LogFAQs > #967465452

paerarru posted...

with this standard there's no solution but a hard line ban on minors (and good luck with that!)

i don't see what that's going to do, because you'd still have minors as trainees, subjected to largely the same environment, but without even the public oversight. also, you do not have to be a minor to be sexually exploited in the industry - take stellar, for example.

it depends on what we're identifying as the problem with minors in kpop, and for my part most of those are still labour issues, a lot of which are opaque and dependent on internal pressure. in some ways, there have been improvements on that front - there are curfews that weren't there before (though i'm sure companies have dodged those) and mental health breaks which are good for everyone, but that's beyond the scope of this discussion. what i can comment on is how they're marketed since that's forward facing, but that doesn't tell me what's going on beyond that. like, them doing creepy lolita shit with an mv doesn't tell me about their work conditions, but i do see criticism that over-conflates the issue. i think folks towing the company line of "it's a fan song! they want to bake cookies for their fans it's perfectly innocent no you're the pervert" are ridiculous, but i don't think "min heejin is a groomer! ban all minors" have much of a leg to stand on either. it's tricky, but being a minor doesn't make you automatically unable to handle the industry anymore than being of age makes you able to, so plenty to be done before just an outright ban on minors which, again, wouldn't do shit.

so back to the main thing which is sexual exploitation of minors, and that's not really about newjeans but the broader culture. bringing up yer taemins and hyunas is useful because a lot of newer fans like to look at a few groups now as a limited and unique phenomenon rather than something pervasive and ingrained, but as a defense it falls short because you also have idols who debuted as minors talking about issues they faced surrounding that. specifically i'm thinking about IU as an adult writing an album critiquing how she was sexualised as a minor, and the sheer amount of pushback she got for it. like, i get the frustration, "most disgusting thing in kpop" is not a great place to start a conversation (and misses the forest for the trees), but that doesn't mean there's nothing worth considering.

anyways, newjeans is mid, boring rnb, sounded like goddamn robots in that mnet itnw cover, the 14yos in my group can beat up their 14yos.

https://youtu.be/k9V6wQLs0Hk

and that's the rapper.