Chicken :cqlgusu:
Thinking about how kpop idols engage with their fandom, & something I've not realized before when I was a casual kpop fan without being deeply into a fandom.
The parasocial relationship that kpop idols have with their fandoms is really foreign to me.
I assume it's not just Stray Kids, it seems like a regular & expected thing.
When they get asked about romantic stuff, they talk about their relationship with their fandom. It's the main source of inspiration, main motivation etc
Chicken :cqlgusu:
As an Australian, this is so weird to me. We don't have that sort of accepted relationship between celebrities & their fans.
Sure there are obsessive & unhinged fans who have irrational & entitled beliefs. But there isn't a general expectation from the vast majority of fans that there will be any significant genuine relationship between a celebrity & their fans.
I don't know enough about the culture to understand whether the idol/fandom relationship is similar to wrestling kayfabe.
Chicken :cqlgusu:
As in, everyone knows it's not real, but it's fun to pretend, & in fact the game of pretending might be a big part of why people like it.
Or is it more genuine than that? Do kpop idols really believe some of the romantic stuff they say about their fandoms?
Obviously they must know that some of their fans can behave like entitled jerks sometimes, right?
Inoru
@lookitmychicken some of it is deeply genuine, because their fandoms *show up* for them. Some of it is definitely a level of please do not get More Crazy (used deliberately; some Korean fans are fucking unhinged in ways that are far less normalized in western fandom). And some of it is that a lot of contracts SK artists sign, at least initially (and I hope this is changing in the industry over there), have no dating clauses. Like, at all.
Chicken :cqlgusu:
@inoru_no_hoshi
I had thought that the no-dating clauses were a polite fiction.
As in: if you're an idol, date if you want. But for the love of heebus, do not let anyone find out.
If idols are genuinely not dating (& getting the emotional & physical intimacy that usually goes along with it), then it follows that they might:
- direct all those frustrated needs & desires towards their fandoms
- build more intense relationships with their fellow members (especially when they're all in a dorm)
Chicken :cqlgusu:
@lirazel
It feels so *wrong* that some people can call themselves fans while also wanting their supposed beloved idol to suffer.
How do they not see their own cruelty?
When I'm a fan of someone, I want every good thing to happen for them, including happy, healthy relationships of all kinds.
I want to believe that most people feel the same way. And the current horrible system is just a freakish aberration that's on the way out.
lirazel
@lookitmychicken That is VERY common in kpop and in fact it used to be even more common. It's actually chilled out quite a bit in the past few years.
In the early aughts and 2010s, idols literally could not date. Contractually, but also because of fandom backlash.
When the fandom found out that my boy Myungsoo was dating someone, the backlash was UGLY. Fansites shut down. And that was a common thing--that example is just the one I happened to see up close. (Will I ever forget the footage of him crying helplessly about being "thrown away"? No, I will not.)
Anyway, I think the "our fans are our motivation/inspiration" thing is partly genuinely and partly fanservice. But it is 100% expected.
Chicken :cqlgusu:
@inoru_no_hoshi I'm interested to know what tends to happen when a successful idol gets to the end of their contract.
Do they tend to renegotiate for more personal freedoms, lighter workloads, better financial outcomes, etc?
One of the reasons I find Stray Kids fascinating is the high level of creative control they've had. But they're still under dating bans, can't be open about some things, etc.
with their contract expiring next year, I'm full of curiosity to know what might happen.
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