K-pop and cuteness

In this week’s reading “Global Imagination of K-pop: Pop music Fan’s Lived Experiences of Cultural Hybridity, ”Kyoon Yoon talked about “cute globalization” and “infantile capitalism” in k-pop. He explains that k- pop stars are presented as modest and cute; the soft image of idols contrasts with the sexualized hard image of western pop stars (383). Yoon argues that the purpose presenting k-pop idols as innocent is to “present k-pop as a non-threatening, pleasant package (384). This does two things, it helps negotiate globalization and it becomes a way to depoliticize k-pop consumer who remain in an infantile phase.

I think this k-pop cuteness does more than just capitalism. I think that for female k-pop artist the infantilization does depoliticizes them and takes their agency away. But for their male counterparts it does a completely different thing. K-pop is a cultural artifact that influences American culture,and vise versa, so it is interesting to see how k-pop male cuteness is reconceptualizing masculinities in pop culture and media in the West.