Evolution Of Hybrid Masculinity Of K-Pop Boy Groups And Its Influence In Asia

K-Pop groups have been capturing the hearts of music enthusiasts around the world with their stunning visual and stage presence. In particular, K-Pop boy groups attract fans by presenting hybrid masculinity – the coexistence of “hard masculinity” and “soft masculinity”.

Hard masculinity refers to traditional attributes of masculinity established by the society such as possessing a strong body build as well as a powerful and tough image. On the other hand, soft masculinity is a form of masculinity that encompasses characteristics opposite to the traditional definition of masculinity, such as being caring and compassionate, and possessing “pretty”, feminine appearances. Hybrid masculinity creates “banjeon maeryeok” (unexpected/reverse charm), which refers to a person who initially seems to have one type of personality or appearance, but at the same time shows a completely different side. K-Pop idols surprise fans with their contrasting images on stage and off stage, and this is one of the elements that makes K-Pop idols attractive to many fans.

Although K-Pop boy groups have been showcasing hybrid masculinity since the 1st-gen era in the late 1990s, the presentation of hybrid masculinity has been constantly evolving throughout the years. As the popularity of K-Pop continues to increase abroad, K-Pop boy group’s definition of masculinity is also influencing the image of boy groups from neighboring Asian countries and cities. Read on to explore how the hybrid masculinity of K-Pop boy groups has changed across generations, and in what ways it is shaping the beauty standard of recent boy groups in Asia.

 

1st-Gen (1996-2001): Navigating Between Manly and Boyish Concepts

The 1st-gen K-Pop scene was dominated by two boy groups: H.O.T and Sechskies. Both boy groups embodied hybrid masculinity in their styling and music, which made them gain immense popularity among teenage girls in Korea. H.O.T demonstrated their manly, powerful side in ‘I Yah’, where Moon HeeJun wore huge scissor hands, while Sechskies dressed in all black, warrior-like outfit in ‘Com’Back’ while dancing to the punchy and powerful music, showing the aggressive quality of traditional masculinity.

At the same time, both groups also presented their soft, boyish side by releasing bright concept songs. H.O.T members put paint on their faces and wore oversized colorful outfits and gloves in the sweet bubblegum pop ‘Candy’. Sechskies also wore warm color furry clothes in the winter romance track ‘Couple’, and Kang SungHoon wore a school bag in the music shows live performances. Both songs showed a cute and lovely image of the two groups, which is one of the qualities of soft masculinity.

However, regardless of the concepts they tried, the members all wore simple make-up that they almost appeared bare-faced. Their stage outfits were also covered-up and oversized, which did not reveal their body shape. This is mainly because Korean society was still conservative about gender roles in the late 90s. Broadcast stations such as SBS and KBS set up strict rules on the outfits and appearance of celebrities, and male artists were banned or discouraged from wearing revealing outfits and putting on make-up. Therefore, despite showing some traits of soft masculinity, 1st-gen K-Pop boy groups largely possessed a relatively masculine image in order to fit into Korean society’s gender norms.

 

2nd-3rd Gen (2001-2016): The Advent of Transgender Masculinity and “Jimseungdol”

Upon entering the 21st century, Korean broadcast stations started to loosen their restrictions on the outfits and appearances of celebrities as Korean society became more open to gender expression. This led to the feminization of male K-Pop idols starting from the mid-2000s. In particular, there was a huge trend of transgender role-playing practices among K-Pop idol groups in 2009. Several boy groups such as SUPER JUNIOR, SHINee, and 2PM wore wigs and miniskirts to cover girl group songs in game shows, music programs, and year-end music festivals. These transgender parodies remained popular throughout the 2nd and 3rd-gen era.

Moreover, with the debut of boy groups with youthful and bright concepts such as SHINee and B1A4, boy groups also became infantilized. Male idols became more willing to show their cute side in variety shows, and they would do aegyo (acting cute) for fans, which was traditionally considered something that only young girls would perform. For example, SHINee’s Onew sang the ‘Fighting Song’ in the variety show “Kids’ Re-creation”, where there was a line “Noona, himneseyo” (Hang in there, older sister). This embodied the traits of soft masculinity as he showed a child-like, pure “yeonhanam” (younger man) boyfriend image that made older female fans want to protect and take care of him.

On the other hand, 2nd and 3rd-gen saw the debut of “jimseungdol” such as 2PM, BEAST, and MBLAQ, which are boy groups that embody “beast-like” images. They demonstrated traits of hard masculinity such as possessing masculine body shape, wearing dark-colored make-up, and dancing to wild, powerful choreography. They would wear more slim-cutting and revealing outfits to show their masculine bodies. 2PM Taecyeon even tore his shirt off in one of the live performances of ‘Heartbeat’. Apart from the loosening restrictions on outfits, the formation of “jimseungdol” was also caused by the expansion of women’s right to express their sexual desire in Korean society, which made male body become a commodity in the K-Pop industry.

The rise of “yeonhanam” and “jimseungdol” boy groups shows that hybrid masculinity of K-Pop boy groups became more diverse during the 2nd and 3rd-gen period. K-Pop boy groups not only showcase soft and hard masculinity through their music and outfits, but also with their actions and physical bodies.

 

4th-5th Gen (2017-now): Moving Towards Extreme And Diverse Hybrid Masculinity

Starting from the 4th-gen era, more K-Pop boy groups began to demonstrate more extreme and diverse forms of hybrid masculinity by possessing very soft and very hyper-masculine features at the same time. In terms of appearance, many male idols demonstrate a “flower boy” image by wearing feminine make-up with red lips, light-colored hair and eye shadow, wearing colored-contact lenses, and having clear white skin. Under their pretty faces, they possess a masculine body with defined abs, wide shoulders, and huge biceps on a slim, adolescent-like body. The stage outfits of male idols have also become more revealing in this era as more male idols are wearing crop tops and sleeveless clothes that reveal their abs and arms to show off their manly bodies.

In terms of actions, K-Pop boy groups nowadays tend to present a pure “yeonhanam” boyfriend image character, while showing their masculine bodies. For example, many male idols such as BOYNEXTDOOR’s Myung JaeHyun often address fans as “noona” during live streams, which creates an image of a cute little brother. They also release selfie photocards doing cute gestures or holding objects like plushies, and do “aegyo” and show a gentle and caring personality during video calls with fans. By performing these child-like and lovely actions, 4th and 5th-gen K-Pop boy groups show an even more feminine and infantilized image compared to their predecessors, and attract fans by giving them a feeling as if they are dating the members.

While at the same time, recent K-Pop boy group members demonstrate their manly side by showing their masculine physical attributes. For example, CRAVITY’s SeRim showed off his biceps in “Weekly Idol”, and had arm wrestling with one of the MCs Heo KyungHwan; ATEEZ’s JongHo performed breaking apples with bare hands while singing in various occasions, and ZEROBASEONE’s Kim JiWoong tore off his shirt and revealed his abs during the group’s world tour in Seoul. All these actions demonstrate the strength and toughness of traditional masculinity.

Hybrid masculinity also comes in a more extreme form of expression in the music of K-Pop boy groups as some of them combine both kinds of masculinity in one song. For example, ASTRO presented a pretty flower boy image by dressing in pink, silky outfits and wearing pink eye shadow in ‘All Night’ live performances. Some of the members even dyed their hair into feminine colors such as pink, orange, and purple, which further brought out the soft masculinity of the group. However, the choreography incorporated powerful moves such as flipping and punching, which gave out manly charm.

“Pirate boy group” ATEEZ often release songs with powerful concepts and wear outfits that reveal their masculine bodies. However, the members would wear feminine make-up while performing these songs. For example, San and SeongHwa wore pink eye shadow and lipstick during live performances of ‘Fireworks (I’m The One)’. This extreme form of “banjeonmaeryeok” of possessing traits of both very soft and very hard masculinity is now a mainstream beauty standard that many K-Pop boy groups nowadays follow.

 

Hybrid Masculinity of Boy Groups Beyond Korea

With the increasing popularity of K-Pop overseas, many boy groups from various Asian cities and countries are also following K-Pop boy groups’ ways of performing hybrid masculinity. Flower boy appearance plus masculine body has become a common beauty standard of male idols in many Asian places such as Anson Lo from Hong Kong boy group MIRROR, Justin from Filipino boy group SB19, and Cai XuKun from Mainland Chinese boy group NINE PERCENT. All of them possess flower boy appearance and wear feminine make-up, while having slim yet masculine bodies similar to K-Pop boy group members.

Asian boy groups also present hybrid masculinity through their music and styling. For example, Taiwanese boy group Ozone demonstrated extreme hybrid masculinity similar to K-Pop boy groups in their new song ‘New Moon’. The members put on modernized Chinese traditional costumes and make-up with warm-color tones in the music video, which showcase their soft and gentle side in line with the ancient concept of the song. At the same time, the slim-cutting and sleeveless outfit reveals the masculine bodies of the members. The coexistence of extremely feminine and masculine features is now becoming a common trend among boy groups in Asia.

In conclusion, hybrid masculinity has existed since the 1st-gen era as K-Pop boy groups demonstrated both traits of soft and hard masculinity through their music and styling. However, as Korean society becomes more open with gender roles starting from the 21st century, the expression of hybrid masculinity has become more extreme and diverse. In the 2nd and 3rd-gen eras, male idols started showing feminine and child-like traits by performing transgender parodies and doing “aegyo”. Two kinds of boy groups, which are cute and pure “yeonhanam” boy groups, and sexy and mature “jimseungdol” boy groups, began to emerge.

In the 4th and 5th-gen periods, the presentation of hybrid masculinity has become more extreme and diverse, in that male idols demonstrate traits of very soft and hard masculinity at the same time through their physical appearance, outfits, actions, and music. This extreme form of hybrid masculinity has also influenced the beauty standard outside of Korea in recent years as boy groups in various Asian countries and cities are also showing attributes of hybrid masculinity similar to K-Pop boy groups. As the expression of masculinity becomes more complex and diverse, it is interesting to see how K-Pop boy groups are going to define masculinity and shape the beauty standard in Korea and abroad in the future.

Do you think that K-Pop boy groups will continue to move towards a more extreme presentation of masculinity, and are K-Pop boy groups influencing the beauty standard of men in your country? Let us know in the comment below!