Advertising and the Feminisation of Men in Korea
SC2214 Assignment
Advertising and the Feminisation of Men in Korea.
Introduction – The Situation in Korea
The traditional criteria for male attractiveness seemed to be the inverse-triangle shaped body, muscles, broad shoulders and a sculpted face. These are all indicators of high levels of testosterone, and would be desirable according to evolutionary psychology. Then the advent of the metrosexual man broke a new frontier, making it acceptable for men to care about their appearance. However, there is now a new criteria for male beauty that is completely different, and some attractive men now look like women. Ren a member of a newly launched Kpop group NU’EST, for example, has often been mistaken for a girl, and he is in fact praised for this femininity. He is not the only one, with Taemin from Shinee and Dongho from U-Kiss have also been said to be ‘prettier than a girl’. There has even been a term coined for men like this - Kkotminam (꽃미남), or “Flower Boys”.
Furthermore, there are certain trends in the Korean entertainment industry that were once the sole custody of females – jewelry, for example. The wearing of multiple ornaments seems largely a feminine practice that has been adopted by male idols in Korea. In addition, Korean idols and actors now frequently endorse cosmetics and skincare brands. For instance, Shinee now fronts a campaign for Etude House, Kim Hyun Joong smiles for The Face Shop and Song Joong Ki is the face of Tony Moly. The fact that they now dominate a space traditionally occupied by women indicates that the industry is choosing to market their products in a very specific way, as well as the fact that there seems to be a loosening of the ideals that constitute male beauty. Shinee endorsing Etude House – including lipsticks, mascaras, etc. |
But not only are the male idols in Korea expected to look more feminine, they are in a way forced to behave more femininely as well. Male idols are routinely asked to perform dances belonging to
Advertising and the Feminisation of Men in Korea.
Introduction – The Situation in Korea
The traditional criteria for male attractiveness seemed to be the inverse-triangle shaped body, muscles, broad shoulders and a sculpted face. These are all indicators of high levels of testosterone, and would be desirable according to evolutionary psychology. Then the advent of the metrosexual man broke a new frontier, making it acceptable for men to care about their appearance. However, there is now a new criteria for male beauty that is completely different, and some attractive men now look like women. Ren a member of a newly launched Kpop group NU’EST, for example, has often been mistaken for a girl, and he is in fact praised for this femininity. He is not the only one, with Taemin from Shinee and Dongho from U-Kiss have also been said to be ‘prettier than a girl’. There has even been a term coined for men like this - Kkotminam (꽃미남), or “Flower Boys”.
Furthermore, there are certain trends in the Korean entertainment industry that were once the sole custody of females – jewelry, for example. The wearing of multiple ornaments seems largely a feminine practice that has been adopted by male idols in Korea. In addition, Korean idols and actors now frequently endorse cosmetics and skincare brands. For instance, Shinee now fronts a campaign for Etude House, Kim Hyun Joong smiles for The Face Shop and Song Joong Ki is the face of Tony Moly. The fact that they now dominate a space traditionally occupied by women indicates that the industry is choosing to market their products in a very specific way, as well as the fact that there seems to be a loosening of the ideals that constitute male beauty. Shinee endorsing Etude House – including lipsticks, mascaras, etc. |
But not only are the male idols in Korea expected to look more feminine, they are in a way forced to behave more femininely as well. Male idols are routinely asked to perform dances belonging to