The queer community, often starved for representation in the entertainment industry, eats this up and reads too much into these friendships, thinking of them as more than friends. In most cases, these ‘fans’ use casual interaction videos with millions of views as “proof” that these relationships are real on YouTube and other social media platforms.
It would also be helpful if the fans stopped making these claims to romantically ship these idols. At the end of the day, it is not healthy and, as we have mentioned before, celebrities don’t have to publicly come out. It is also wrong and invasive to assume someone’s sexuality whether they are famous or not.
The international influence of the K-pop industry proves that the genre is no longer a niche, but a mainstream sector. This shows that the industry has the power to make a positive impact in the campaign for LGBTQ+ authentic representation if it moves away from queerbaiting and chooses to make meaningful change
About the Author
Judy Bokao is 20 years old and was born in Ethiopia but relocated to Nairobi two years ago. She is passionate about everyone having equal rights and is also big on conservation and speaking up for our planet. Judy loves reading and photography and is just a free-spirited young lady trying to grow into a woman her mom can be proud of.
