K-Pop has enamoured the world with its perfect choreography, music and visuals. Its recent success has produced a narrative of 'toppling and challenging Asian stereotypes'. However, while it may have toppled certain stereotypes -- it also operates within them. The K in K-Pop ensures that it will always be different from mainstream Western Pop; it will always be an outsider - 'the other'.
Orientalism as discursive
Said’s adoption and application of Foucault’s discourse,* presents orientalism as discursive. This means that there is an active production and circulation of knowledge (literature, historical texts, travel narratives, fiction, etc.) that constructs and cements one’s perception of ‘the other’, or in Said’s Orientalism, of present-day Middle East. Anyone who views the Orient (Middle East), sees it through this orientalist lens (as exoticised, timeless, violent, savage, etc.) which often distorts the actual reality of those places and people. These discursively produced stereotypes become deeply embedded within the Western consciousness and often are exercised even without the person being aware. Said argues that it might even be impossible to see the Orient in any other way because the discourse has become so powerful that it is difficult to separate perception from reality.
Musical interactions between East Asia and the Western world
To better position ourselves for the purpose of this article, we will look at musical interactions between East Asia and the Western world* and how these interactions create a discourse that lends itself to a renewed interpretation and application of Orientalism.
When you think about East Asia, what are some of the first images that come to your mind? Is it the image of kimchi and ramen? Or flamboyant outfits, synchronised choreography and flawless skin? Or perhaps a cute (kawaii) anime character? Well then, you have your ‘Pop Orientalist’ glasses on. Your images and perceptions of East Asia (even though most might not even have visited it, or know people from there), have been subconsciously tailored by the bodies of knowledge (music industry, television and film, media, etc.) to present a uni-dimensional picture of East Asia and its culture.
Orientalist representations within Asia
Surprisingly, contrary to Said’s construction of Orientalism (where, by definition, Orientalist representations are created in the West), this filter of Orientalist stereotypes is largely sponsored by the K-Pop industry (within Korea).
The Korean music industry has to sell the stereotypes that the West is familiar and comfortable with, in order to get a footing in the Western music industry. This phenomenon of adopting the Orientalist representations and stereotypes and thereby perpetuating them is not uncommon. In fact, you will see this in several other industries too, including the massive Bollywood film industry. Entertainment companies are forced to create an exaggerated difference, stemming from exoticism, in order to succeed in the Western market. The mainstream dominance of Western popular culture creates an unequal power dynamic between American consumers and the international entertainment industry.
While it is probably easy to blame the K-Pop industry for being complicit in perpetuating Orientalist tropes, it is more important to understand and ask why is there a need for them to do that. Why is there a need for them to force their artists to live up to idealized Caucasian beauty standards, and have them produce music that is heavily influenced by American Pop music - with frequent inserts of English words and appropriation of African-American culture? Why is there a need to present artists as sweet and innocent, and sexualise them (outfits, choreographies, fan service, etc.)?
It is because most people in the West still have their Orientalist glasses on. The Orientalist discourse and stereotypes created over centuries are so deeply embedded in their consciousness, that K-Pop presents itself as an aid and relief to support their Orientalist world views. Often it becomes a means for the Western fans to escape their lives to a distant and ‘different’ land, where they hold the power and privilege to enter and exit the space, to fetishise the artists, and condone the toxic and abusive way that industry treats artists. When in fact, the dark side of the industry is sustained because of the very images and representations that they expect from K-Pop artists.
There is a discrepancy between the ‘Pop Orientalist’ representations and the more complex and diverse realities of East Asians and their cultures. So, the next time you watch a K-Pop video or catch yourself thinking of East Asians in a singular way, be critical of your perceptions and know that these are matured cultures that are much deeper than the Orientalist representations being fed to you. Being aware that the very reason you admire idols is because they have catered to western ideals and beliefs, and it becomes important to separate their stage personalities from their identities and cultures.
*It is hard to separate the East and West narrative in this article, given the nature of the topic. By West, we mean Europeans/Americans -- people who come from metropolitan culture
Image courtesy: Heart vector created by freepik - www.freepik.com
Sources:
Goto-Hirsig, Aya., 2018. K-Pop; Defying or Perpetuating Orientalist Stereotypes? Outstanding Student Work in Asian Studies. 5. https://soundideas.pugetsound.edu/asianstudiesstudents/5
Hiddleston, J. (n.d.). Foucault and Said: colonial discourse and Orientalism. Understanding Postcolonialism, 76–97. https://doi.org/10.1017/upo9781844654284.004
Kwon, E. J., 2017. Korean Wave: Discourse Analysis on K-pop in US and UK Digital Newspapers. MA Thesis, Radboud University.
Lim, S., 2020. How Korean boy band BTS toppled Asian stereotypes – and took America by storm. The Conversation. https://theconversation.com/how-korean-boy-band-bts-toppled-asian-stereotypes-and-took-america-by-storm-97596.
Said, E. W. (2019). Orientalism. Penguin Books.
The Current., 2020. K-Pop & Western Culture: A Critical Look at Hallyu. https://thecurrentmsu.com/2020/01/29/k-pop-western-culture-a-critical-look-at-hallyu/.
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