That was actually a sentence my sister once said when we were talking about feminism and "girl bosses" haha And after that, I just had to include it in this video. I sent her a screenshot of your comment, she was really happy someone pointed it out haha
The stereotypical "strong female character" is often condescending, overly confident and rude towards others to constantly show her superiority. It really fits their personas perfectly.
Not to mention the stereotypical strong female as she is portrayed in most media is just insulting. Like her whole existence is defined by not being a man and being 'better' than them. To make a female look good they always have to actively bash and put down all the men in a 10 mile radius. Like... is that all we are? Is the only way to lift up women to put down men? Cause that seems counterintuitive. Unfortunately we often get a 1 dimensional caricature lacking any real substance. It's sad because it doesn't give young girls anything to look up to or learn from. Something else I really hate is how if you say anything negative, in this case about blackpink, people are so quick to hit you with the 'you're just jealous' or 'misogyny' card. But to suggest that women aren't flawed is a flaw in and of itself, we're human of course we have flaws. Like what kind of message is this 'perfect' image even sending to young girls. To me it's just perpetuating the idea that they have to have the perfect body and face, be multi talented, have the perfect personality, be wealthy and famous etc. etc. and isn't this just recycling the same ideas and values that once held women down, under the false pretence of being 'a strong independent female'?
@@notaspeck6104 But shitting on men is exactly what antis are saying BP isn't doing tho. That men make their music. That they cater to the "male gaze." That they don't uplift women enough (which in their heads mean to put men down). It's funny cos the gist of the 'feminism' argument is basically that BP isn't feminist enough. A circular argument. Illogical. Look at how contradictory your comment and the OP's comment is and yet cos there is no logic behind the 'feminist argument' both of u are bounded in agreement simply by a distaste for BP. That's your feminism.
@@notaspeck6104young girls dont wanna be twice or red velvet, they wanna be blackpink. It doesnt matter if twice is kind or red velvet is mature, girls wanna be cool like blackpink. Do you get it?
Nah 😂... lol... You wouldn't say this to or about a male. You guys are just misogynistic and scared of women. God forbid we..... do whatever the hell we want. 😂😂😂
In terms of women empowerment I guess mamamoo's songs like 'yes i am' and 'wannabe myself' and 'hip' goes way better and musically appealing as well .....❤
exactly. They don't put down other women in favour of male attention, but they bring women by telling them to do whatever they wanna do. Another group that is like that is G-idle
@@helloello8343 yh I agree. Except I don't like the fact that for itzy it's a concept. The Mamamoo members weren't conventionally pretty, people told them they would fail, but they learnt to love themsleves. G-idle soyeon got dragged online as a 16 year old because of her looks. She's battled with opposition because she's female and a producer, so that's why she writes their own songs. Itzy believe in loving themselves don't get me wrong, but they don't write and are not actively part of the creative process (to my knowledge, feel free to correct me), so it's more of a concept. However their music regardless is empowering and motivating for ALL women, so I do think It's a step in the right direction for them. Gradually, they will write their own songs, expressing emotions they actually feel. It's just a matter of time for them really.
Rarely has anyone made any new points about blackpink misogyny that’s new to me because I’ve heard it all (and this isn’t to say I disagree with them) but you pointing out the choreography actually brought my jaw to the floor. The dog on a leash move legitimately surprised me.
Thank you so much, that makes me so happy to hear haha I find it weird how no one seemed to have noticed their dance moves and what these tell us about the message of a song
@@wandering_thoughtsLike no other group have choreography in which girls dancer in floor?? In Maria by HWASA , HWASA in middle and dancer are in position like offering what this me she saying she is god and every one should warships her. If you can going to judge every group by choreography or by 2 line of song without full content.
@@tingle2323 problematic or they are not your bais, every body have their bais and their not your that ok , you don't need to cherry pick everything, like in choreography most of group have some same move then listen to a song in which which they talking about how their partner cheated on them for same type of girl o they talking bad about other girls, if you don't like then why spend so much energy to make them down just go and support your bais, in my comment i already mention most of groups have that kind of choreography, and the song if you read all the lyrics then you get some content , then if you reserch about about details like most people like to do for their bias group then you will understand Easter eggs.
Yeah maybe :/ There is a really well done video by @i-spy9601 that talks about the self-inserting a lot of Blinks do th-cam.com/video/uxpOmcqm7lw/w-d-xo.html
Definitely, another example is Wonyoung Stans, she a pretty girl they cling onto her as if they are Woon, they get so offended over the slightest things, and they give beauty tips but don’t even use their own faces, like these people gotta be 12-13
@@yuhziliamore like the other way around... I have never seen a wonyoung stan being a mean girl on purpose to "be like wonyoung" but many of them self insert themselves as other ive members to make Wonyoung the bully/villain. There was a whole era where people (who didnt even like IVE) suddenly cared about Gaeul and praised her for anything obviously also adding some shade to Wonyoung while at it. Or the whole kitsch "controversy" where the only reason they talked about IVE was to complain about 'Poor Liz' and evil wonyoung and starship's favoritism (again, people who are not even fans of the group and do not know Liz is one of the members with more lines)
Interesting how Most Blinks don't even engage in Kpopies... good sign that Blinks are most Normal fandom out there... Armys are literally Half fans and Half Lustful minors... Proof is the fact that after Paris revelation and Jennie's Instagram post confirmation... she's getting most hate... while Blinks are supporting Tae... understand that BP definitely spreads a western concept of Women empowerment, but that's not what Blinks see... I have dedicated my whole childhood to become a Doctor, and Now that I've cracked Toughest exams of the world, NEET-UG... My rank was 5095/ out of 17,00,000 students and somehow I can relate to How each of BP members feel about how a part of them regrets missing out life, or wondering was it worth it or will it be worth it... but then recieving love and Respect is what Pushes us in our own ways... BP is way realistic, compared to Company Dolls, that usually gets lost as new groups arise... BP is gonna live in hearts of so much fans, because some of us feel like in Trainee days of BP, totally lost in making names, some of us feel confused like after fame, and some of us have matured and Live ecstatic life regardless of any negativity, and smile before sleep... I wish you could comment in Bp-blink relationship, if you are one .. and not just for the purpose of fulfilling your egos...
They revolutionated the girl idol image. They exported Kardashians method to K-Pop and made girl groups to focus in being influencers and models before singing or put together a good show. They are famous for being famous, they do the basic or bare minimun and demand to be workshiped for it. That does not denny their talent but it is a shame new groups rush to follow their steps, flashy MVs, "badass" looking songs (not necesary real badass lyrics or music) and visual over being able to sing your own music. They are a model group that happens to sing from time to time and I am afraif many groups are debuting with that goal on mind.
Yeah, you're most of new group already focusing on modeling. And some of have big brand deals. And mostly 4 generation group following bp foot steps. Then someone ask who is 4 generation music group i definitely can say it's aespa. Because we know they come from SM who first priority always their music then other things. I can say they're balanced group right now in 4 generation. But it's the only group in 4 generation who gets title of coping BP. Just because having 4 members. I bet SM just focus on them Little bit aespa definitely can stand in 4 generation with strong discography. And they also have brand deals which all SM idols gets but still focus on music. It's the bad things with YG their first priority is not music. That's why after getting great start in music their group but coming in middle or end of group contract they become something which they never wished at first place.
@@belaytriks hybe boy group are only focused on music not girl group (well they just have 2 group who litterly didn't look like main focus is music.) And about aespa. Well i said because SM group always know for their music still become popular in other aspects. I didn't use aespa because they're aespa i choose because they're from SM. And having like 30 songs they're already become more versitile group in 4 generation with great quality of music. That's what I'm saying they're definitely looking music group because they're from SM.
@@try_best Aespa is following SM model and in general I like it. But I do not feel inclined to follow them. Oh! And I erased the comment because I was ranting.. 😅 Ok. To give context. Hybe groups are still focusing on music but the CEO have stated they want the Next BP. And with SoMu new group they gailled because the not so clean image of some members. And they more or less managed with their new group but people noticed their company is paying for a lot of their fast growing popularity. I was mentioning that I feel 4th generation groups are lacking the creation of a cohesive image (for Aespa are the neon/pastel colors and the psychodelic images) and characteristic sound (for me Aespa has that till its last comeback NingNig and Winter voices gave their music a cool touch).
@@belaytriks well let's wait where hybe new girl group end. Because both le serrifim and new jeans are popular. But they're truly how much popular still no one know expect hybe. So let's just wait for 2-3 year. Because now judging them that fast is wrong.
Imply that they are basically nothing and then probably blabber about just "criticising them". Hot take but nobody demanded to be worshipped for nothing and you're belittling all their hardwork and success. You're an asshole...and better deal with it.
Yikes! I didn't realize how a lot of these lyrics came across as egotistic and superiority. Those are definitely not traits that I stand for and the fact that I have loved Blackpink for years makes me question why I was so blind to these problematic qualities.
I've just posted a comment from the perspective of a Blink that might help you understand another point of view other than the one presented in this video.
Are you ready? Reality is that the "toxic kpop beauty standards" are not beauty standards..... They are BUSINESS standards. Kpop companies are NOT dumb. They know wut they sell and how to sell it. Kpop fans: omg I hate the toxic beauty standard Also kpop fans: omg blackpink(the living embodiment of the toxic standard) is my favorite queens!!!
When i first listened to them , i really shocked . I was like they literally mocking n how their fans accepted it. I thought they have only male fans, but no , girls who love them n defend them like, they are fighters n fighting for their life. N these fans there to protect them. Like wtf. I never seen anything talent in them apart from glory. I heard Jennie singing live, i couldn't believe people have no guts to tell, she singing wrong.
What I've also noticed over the last 3 years. Is how exclusive Blackpink sells themself. For example, all four solo albums have only 2 songs. Yet it sells for the same price as other solo albums by other idols that have 6-8 songs on it. And the fans buy and celebrate the albums like crazy to set some new records instead of just saying that a CD with 6 min running time and paper is not worth the money. And the best thing as far as I know (please correct me if I'm wrong) is that no one else is doing it. Like the fans act if the album and the mv is not about the music style, but how much they sold how many views they got. Cause Blackpink has to be on top. They are queens, they are seen as the best by their fans. Or the Born Pink tickets. Blinks have celebrated that Blackpink is the GG with the most revenue. But no one ever commented that it was because the tickets were clearly way too expensive. But it doesn't matter, the Queens make money and show it to the haters. I'm sorry if my comment was a bit brutal and on the angry side, but since many Blinks belong to the younger side. It just makes me angry how this quick money with low effort is used to pull young people so much money out of their pockets. And still be able to market as high value shit. At some point beeing a Blinks will become a privilege, because some people will not be able to afford it.
Los precios de las entradas nisiquiera las pone la empresa 😂, los ponen los organizadores de los conciertos de cada país, y se guían en la demanda que hay por ellas, investiga antes de hablar
Talvez devesses ler sobre o assunto. Os artistas recebem uma taxa fixa. A empresa lucra com os concertos e, por isso, ignora o problema ou apoia-o, pois só é positivo para eles. Os grandes artistas ficam normalmente com cerca de 1/3 das receitas. Para além disso, as empresas ganham muito dinheiro. E o senhor faz parte do problema, em vez de o resolver, goza com o meu comentário noutra língua, em vez de lhe responder de forma razoável em inglês e de me escrever a dizer que falhei um ponto no meu comentário. Acho que se eu gozar com o seu comentário numa língua estrangeira, também vai achar que é estúpido. Se o seu argumento não fosso tão condescendente, concordaria consigo.
Recently, SUGA, or AgustD, broke a record for his album. Blinks tried to say it was Lisa who won it. Lisa's "album" wasn't even an album. It was by all technicality points, an EP. Even Spotify, where the record was made (I think), Recognizes it as a an EP. Most of their "albums" as actually EP's which really throws me off.
@@namjooning1017 honestly there should be rules on when to name an album an album. Like ar this point it is rude to all artist who put the time and work in it to make a reall album.
(I personally would add debut itzy as well but that's not important) you're totally right and it's crazy because those two groups don't have as much deals, attention and popularity as black pink when they most definitely deserve it but since blackpink if from a very wealthy and popular company they have it.
Oh my my!!! You and your ability to put your pov out there without actually "dragging" someone is so on point... I do respect these 4 women as artists, I respect their struggle and hardwork, but that's about it... When I initially got into k pop, blackpink was one of the first groups I had listened to, and at that point of time I did like it, coz my perecption of K pop in the first 1-2 week of me listening to it was that, its just another fun peppy genre of music... But as I delved deeper into the lyrics of a few other groups, what they stand for, the kind of message they promote, the kind of music they produce, blackpink somehow just took the back seat for me... Also, not to bring my culture into this comment, but there was this huge controversy regarding the How You Like That MV, where Lisa was sitting and rapping infront of Lord Ganesha's idol, There were so many thing wrong with that certain part of the mv and all the co. Did was just edit that part out from the original mv, no apologies nothing.... I won't delve too deep into how disgusting this entire act was, but talking about the artist in the frame, Lisa, she comes from thailand, and as much as I'm aware of the thai culture a lot of people from that country are religious too, they have numerous temples, even a few one's with hindu deities.... Even if Lisa didn't come from a very religious background, or she might have, I have no idea... she must have seen atleast a few religious people around her... she was well aware of the fact, how it would hurt the religious sentiments so many fans of her, yet she did what she had to.... This exactly where my issue with blackpink lies, they're there to enjoy the fame, the lifestyle, the love they get, but are never ready to take responisiblity for their actions... We're all humans, We're all flawed, No one's perfect, we make mistakes all the damn time, but most of us would apologize for our mistakes, we'd be held responsible for the things we do, but the co. That manages these 4 women, not they themselves are every ready to take over that responsibility.... And do not even get me started over the entire "psuedo feminist" idea they preach (yes, it in my eyes in psuedo feminism, feminism is an ideology, and all of us can perceive it the way we want to) A lot of western artist are called out mutliple times because of the generic topics they mostly base their lyrics on, the same old, love, sex, money...... Yet, most of these artist do have atleast a few songs in their discographies, that delves deeper into their feelings, or their perception of life, something more meaningful.... With blackpink being one of the biggest names in the kpop industry, I hardly find them ever being "real" with their fans, either be it through their music, or through their interactions.... I honestly have no idea about how much freedom they do have, when it comes to their music, but their music just doesn't have that "life" in it.... Its shallow.... its catchy for sure, I still listen to them once in a while, but will I ever connect to them or their music as an artist, I don't think so... Until n unless their music goes through a complete transformation (which I highly doubt it will) I don't think I'd be able to relate to their music, which for me is the essence of it... As someone who has not only learnt music for years, but has been connected to it beyond just being a "fan" of any artist.... I don't think blackpink's music is something I'd go back and listen to over n over, throughout my life.... Aslo, I do understand that kpop does promote these idols as a full package, where they're much more beyond being just singers, or dancers, or songwriters.... Yet we all would have to agree that music is the crux of it, those songs, their meaning, the lyrics, the music, that is the main focus and everything else is just an icing on it.... But blackpink music, is more about their visuals, their mv sets, their outfits, basically everthing else but the actual song...😅
I completely agree! Thank you for taking time to write down your thoughts🥰 and also thank you for bringing up this controversy :/ it's a shame that these things happen again and again with them and no apology is made and no growth is shown.
Wow no sabía que las miembros de blackpink se encargaban de hacer lo videos musicales 🤡... Ellas no tienen porque disculparse, es la empresa la que lo debe hacer PORQUE LA EMPRESA ES QUIÉN SE ENCARGA DE LOS VIDEOS MUSICALES. Como sea quieren odiar a blackpink 😂
@@Churritos978 and I still wouldn't be scared of putting forward my opinion, coz at the end of the day, its just an opinion, its not the end of the world.
I'm so glad that I came across your channel today. To be honest when I first got into kpop, I've only known BTS but I thought to give other groups a listen. Blackpink was one of them. I liked some of their songs because they were catchy but as a person who loves to what is the message behind the music/lyrics all I got is MONEY, FAME, I'M BOSS B and they call it women empowerment?!! Women empowerment is respecting their choices, giving the opportunities women deserve, having equal rights as men, not something like I'm superior because I'm rich and you're inferior because you're poor. I saw many Blinks blaming their labels for not giving them artistic freedom, like gurl....they can have their artistic freedom if they really want to, they are influential enough to stand for their rights for writing their own music only if they're passionate about it. After their hiatus of 2 years, they don't even feel like a group anymore, they feel like four influencers making a collab for music. And Don't get me started when it comes to fans, mostly half of the fans of this group are either teens or people in their early 20s and sharing messages like I'm pretty and look at you, you're gonna come to me anyways leaves really bad effect on their teen fans like If I'm pretty I can get everything I want, if I'm skinny I will be more pretty and try to follow their diets to look like them which is very unhealthy and cause eating disorders. QUEENS OF KPOP?!! They have only 37 songs in their discography including their solos and 80% of the songs talk about money, fame, diamonds, pretty face and what not. They can't even be called Artists, they are IDOLS. They promise women empowerment and sings the songs written by men, dunny isn't it. Their marketing strategy for the west was literally being the female equivalent of BTS which as an ARMY and a female I find to be offensive and confusing because you don't have to compare yourself or make yourself a “female" version of any thing just to fit into something. If I go to write about them, I can write the whole essay but let's just stop here✌️💜
I would not consider them neither idols or maybe they are except Jennie that has left clear is not interested anymore. An Idol by definition is a role model for teens and children that promotes Korean values, are embassadors of Korean culture and cheerleaders for Korean youth. That is the reason behind the inocent and clean image that an idol should mantain while being idols. It is a job requirement and one supported by the Korean goverment. Jenni using a bralet and twerking on a concert is her saying that does not care that teens and children have a role model that twerks in public. That is not Korean standard. It is not about her being an adult, it is all to do with her public target: children and teens and the values she is projecting: Korea. The rest I think are fine with the title but the mess in their first concert contradicts a lot of Korean values like: hardwork, teamwork, respect to your fans, deliver value in your work and practice as a way to perfection. If rumours are truth the only one that actually cared to do the rehersal was actually Lisa, the thai girl was the one to live to the Korean standars and therefort the idol image. So I would call it an idol doing a collaboration with some influencers.
SOOOOOO TRUEEEEEEE. BRO YOU CAN'T BE MORE RIGHT. The blame that the blinks give to yg is just so meaningless. And also one thing, i don't believe that blinks actually stan blackpink for their music, its everything except music.
OK, but why doesn't this channel have more views??? So glad youtube recommended me one of your videos) You are def one of the best k-pop themed essay creators!
genuinely one of the best kpop essays ive seen. i personally had many opinions about the "female empowerment" marketed by bp and yg, but there were so many points here that i didnt think of and i LOVE that. subscribed and please keep making more essays (as long as youre free and able to ofc!)
I honestly felt crazy because i felt only I was feeling something extremely off with the lyrics. It's like an echo chamber where one praises themselves and fans reflect that back. It promotes toxic positivity where basically no one criticized BP to innovate and move on from the girl boss image and now they are stuck on it. This also reflects in their pink venom tour where they seem like a newly debuted group when they are 3rd gens. It's just sad that the fans are not able to grow up with them.
"All of these girls on some uppercase shit That mean they all cap" "I'm not like these other girls at all" Just bp reinforcing that they're different, richer, and better again...
I once wrote a comment, saying that I really appreciated Yunjin’s “I≠DOLL” for being truly empowering under a video that was also talking about Blackpink’s songs messages and I had to take the comment down. I was bombarded with hate replies from Blinks, which truly showcases how deaf some people can be (the video was mostly mentioning the lyrics of Typa Girl). When it comes to empowerment, I think the obvious answer would be Mamamoo - these 4 women are the embodiment of empowering message - no matter if you like to expose your skin or not, we as women should be allowed to do whatever we’re comfortable with. But I also found empowerment with Le Sserafim, which works very well for younger audiences. The members are all empowering themselves and the way they act is their testimony. Even Eunchae’s Star Diary can be seen as empowering, as this young introverted teen slowly gets over her awkwardness and anxiety and is able to interview and connect with seniors who have years more experience than her.
YG made a very smart move, making BlackPink have pretty privilege in an industry packed with the prettiest girls. This move was what makes them so famous in the west. First of all, BlackPink' members all have very different visuals. When I first saw Lisa I thought that she was either caucasian or a half. Parts of her natural thai traits were completely erased from her face, making her ethnicity look very confusing while also making her extremely beautiful. Lisa's face looks very unique, and it would be impossible to confuse her with anyone else. Rosé on the other hand has a very ethereal beauty, especially when her hair is blond. She looks like a fairy and also has unique features, such as big eyes that are close to each other, and her slim yet long face. She looks very unique and also very different from her other members. She sometimes gives off Anya Taylor Joy vibes. Jisoo's visual is heavily based on the Korean beauty standards. She's basically the perfect korean woman, giving her the nickname of "Miss Korea". Yet it does not stop her from being considered very beautiful in the west. Jennie's visual is very popular among Koreans who love the round face-fox/cat eyes look, giving the person a cute and sexy appearance. And at the same time she is considered as very beautiful in the west too. See a pattern here? The 4 of them are extremely beautiful both in the west and in the east, and at the same time they do not look like each other or any other idol. Their features are very recognizable. Which, coupled with their very different images (the ones stated in the video: Tomboy-bubbly, Chic-spoiled, Indie fairy, elegant and sweet), makes it very easy for westerners to get into their fandom. The fact that there are only 4 members also makes it very easy to know and recognize them, there Isn't much to catch up, you can follow all their activities, and it just makes it easier to distinguish their appearances and personas. To give you examples of groups who did not take notes to do this, I could start by NewJeans. Very pretty girls, sure. However, to this day, I am unable of telling them appart except Danielle. They all have very big eyes, a small nose and pouty lips, with a similar face shape. This doesn't make getting into their fandom very easy. Another example would be Twice. Twice do not have the same problem as New Jeans, their visuals are very diverse and it's easy to tell them appart. However, they have 9 members, which is a lot, at least for the local westerner trying to get into KPOP.
Such an interesting point! And I agree, I think their racially ambiguous looks are a huge part of their international appeal. And the fact that you can easily tell them apart.
All BlackPink members have had plastic surgery procedures, at differing levels. E.g Jennie got her nose tip to be less flat but her nose bridge was not made higher. Rosé's nose bridge was made higher (which is a Korean beauty preference). Jennie got blepharoplasty to make the skin above her eyelid sag less above her eye) but her eyes are still smallish and narrow. Lisa got canthoplasty to make her eyes appear larger and wider. Lisa's rhinoplasty still retains some width in her nose. Whereas Jisoo's rhinoplasty is sharper. Jennie naturally had a flat forehead and she got fat transplant to her forhead to give a rounder side profile to her forehead. Jisoo has a flat forehead but she didn't get fat transfer surgery. Even their plastic surgeries were done strategically. Btw Sana and Momo from Twice got a lot of plastic surgery procedures. They actually look more similar now compared to before their surgeries.
I will Honestly always be Amazed by How these 4 Women have such a Strong Aura to such an extent that they "" Embody literally their image "" , Especially Rosé for me , she embodies Sensuality and is the epitome of Feminity , from her face shape , her sensual body her freaking voice and her DANCE MOVES . Lisa and Jennie too , and Oh My why does Jisoo Beauty looks like a humanized korea if you get what am saying .... It's simply Mind Boggling
@@mariemarilynbp9865 I agree, it's truly incredible I think that it's part of what makes them THE BlackPink. It's crazy how YG, or whoever came up with the idea of putting them in a group together was right. A marketing genius
Regarding Blackpick and their concept of women being "versatile". I feel like k-pop and popular music (and other mediums) in general portray women as only able to exist in two mediums; it feels like we should be stuck between being savage and cute, between "black" and "pink". If I am feeling green or blue or yellow, I have to turn somewhere else, outside of popular culture, to see someone to relate to, but even than it would be hard to find. Blackpink songs do succeed in making me feel powerful and strong, but if that's all they are planning to do in their creative direction (seems like it), than I probably wouldn't ever feel close to their message.
There are exceptions to that rule, I feel like. But you're right, popular music is not the best place to look for good/ multi-faceted representation of womanhood :/
I am honestly so happy that many more ppl r being aware of their cheap methods and concept and now we can find like hundreds of thousands of vids talking abt it. They r and will be nothing without their Company and that's a UNIVERSAL FACT.
These people singing to the lyrics of Typa Girl are the same who call every other idol (esp gg) "pick me"s. Completely agree with your analysis and your pt of view. Great video.
I am a true feminist and ive never thought of any woman as a pick me never . After being bullied and beaten up all my childhood and teenage years up till now those songs make me feel something i know bringing someone down is wrong but when they sing like that i imagine my bullies who didn’t succeed makes me happy because in m mind if u are a bad person for so many years without reflecting or apologizing and going on with it as an adult u deserve bad things . I dont feel bad when they sing about being rich and that like i will never be because i am not jealous of women who succeed even if i dont have that life i cheer for them
And with bad things i DONT mean rpe or losing someone u love or something like that. i mean getting the same treatment back and knowing how it feels because most of the times my bullies or my rpist had a happy life after hurting me and others keept on bullying people etc and now whooooopsiiiee the men left them they dont have a job and are struggling i feel bad for the kids but not for them they where spoiled and had money and they hurt me and others physically and emotionally up until like they where 24 an adult so yeah and now they cry how unfair everything is so yes mines is mine and get in line i resonate with their songs
This is such an insightful video! I've always liked Blackpink--found their songs catchy and visuals pretty, but never really paid attention to the lyrics or who they were as a group. Since the recent 'Sell Out' controversy, I've been looking into them a bit more out of curiosity, and it's given me a lot of food for thought. I find it interesting how every point you've talked about here is so perfectly illustrated in the way extreme outraged fans reacted to the parody: mocking TwoSet for 'flopping' compared to their 'queens', flaunting their wealth and popularity and their status as 'brand ambassadors' (while taking offense to the 'instagram models' line, ironically), simultaneously worshipping and babying them (I couldn't help but notice how Blackpink were often referred to as "innocent girls" while TwoSet were "grown men"...when they're actually pretty close in age!), calling Eddy ugly or in need of plastic surgery, etc... Blackpink's carefully cultivated persona is well represented in the arguments used by those fans to attack TwoSet. In a way, that's perhaps the answer to what makes them so empowering to some fans. They're an unattainable ideal, but those fans can live vicariously through them, and derive satisfaction from the confidence that "my idol is better than your idol" (nevermind that they're nowhere near on the same playing field). Which is not necessarily a bad thing on its own, mind you. People can admire celebrities and be happy to see the ones they like succeed. Where it gets dangerous and can lead to toxic fannish behavior is when the fans' identity gets too tied up to their idol, and it tends to explode when they encounter something (or someone) that they perceive as threatening their (idol's) superiority. As the past few weeks have demonstrated. Funnily, your essay is making me appreciate Sell Out all the more. Despite the apparent silliness and irreverent provocation, it's a parody that goes deep into what it's actually calling out. I initially wondered why TwoSet took the risk to anger a huge kpop standom, when they used to be so careful before, but now I'm glad they did it. There's a statement there on so many levels. Anyway sorry for the rambling, you've just given me a lot to think about. Thanks for making this video!
The connections you drew to the Sell Out controversy!! So true. I also found the parody quite spot on. And the backlash showed so well what some Blinks are about. Thank you so much for watching and commenting!
I think these reasons are also the facts for why Blinks are the most toxic fandom. Because they always listen songs about comparison and these would make anybody down on a long period of time.
Thank you SO MUCH!!! I feel this exact SAME way about Taylor Swift and so many so-called "feminist icons". This capitalists won't save us. And regarding your question, my women role models are women who uplift their communities and empower and help others to improve themselves in a communal sense. Many of these women are women from my personal life that helped me in my toughest times and who I adore.
I get some blinks/ggs fans saying that there’s hurdle female artists have to face, which is valid. When we look at K-pop industry or whole society is patriarchal and have the additional struggle which we as women have. Seeing Asian women have this influence worldwide is so encouraging, specially when Asian women are seen as submissive and festished. their persona as badasses is inspiring. I really want to root for them but I can’t because their music is… just meh. I agree with what you’ve said about their music pushing the idea of empowerment as capital gains which is just frustrating but also not surprising how some types of feminism’s goal is just that - being atop of capitalistic hierarchy. Maybe I’m expecting too much but having this huge platform with power is an invitation to be reflective… if not about the society that we live in, then at least of the struggles that we have, as women, as Asian women, as them being women in an industry that isn’t supportive yet capitalizing off of it. I understand why people find blackpink’s music fun because it is. But that’s it. They’re not feminist icons, they’re not beacon of empowerment. Maybe they’re just public figures that make albums once every 2-3 years. But what I’m scared for is other female artists who would want to be vulnerable, outspoken and revolutionary but seeing how bp is the marker of success for ggs, it could be discouraging. I just hope that they would have time to make meaningful music that is through their self reflection, but maybe this is just wishful thinking. Thank you for this video. Really captured why I didn’t vibe with them or their fans into words.
Thank you for bringing up the aspect of their Asian identity and fetishisation. I totally see how their personas go against the harmful stereotypes of Asian women that were perpetuated for so long. Thank you for watching! 🥰
... and yes, I hope Blackpink won't become the blueprint of how girl groups are going to look like in the future, especially with what you said, the lack of vulnerability :/
Blackpink broke my heart I was a huge fan, I’ve been waiting for years for their comeback, I dreamed about every merch they released but got no money for it, I learned the most of their choreo Everything changed in Lisa’s solo. Lisa was my bias. I waited her solo so much. And then her solo released. I was really broke. Lisa have a big story of her way from Thailand to Korea, to K-pop idol, to a world star. I waited to see and hear this story in her solo. What I got? “ASS ASS MONEY MONEY IM LALISA MONEY MONEY ASS I CAN SWEAR YASS IM THE BEST URE TRASH ASS ASS MONEY LALISA LALISA” It was a big fail after Rosé’s solo. Rosé’s solo was the highest point of my love to Blackpink. “On the ground” is a masterpiece. “On the ground” is about the phase when Rosé was a trainee, she worked so hard and she lost the reason why she doing all this, and then she learned how to be happy even when everything is so hard, even when you’re on the ground. After Lisa’s solo Blackpink started to degrading Because of TikTok Money gone viral on TikTok and girls and yg understood the formula of fame “Low quality, meaningless, easy choreo, viral sound” “Born Pink” and “me” are made for TikTok Easy choreography are made for little girls, which gonna do a millions of dance challenge videos I just don’t feel satisfied when I see this choreo, because its not made to be beautiful, it’s not made to show girls talents, it’s not art. It’s commercial trend for little girls. The song don’t made to mean something, songs are made for mindlessly twitching, for catchy sound, absolutely nothing more. And songs that mean something people just don’t need. How many videos and trends you seen about “The happiest girl”? None, me too. Because people don’t need it. People don’t need good music and art = yg and Blackpink do what people want and gets money. And the most hurting thing for me is fans, those mocking other fans who don’t like something. You don’t like something what girls do = ur not a true fan ur stoopid hater.
I've watched two video essays some time ago about whether BP is empowering women or not, but nobody has ever pointed out THE VERY OBVIOUS CHOREOGRAPHY???!!!! LIKE WTF
I never thought of them as feminist or role models tbh lol but what I always liked about their group is how each member has very distinct role and aesthetic and individuality, of course it would be great if we could see more of their authentic selves and their creative freedom, but I'm afraid it would only happen in a perfect world. A lot of the points are very good but can be said about many other kpop, or just pop artists and our society as a whole. I really think their music is meant to just be fun. Some points (especially about beauty standarts) can be said about boy groups just as much.
I agree, a lot of the points I made apply to other groups as well, and yet I think Blackpink are an extreme case of all of them. I believe the rhetoric fans use and their worship of the members and of their huge international success cannot be understated ("queens", "the revolution" etc.), and that goes for the visual coding of the members as well. And in contrast to other groups, their entire selling point is the "feminism aesthetic". Which as I wanted to point out - is hollow. I'm happy for you to be able to enjoy their music! As I said in the video, I don't think there's anything wrong with that. I made this video with the intent to deconstruct the beliefs a lot of (often younger) fans seem to have. The blind worship (+ the inevitable comparison with the members that comes with that) and the superiority complex as if they stanned a progressive group (and thinking stanning a girl group somehow makes you a feminist). And what you said about their aesthetic personas - I think that's actually so interesting and I believe the aesthetic appeal and clear characterization of each member are a huge part of their success. But again, these personas are in no way revolutionary or progressive or feminist. They are just meant to be addictive and to bring in a lot of money. In my opinion, anyway.
@@wandering_thoughts I agree completely. And I think many older fans would agree, it is mostly young ones who worship bp this way, and because of the fact the fandom is so huge it's very noticable. I feel like there is a lot of lost potential with bp sadly. It was a great video!
The "toxic kpop beauty standard" is actually a BUSINESS standard. Fans don't want companies starving idols and focusing on beauty over talent? But then give all their attention and money to the EMBODIMENTS of the business standard
@@wandering_thoughts Literally everything you just stated also applies to any group. 1. Which fandom doesn't use "queen" "slay" "MOTHER" rhetoric to worship their idols? 2. There's a lot of groups who explicitly use the Royal aesthetic, even more so than BP. 3. Their entire selling point was always ASPIRATIONAL - YOU are boxing them into a "feminism aesthetic" so u can shoehorn ur trite arguments as specific to BP when it is an industry and culture-wide issue. 4. It's ironic cos the superiority complex comes from anti-blinks who chastise blinks for enjoying music that isn't "feminist enough." U know kinda like what u are doing. 5. Ur type of commentary is highly insidious cos it implies that there is a 'real feminism' to be found in other groups when the industry itself only sells u images of feminism as a commodity. If anything BP is the most honest group out there cos what u see is what u get. They should say they're not like the other girls COS THEY'RE NOT, they're rich pop stars... but u want young girls to buy into the condescending and patronizing myth of RELATABILITY about how their idols are ~just like them~.
They didn't right them look at let's say rosè solo she talked about love with her self first then a love with a person plus most of their songs are not about fame money brands
@@Jeezthatbitchsexy lalisa, rockstar, typa girl, shut down etc Rose and jisoo are the only ones who's solo is actually about the general public and not about themselves
I will still never forget that I stanned Lisa back in the day then I dropped BP because boring and then she goes and drops two songs that are just BRAGGING, i think for a lot of people it left a bad taste when there's so many other things she couldve done like how about a song about moving to a foreign country, a lot of ppl can relate, something vulnerable. nah chose to flex.
YES to everything you said!!!! You perfectly verbalized all of the things I have been thinking about Blackpink, especially after the release of Born Pink. BP was the first k-pop group that appealed to me. But, I quickly transitioned away from them after discovering other groups. Mainly because, like you said, after a while I realized how little they actually offer. I was intrigued by their comeback initially. However, I must have only listened to the Born Pink album once or twice in total. It was completely disappointing, and again didn't offer anything new. The superficiality and lack of depth just gets frustrating after a while. They aren't a group of artists with any vision. They're a brand. It's sad because they have so much potential, yet are unwilling to go beyond the formula that has made them famous. It's understandable if their only goal is to make money and be successful. But, as a consumer, it's not something I want to actively support.
That's why I like itzy, they always talk about how it's ok to be different, without putting anyone down. And they never hid their feelings in their songs.
FINALLY SOMEONE SAID IT. I feel the exact same way about every aspect of this… I believe that someone can only say “i’m rich and hot” so many times before it gets real stale, and they hit that point… a while ago. I never got into them because their lyrics just weren’t empowering or deep, but I’m not a hater, I just prefer groups like Mamamoo and (G)-idle who really make you think and still produce amazing music.
As a blink myself i would like to comment on this video. Before people comment under me i would like to say now that i fully agree with this video. Being a woman and flexing how rich you are and how better you are isn’t a feminist move. What drew me so close to Blackpink was when they came out with their first song in my 6th grade year. I liked their outfits and cool looks and it took me away from my reality from being bullied in middle school. When the Blackpink documentaries came out i really connected with Jennie. I was in a dance and performance agency since i was 4 years old. I would get so shy off stage and i got really nervous nights before my performances. I remember my dance teacher yelling in my face and humiliating me infront of the class. I would try my hardest not to cry infront of everyone because i was scared of being laughed at. Connecting with Jennie made me feel so much sympathy for her. Every time a new song came out I would think about all those years working hard and how hard i worked as a child. The hard work means so much and i felt it in a second hand way. However over the years the lyrics and fandom have become more toxic and it disappoints me about the group. i’m very happy to see this video is made and i applaud your hard work!!! thank you for this :)))
Have nothing against blackpink, I listen to their music casually, but everything said in this vid sums up the problem with them. Imo, the blackpink members themselves are not the ones at fault here, rather its Blinks and YGE. I feel like from blackpink's debut, they were just promoted as this badass girlgroup and nothing more. But Blinks forced them this narrative of being the "embodiment of feminism and women empowerment" and thats when YGE also began to promote blackpink the same way. Blackpink uses "feminism" and "women empowerment" as an aesthetic and nothing more. Yet they portray this very poorly as they present feminism as egoistical and arrogant. Though if I said this on twitter, i wouldve definitely be bombarded with death threats by now.
any kind of BP's "female empowerment" image just lessens even more by how much their career has been created and directed by MEN, everything they do is for men, every song is 80% to 100% created by men. At least with [g]i-dle Soyeon creates empowerment songs with WOMEN in mind and [g]i-dle are very much for the girls kind of group and take pride in that.
You asked my favourite girlboss artist? For me It's Taylor Swift. I think you need to watch her documentary to get it but I love her. She barely brags in her songs but when she does it's about how "so many fade, but I'm still here". Her songs (not just her singles) are authentic, real and relatable. Also The Man is just like a feminist song all around. The Man Quotes "When everyone believes ya, whats that like?" "Wondering if I'd get there quicker if I was a man" "They wouldn't shake their heads and question how much of this I deserve" The only time I can ever remember about her bragging about money is when someone else was earning money from her downfall or her music "And if he spend my change then he had it coming" I Did Something Bad (2017) "My Pennies made your crown" Karma (2022) Her only misogynistic song (Better Than Revenge) in her discography has been addressed and she has recognised it was wrong and changed the lyrics. She even made a song 10 years later about "The Other Woman" talking about how when she was young she thought that another girl could actually steal her boyfriend but in reality she realised the other woman usually has no idea shes the other woman and he can't "get stolen" if he actually wants to stay with you. The song she made about this is called August.
the idea of them losing their musical identity if they experiment too much is so interesting and i never thought of it. but its true. because for example bts experiments a LOT, but they have extremely distinct vocal tones and rap styles that make them distinguishable. same goes for groups like mamamoo and maybe gidle. honestly when i first heard bp in 2017 i loooved their stuff because i was new to kpop and wasnt too into cutesy songs (love them now) and found them to be a breath of fresh air. i also loved that they had distinct voices compared to other girlgroups i had heard at the time. but when they started making the same exact stuff over and over again while the quality got lower and the lyrics got worse i just... stopped caring. and when i saw the way blinks talk about them it started getting a little offputting because its perfectly fine to love their music, but praising the girls for women empowerment while constantly insulting other girlgroups is NOT feminism. and acting like being rich and pretty makes you better than other girls is NOT feminism. bragging about expensive concert tickets and paid lives and brand endorsements just makes me feel sad too. but i think the absolute biggest reason i started having an issue with bp was their concert clips. fans pay a LOT of money to go there, just to see incredibly subpar performances. im not talking about instances when theyre actually sick or hurt. but ive never seen another kpop grouo behave like that, where they pick and choose which performances to do well in, or where fans have to go "no i promise they did well in the other song the other day". its incredibly unfair to fans and honestly just plain wrong
If Rosé’s solo “on the ground” and Jennie’s “solo” doesn’t convey vulnerability, then I don’t know what does. Rosé literally sings about the importance of being humble and grounded despite one’s success. Jennie sings about having strength to be independent. The problem with this “commentary video essays” is that as much as you try to be unbiased, you still are. You leave important facts just to prove your point. Also, they’re a manufactured kpop girl group, most of the songs they sing about shouldn’t be taken seriously anyways. I think mature and smart fans know that. Blackpink is famous and loved not just because of their hits, but because they are well rounded sweet and humble girls irl. And thats why they remain to be inspiring despite having naysayers like some youtuber with a thousand subscribers.
female artist who i find inspiring: Beyonce like I know that's basic but this woman is one hell of a hard worker and a perfectionist and she influences me by example all the things she has were earned by hard work and persistence. nicki minaj I LOVED nicki as a kid and i literally wanted to enter the screen of my tv to be part of her world. all the colourful barbie stuff really spoke to me, and that celebrates girliness what nicki inspires me to do has nothing to do with her music but more with her character. I think she is authentic, and let me not start about how whenever i'm. sick of school nicki is in the back of my mind saying "stay in school" lol Saweetie as well she is one hell of a business woman and she is always putting herself out there she single handedly keeps her brand going and i respect that. J fckn Cole let me just say I can't stop listening to this man I'm over here looking up interviews from years ago just so i can get to see more of his mind. like he talks about some real things like things that actually matter and are worth thinking about. things that need to be thought about and he shares his honest opinion. he encourages people to believe in themselves but not be mindless, and he is proof that if you actually work towards your dream you will reach them. and not to mention his lifestyle in and of itself, he is just a regular guy that has achieved success and that is inspiring. and he shares his insecurities as well and how it's beautiful to be imperfect (crooked smile) honestly J Cole is more of a feminist icon than Blackpink oop- PS: also i'll never forget when kendrick lamar said "I'm so tired of the photoshop show me something natural like ass with some stretch marks" NEVER
Great video! I must point out that Jennie and Rosé's response that "its something new" to the interviewer's (Zach?) question about what makes fams relate to them and their artistry was kind of lame and underwhelming...idk they couldve gone into a littke depth and said more ig?
9:49 you have a great point, but in case you didn't know all the BP members were born with a very wealthy lifestyle so I feel like even if they weren't a group they probably would still have money anyways. But yeah I am tired of the overused " I'm rich " " you can't afford this " type of lyrics like..teddy we already have enough of those types of songs😐 it's a little annoying.
I noticed as an old person that they are a marketed brand from their company - I don’t believe they actually have their own say - just what their company allows them to say
That could be!! But I also think that if they really want any artistic freedom, they actually can....they are influential enough to have their say about what they want but only if they are passionate about it. The only member I think feels at least passionate about music os ROSÈ....and maybe Lisa. I agree that they were being controlled by company during their debut years but now after 6 years being in the industry, I think they can have control over their music if they really want to. *sigh* I wish if they are going to continue music and renew their contract, they could at least stand for themselves as a ARTIST, not IDOLS!! Peace💜
@@aishu_k02 no, ellas no tienen 100% el control de lo que hacen, su empresa no les dan libertad de poder escribir y lanzar canciónes escritas por ellas mismas y si las dejan no las promocionan, es como si YG les dijera: créditos o promociones, un ejemplo es Rosé, ellas esta acreditada en ambos solos pero su empresa no la promociono como Lisa o Jisoo, Rosé hasta tuvo que crear las portadas y teaser a su álbum, no tendrán ese privilegio de libertad creativa al menos hasta que llegue el día de la renovación del contrato donde ellas podran exigir no se, como 2 comebacks por año. También otra prueba de que YG no les da libertad en lo que hacen es con Jennie, la canción 100% escrita por ella (I love u and me) recién se esta dando a conocer a pesar de que Jennie menciono en un vídeo que esa canción estaba lista para ser su canción debut en solitario pero YG la cambio por Solo
I personally have never idolized or worshipped BP as being revolutionary! Nor did I ever think of their music as pushing the boundaries of feminism. Maybe it's because I got into K-pop when I was in college. I was a lot more mature and had a good grasp of who I was and what I stood for! I casually listen to BP and I consider myself a fan but I can objectively say that their music is nothing ground-breaking! But I believe their Solo work has much more substance (and I use that word lightly) than their group comebacks! Sidenote: I am a major Rosie fan! I want Rosie to have free creative license over her solo projects going forward but I know that isn't going to happen as long as she is under YG or THEBLACKLABLE! I feel like 'GONE' was more for Rosie and 'On The Ground' was YG racking in the cash! Although OTG did significantly better than GONE, I prefer the latter! But great video!
i agree so much with everything you said about their lack of vulnerability. i was a huge blink during 2020, they were one of my safe spaces during the lockdown. but when i watched the netflix documental i felt such a disconnection it made me drop them. it made me realize how... plastic they were. they made me feel nothing, they showed no vulnerability, they were absolutely unrelatable, and they had barely anything to say about their music and the few comments they made about it felt cold and empty because i know and *they* know they don't participate in the making of it.
This video is so well-made, I loved every second of it! I do wonder, though, if they'd started out with a "love yourself, everyone is different and unique" concept similar to Itzy, how long would have they lasted? We know the massive success Itzy had in the beginning with its peak being 'Wannabe', but they've started falling off. I feel like JYP doesn't know what to do with them as well because how long can you repeat the same nice empowering message without it sounding repetitive? I read a comment where Blackpink is compared to the Kardashians and it made me think back to when Kylie Jenner said that she had to post her luxury cars and share her luxurious lifestyle with the world because that was what people wanted to see. And for that time, it was indeed the case. But people got tired. Blackpink are successful because at the beginning of their career the marketing strategy was great. As for now, they continue to be successful because most people haven't gotten tired of them, they want to see what Blackpink promotes and they'll eat it up everytime.
This video is gold! I would have never been able to articulate this well myself about what's so wrong about blackpink's ideals that are woven into their works. I might be one of those k-pop fans who would just, for the lack of better words, just blame it again on the company, producer, and songwriter 😅 When I first got into K-pop I too only know BP and enjoyed their music. The thing is, the disrepancy of quality became so clear when you look into other GG's musics that have much more nuance, realness, and life in it. Of course there are some fair share of empty, attention grabbing musics by other GGs too but not much of them really overuse and make it their brand their whole career. As for the question; I feel really empowered by Mamamoo's songs. Especially "Wind Flower" and "Better Than I Thought" that promotes one's inner ability to maintain peace and understanding within oneself after a heartbreak. It helped me be at peace with my own life's turbulence and vulnerability. I'm really inspired by how the members conduct themselves offstage too, they always show kindness and care to everyone around them no matter who. Not to mention how comfortable they are in their own skin too, always goofing around and taking care of each other
It's just stunning to see that some people stay lucid even about these supra-popular girls and their popularity. Thank you for say loud what a lot thought quietly ! Amazing work !
So, 🙃 This is heartbreaking. As a dieheart fan of bp this is really hurtful to listen to BUT I can't deny that this is truth........... 😔 And I really agree with all this facts. And I was really getting teary only in half of the video because the idols, the rolemodels you look up to are just their fake personalities shown to us.....😕... And this is sad cause I am stanning to them for mare than 4 years. 🙂
There is nothing wrong with liking and supporting them! And I'm sure a lot of what they have shown to their fans is true. Thank you for being respectful, even though I criticized someone you love. I really appreciate it
This comment is sad to see. This video is but one person's perspective and it certainly isn't all "facts". I've just posted a separate comment within this comment section from the perspective of a Blink. It is long but you might like to read it. If you still come to the same conclusion about Blackpink afterwards then so be it. Have a good day.
I’ve been a fan since a few months after their debut. I was in highschool and I thought they were really changing the game. They didn’t change it they just perfected it. I’m still a fan now but a lot more casual. I’m now 22 and I just appreciate them for what they are, fun girly music to shut your mind off and get ready to or workout too. I was tired of their lack of actual artistry and thought maybe if I wait it’ll come, I know now it’s never gonna come, so I accept them for what they are. It’s catchy it’s fun and that’s it. When I want to listen to something more experimental or thought provoking there’s hundreds of other artists I can listen to. Both within kpop and outside of it. I still enjoy them very much, maybe I appreciate them a lot more bc like i said it’s fun music. It makes me feel confident and pretty. I saw them at coachella this year and it was fun. And I love a lot of more “surface” level artists both kpop and western.
Love this analysis thank you for this! I feel like there is a very important point that gets ignored in these conversations and it's the influence of black culture in the marketing of "powerful" "hip hop" girl groups. It's sad that even though most of the musical and lyrical influence comes from black culture they probably do not understand the context and history behind hip hop. (This goes to all of kpop)
This is the best analytical video I've watched in a while. What a commendable job you've done, I'm totally agreed with your each & every point. And I'm so glad that I found your channel, your new subscriber here!
This is a good critique of BP's music. I'm glad you put it out there. Also, I don't hate BP. I like their melodies and beats. I used to like BP until I started looking into their lyrics. I just don't like their lack of substance. I agree with you that the lyrics are only empowering BP and not anyone else and are generic and cringy. I'm also not impressed by their on-stage performances. YG has too much control over the group. I'm sure the members are talented, but as I see it, they are just performing monkeys. It's sad bc I'm sure the girls can do a lot more.
Well this is such an eye-opener for blinks and casual listeners like me i wanted to somehow become a good hard core blink as i felt i am not appreciating girls hardwork and arent exactly the fan i could listen their music but never bring myself to stan them for some reason and now as i grow up i am getting to know how dangerous and dark thisk k pop music industry is i am very much infuriated 😠 at YG and girls themselves how they use as such teen fans as their money machine success more on gurls cause we know how toxic and shitty their fans can they literally cyber bully everyone out there who choose to give girls some constructive criticism and how delusional they are but they choose to ignore ( i also feel it's stupid for me to get angry on bp but i can't help but be be angry) hope all other blinks to do wake up to this reality and show that they can't be just used by them. You made such an amazing video☺️ and i love your intro ❤ keep up 👍 the good spirit!!
woahhh this video is so well thought out and amazing!!! i never really vibed with bp- just enjoying them along with other people when they were popular- but knew they didnt have the musicality or depth that i seek in an artist. kinda wild that actually examining their message and music turns me off even more from before T_T but thats just how it is sometimes
Great video & very thoroughly constructed! There are definitely a lot of things Blackpink can or should be criticized for and you did a really good job at discussing those without being disrespectful or hateful. Conversations like these are quite necessary in the world of k-pop, where people are so quick to glamorize and yell "queens" or "kings" ... Personally, I enjoy a lot of their music as a casual listener, since both the music videos and the music itself are extremely well-produced on a technical level. However, I think we have to recognize that that's pretty much where the greatness ends, Blackpink doesn't go deep or asks questions about our world and they don't have to. It's not wrong to be pretty and love shiny things - at the end of the day, they're just doing their job (without caring much about the influence they have on their audience, though). However, it becomes a problem when people want Blackpink to be more than what they are, what they stand for & what they were created for. Essentially, they are using feminism and confidence as an aesthetic - I don't want to shame them for that, it's common in k-pop and the media overall, but we should be aware that what they do and say is (that's my stance, at least) not worthy of being called "the revolution". Thank you for opening this discussion!
I'm right with you on this! If I remember correctly, it was the idea of "queens" that made me want to do a video about Blackpink and their image. And you put it so well - "they are using feminism and confidence as an aesthetic" really hits the nail on the head
I genuinely enjoy their music and beat. I'm not a hardcore fan of them and I didn't really have a problem with their songs. But ever since Typa Girl came out, I thought I was the only one who felt kinda... uncomfy? Cringey? I don't know what to name it, but the line "I'm not like these other girls at all" seriously shook me, in a bad way. Like what are they trying to convey at this point? I thought I was the only one who thought like this but I'm glad this video stumbled on my recommendation
If you really wanna look at the black side you should definitely look at 2NE1 cause blackpink only sells the pink side 2NE1 literally showed me what true artist is
While watching this I was thinking as to why does every Blackpink song lyric feel like it was written by a man? Then I went and looked it up and.......😶🥲
Part 3: I don't believe they can have a choice in what they do. There's a buzz that an author of their songs has stopped working with them because she hasn't received the recognition she deserves. Only the company begged her to come back. According to her, the compositions of the 4 were rejected by the producers and directors.
@@wandering_thoughtsthere is also a producer who worked with them for 3 or 4 Songs I think who said that he was more like an co writer and that the girls worked really hard and wrote lyrics but none of the songs were on the album. Sadly I don't know his name anymore
@@lavinia648 i think he Ryan Tedder, the One Republic guy ( i can be wrong let me know if I'm) . it's happens maybe his songs aren't selected for the final selection of album songs or they kept it for future . This types of things happens , not every songs get through the final selection.
When i first got into kpop blackpink was my favorite girl group because I found them confident on stage but slowly came in realise what are they portraying. I'm sorry to say but I don't sense their individuality, most of their songs are about being rich, pretty and flexing..
Great vid! Personally, I doubt the girls are conscious of the implications of their image and discography, in the same way they probably don’t have control/don’t desire control over the work and image they put out. It’s making them big money and fans either way
I've been for the span of two years in a back and forth to delete their Playlist, the last thing I have of my time following them. It was nostalgic to me since they were the first group of females I tried to listen to, expand outside the boy groups' espectrum, and because in the beginning, I really enjoyed their music. However, after all the mess within the Fandom and the feeling of abandonment towards their fans when things got desperate, there was just too much drama for me. Music has never been about that to me, so I stopped following them in all social platforms, which leaves me now with the only thing that remains from them, the Playlist. But now you've helped me make up my mind, finally. Thank you so much. ❤️😅
I think we as human like pretty, beautiful things and somehow blackpink presents that. They provide that craving of what we want to have or we would like to have. Now Its up to you on how you receive that concept, some ppl find it shallow, pretentious and in authentic, cos we know nobody is perfect and real life definitely not that grand and flashy for majority of the people. While others find it inspiring, fun and it's something you want to strive for. The sad thing is as a music lover like me, i want an artist and their music as someone or something i can relate to, that they experience sorrows and disappointments. Let me make it clear tho, not a fan but their songs are catchy, an earworm as someone would say but it lacks substance and very repeatitive. It seems like they have found the formula and stuck with, milk it till it dries out. P.s. When you recited the lyrics made me cringe. They sound like that mean girl, queen bee in high school. Give it up to the producers, lyricists and whoever is responsible to these songs. Damn they made these girls so shallow and unrelateable at all.
Excellent video essay thank you. I do believe they portray more agency than they have ever given by their company in reality. Whether YG the man is still there, or not. He did create them with “but the pretty one” in mind when contrasting them to 2ne1 which consist of super talented and very attractive young women and yet he characterised as “the ugly group”. Showing that the girls themselves were never his focus. The market is. One was positioned in the market as the “ugly” group. And by ugly he meant strong, unapologetic typified by “I am the best” that’s still one of my favourite kpop song of all time. Which is saying a lot in itself. To equate a strong group of women as ugly. While BlackPink is positioned as “the pretty one” with more feminine and glamorous aesthetics. The unobtainable beauty who knows her worth. Sadly in this instance, in money, and other external worth. Something YG confused as what “hiphop” is all about. (Speaking of the "knowing my worth cooncept", Le Sserafim is doing a better job at right now. Because they are potraying internal worth as the definition of self worth and confidence: I am not fragile, I am fearless, etc. Instead of I am so rich and powerful all of you can lick my boots and say thank you). Although the reality of selling and the market is part of the music business, kpop seems to me to be characterised with an over representation of the market above all else. The music is more of a by product of what they sell. He may no longer have direct involvements anymore. But his format is set. And with a company not focusing on creativity and authenticity, he left a perfect production machine behind, knowing very well how to mass produce successful formula over and over again. (Big Bang was at the start of the company so they were different. Just as BTS was the start of Big Hit / HYBE, and they were allowed more freedom. Newer artists are plagued with more scripted presence, as companies become more risk averse with increased financial stakes and legal obligations to keep shareholders happy. Which is why I think the company structure of kpop will eventually fail those who truly want to create and be creatives). For as long as confidence is for sale and for as long as the girls are young and pretty enough to deliver these products and services, they will continue to sell. They are the queen of kpop because they are quintessential kpop.
This may sound ridiculous and I'm not trying to insult Lisa, I can see why people call her a pick-me girl in the past. Her statement of not being like other girls and being a tomboy screamed pick me vibes or am I misinterpreting her words?
Honestly throughout the video ,it felt like a friend was talking to me , you have put everything very nicely in words , and yess they aren't really empowering women , I just always liked their fits and style and it fascinated me bcz I belong to a very conservative background where you can't dress the way you like
I have many issues with Blackpink, but above all I simply can’t stand their sound. Their music sounds so dated and unpleasant. To me they are pretty faces, but not much else.
this is my first video i’ve watched from you and OMG i could write a whole ass essay on how amazing you did with doing this anaysis of Blackpink. it was surprisingly eye opening especially with the choreography 😳 i enjoy their music and knew it wasn’t high quality or that meaningful but this genuinely made me go holy sh!t they really are just putting women down in these lyrics - of course they don’t write them they’re “women written by men” in a way. they’re voicing a male point of view , male ideologies and stereotypes that benefit men
I’m a BLINK and I thought this video would be very biased, but i was pleasantly surprised! I think you were very fair in your assessment with BLACKPINK. When I say that I love BLACKPINK, I’ve always been talking about Jisoo, Jennie, Rose, and Lisa. How they are in interviews and how they treat each other when they’re together in vlogs as well as how they treat fans is what made me really start to love them. Even if BP disbanded, it’s the girls I’ve cared for, not the brand of BLACKPINK. And as much as I can say I love BLACKPINK, I do recognize it as a brand. I never felt as though they’re trying to put out songs that were thought provoking-their lyrics tended to stick to surface level topics. Feels like most K-pop bands are there for entertainment, not always to make us feel anything. Also, I always considered BP lyrics and their personas to be more of an act and less of who they really are. I don’t understand Korean so I was always into their songs just for the fun beats, but knowing what the lyrics are saying, I can see why it would be problematic, especially for young K-pop fans. I became a blink in 2020, well into my late 20’s, so I never took their songs to be saying “this is what I believe is true,” more like “here’s some lyrics that sounds strong and cool, I hope you have fun singing them.” But when I saw them on tour and I saw little kids in the crowd, I couldn’t help but feel that BLACKPINK songs weren’t really appropriate for their demographic. The world that BLACKPINK sings about isn’t a real one, and as an adult I know this, but with kids this can be distorted. Hearing you talk about how their lyrics aren’t empowering really made me think about why some of my favorite songs from them are the ones that make me feel empowered, Love to Hate me being one of them. From personal experience of having someone in my life that was always critical of the things I did, it felt freeing to sing that song and to mean every word of it. I see how some BLACKPINK songs can be a bit “pick me,” but since it always felt like just an act and not reality, I could still enjoy their music and not dive too deep into the meanings. What you said about MONEY by LISA really brought up a good point, but for me MONEY was empowering because for the longest time, I had been so careful with money. I’d want a boba or I’d see a cute dress but didn’t want to spend money on myself, so I’d always find reasons why I shouldn’t get myself something. Hearing Lisa sing “Imma drop it like it’s pouring imma pour it on myself” makes me be like huh, spoiling myself every once in a while isn’t a bad thing haha! Maybe her song is more in your face and bragging about money, but for me it was a reminder that I shouldn’t feel bad to spend my own money on myself, and plus the song is just fun to sing! I really love the girls, and BP is my favorite K-pop group, but I don’t know that BLACKPINK or any K-pop group should be looked up to as a role model or standard of living. So much of the K-pop industry can be toxic. I think it’s all right to enjoy the music and to really care about the members, but their world of K-pop is not reality, and it’s important to remember to keep our feet planted in the real world while we enjoy these groups and songs. Im sure I could go on and on, but I’ll stop here for now and say that I’m glad I came across this video! There’s things we agree on and things we don’t, but I was still interested in hearing your side of things, and I think the video was well done. Thanks for reading! ❤
I don't think the lack of vulnerabilty is necessarily a negative trait, most pop artists only do upbeat shallow songs, that's what the genre mainly stands for and it's ok to just be the type of artist who makes music for when you want to dance/escape/feel badass. I agree on everything else though, I love them but it's so frustrating to see how much their concept could've been way better executed and the girls themselves probably lack awareness of the real world so they don't even notice any of these things.
10:02 when i was new to blackpink i really get inspired by Blackpink body figure i really want to have body like Lisa .... But soon realised she was born skinny ....
I just don't take it past face value. Blackpink's persona just gives off so much Pintrest, IG Baddie that there's no way it can be real. Everything about Blackpink from their music videos, lyrics, and Instagrams are so curated. I just listen to their music, feel like a bad bitch, and keep it pushing. This isn't a Blackpink issue, but a YG issue. YG has always tried to push their idols as these too cool for school, "better than you" artists that it's not even surprising that Teddy, with the level of fame Blackpink achieved, is making lyrics like that but to the max.
@@greenthinggg like not everything is as deep as ppl try to make it seem. If Blackpink marketers themselves as “feminists” that would be one thing, but that is purely made up by fans and haters alike. Blackpink just market themselves as strong women. I bet they’re feminists in their actual lives, but that’s not what they’re persona is all about
don't get me wrong. I listen to blackpink's song on a daily basis. I like their songs, the songs are catchy and I love them as a group. but if you want to talk about confidence, femininity, and empowerment, I think little mix has it all. yes, i know they are not part of kpop. they represent all three of those things well, in my opinion. for example in the song salute, little me, woman's world, strip and every song on the LM5 album. they also often talk about insecurity and how difficult it is to live as a woman. In my opinion, little mix is the complete definition of empowerment. love your video btw, you explained it very well
I'm super glad that you made this video, though I'm late to see this. There are so many things I'd like to address, similarly to what you've said in the video but all the fans would come at me. To be honest, I think Blackpink has become so problematic since 2019 with "Kill This Love", back then I only listened to their early tracks because they sound absolytely catchy, without paying too much attention to the context of the songs. Thanks to your analysis, I've started to notice some of the things I didn't see/hear before, but at least I know that I'm not the only one who feels uncomfortable to listen to these shallow lyrics and their flexing culture, it's just the same formula that they've used in every single song. You're right, they're not empowering anyone but themselves. I'm so sorry to any of the Blinks who are offended by this but truth needs to be told. Specially in an interview with Zach Sang, when asked about what makes them different from other groups, you can tell that the girls are dumbfounded and it takes them a while to answer, sad....
As a gay person Blackpink does make me feel like I can be powerful. Blackpink seems like they do have a different personality off screen and on screen, when they are on screen they act like they are super rich but irl they don’t. My friend once met Lisa at a restaurant where she was the waiter and Lisa was very nice and gave her a much bigger tip than usual. I do think they are feminists they just aren’t allowed to say they are. I think this bc there are plenty of times they support women and the lgbtq community like when Jennie changed the misogynistic lyrics of typa girl at coachella. I think their songs are empowering but we should not mean those lyrics and I think the girls think the same way. They don’t write what they put out and the songs they do write don’t have the rich girl vibe like yeah yeah yeah and on the ground. On the ground was written by rose and it shows how she feels, money and status isn’t everything. The points you made about what feminism really is are true and I’m glad you made a video about it so people don’t start treating people that way or trying to reach that level of perfection.
As a gay person: get better idols. Their empowerment is all about putting others down until you are the only one left on top. As an outsider looking in, you can clearly see that mentality in a lot of their fans as well. If you want it or not, these „morals“ will rub off on you and that mentality is definitely not how you should treat people in your life. I promise that you are better than that and that misogynistic men talking through the mouths of pretty women is so much less than you are worth. If you have to prove that they are feminist through undocumented accounts of fans and not through their work, then something is wrong with an artist who clearly profits off the feminist image they portray. This is not to say that you can’t like their music or anything like that, just that you deserve better sources of empowerment.
"We shouldn't aspire to copy men's mistakes for the sole reason of being equal to them." NAILED IT!!!
That was actually a sentence my sister once said when we were talking about feminism and "girl bosses" haha
And after that, I just had to include it in this video.
I sent her a screenshot of your comment, she was really happy someone pointed it out haha
Glorious comment. ❤
11:19 for anyonen who might be looking for it
LOUDER FOR THE PEOPLE IN THE BAAACK
Might quote this in the future and will credit you for sure
The stereotypical "strong female character" is often condescending, overly confident and rude towards others to constantly show her superiority. It really fits their personas perfectly.
Not to mention the stereotypical strong female as she is portrayed in most media is just insulting. Like her whole existence is defined by not being a man and being 'better' than them. To make a female look good they always have to actively bash and put down all the men in a 10 mile radius. Like... is that all we are? Is the only way to lift up women to put down men? Cause that seems counterintuitive. Unfortunately we often get a 1 dimensional caricature lacking any real substance. It's sad because it doesn't give young girls anything to look up to or learn from. Something else I really hate is how if you say anything negative, in this case about blackpink, people are so quick to hit you with the 'you're just jealous' or 'misogyny' card. But to suggest that women aren't flawed is a flaw in and of itself, we're human of course we have flaws. Like what kind of message is this 'perfect' image even sending to young girls. To me it's just perpetuating the idea that they have to have the perfect body and face, be multi talented, have the perfect personality, be wealthy and famous etc. etc. and isn't this just recycling the same ideas and values that once held women down, under the false pretence of being 'a strong independent female'?
@@notaspeck6104 But shitting on men is exactly what antis are saying BP isn't doing tho.
That men make their music. That they cater to the "male gaze." That they don't uplift women enough (which in their heads mean to put men down).
It's funny cos the gist of the 'feminism' argument is basically that BP isn't feminist enough. A circular argument. Illogical.
Look at how contradictory your comment and the OP's comment is and yet cos there is no logic behind the 'feminist argument' both of u are bounded in agreement simply by a distaste for BP.
That's your feminism.
@@notaspeck6104young girls dont wanna be twice or red velvet, they wanna be blackpink. It doesnt matter if twice is kind or red velvet is mature, girls wanna be cool like blackpink. Do you get it?
Nah 😂... lol... You wouldn't say this to or about a male. You guys are just misogynistic and scared of women. God forbid we..... do whatever the hell we want. 😂😂😂
Exactly. A true string female character is pollute and kind, respectful and helpful
In terms of women empowerment I guess mamamoo's songs like 'yes i am' and 'wannabe myself' and 'hip' goes way better and musically appealing as well .....❤
Definitely
Mamamoo songs show what's the real women empowerment.
The girls are also unapologetically themselves but never put down others.
exactly. They don't put down other women in favour of male attention, but they bring women by telling them to do whatever they wanna do. Another group that is like that is G-idle
Itzy also one of the example who actually are doing
@@helloello8343 yh I agree. Except I don't like the fact that for itzy it's a concept. The Mamamoo members weren't conventionally pretty, people told them they would fail, but they learnt to love themsleves. G-idle soyeon got dragged online as a 16 year old because of her looks. She's battled with opposition because she's female and a producer, so that's why she writes their own songs. Itzy believe in loving themselves don't get me wrong, but they don't write and are not actively part of the creative process (to my knowledge, feel free to correct me), so it's more of a concept. However their music regardless is empowering and motivating for ALL women, so I do think It's a step in the right direction for them. Gradually, they will write their own songs, expressing emotions they actually feel. It's just a matter of time for them really.
También Pepe de clc y i dont need a man de misA
Rarely has anyone made any new points about blackpink misogyny that’s new to me because I’ve heard it all (and this isn’t to say I disagree with them) but you pointing out the choreography actually brought my jaw to the floor. The dog on a leash move legitimately surprised me.
Thank you so much, that makes me so happy to hear haha
I find it weird how no one seemed to have noticed their dance moves and what these tell us about the message of a song
@@wandering_thoughtsLike no other group have choreography in which girls dancer in floor?? In Maria by HWASA , HWASA in middle and dancer are in position like offering what this me she saying she is god and every one should warships her. If you can going to judge every group by choreography or by 2 line of song without full content.
@@wandering_thoughtsno because that's really a powerful thing that's not many people would pick up on but once you think about it you can't unsee it
@@anupamasuna7494one or two songs aren't problematic. But when maximum songs are like this .then it's problem
@@tingle2323 problematic or they are not your bais, every body have their bais and their not your that ok , you don't need to cherry pick everything, like in choreography most of group have some same move then listen to a song in which which they talking about how their partner cheated on them for same type of girl o they talking bad about other girls, if you don't like then why spend so much energy to make them down just go and support your bais, in my comment i already mention most of groups have that kind of choreography, and the song if you read all the lyrics then you get some content , then if you reserch about about details like most people like to do for their bias group then you will understand Easter eggs.
I honestly think thank majority of blackpink fans just live their dreams through the members.
Yeah maybe :/ There is a really well done video by @i-spy9601 that talks about the self-inserting a lot of Blinks do
th-cam.com/video/uxpOmcqm7lw/w-d-xo.html
Definitely, another example is Wonyoung Stans, she a pretty girl they cling onto her as if they are Woon, they get so offended over the slightest things, and they give beauty tips but don’t even use their own faces, like these people gotta be 12-13
@@yuhziliamore like the other way around... I have never seen a wonyoung stan being a mean girl on purpose to "be like wonyoung" but many of them self insert themselves as other ive members to make Wonyoung the bully/villain. There was a whole era where people (who didnt even like IVE) suddenly cared about Gaeul and praised her for anything obviously also adding some shade to Wonyoung while at it. Or the whole kitsch "controversy" where the only reason they talked about IVE was to complain about 'Poor Liz' and evil wonyoung and starship's favoritism (again, people who are not even fans of the group and do not know Liz is one of the members with more lines)
Interesting how Most Blinks don't even engage in Kpopies... good sign that Blinks are most Normal fandom out there...
Armys are literally Half fans and Half Lustful minors... Proof is the fact that after Paris revelation and Jennie's Instagram post confirmation... she's getting most hate... while Blinks are supporting Tae...
understand that BP definitely spreads a western concept of Women empowerment, but that's not what Blinks see... I have dedicated my whole childhood to become a Doctor, and Now that I've cracked Toughest exams of the world, NEET-UG... My rank was 5095/ out of 17,00,000 students
and somehow I can relate to How each of BP members feel about how a part of them regrets missing out life, or wondering was it worth it or will it be worth it... but then recieving love and Respect is what Pushes us in our own ways... BP is way realistic, compared to Company Dolls, that usually gets lost as new groups arise...
BP is gonna live in hearts of so much fans, because some of us feel like in Trainee days of BP, totally lost in making names, some of us feel confused like after fame, and some of us have matured and Live ecstatic life regardless of any negativity, and smile before sleep...
I wish you could comment in Bp-blink relationship, if you are one .. and not just for the purpose of fulfilling your egos...
No we love BLACKPINK and their music we don’t live through them god
They revolutionated the girl idol image. They exported Kardashians method to K-Pop and made girl groups to focus in being influencers and models before singing or put together a good show.
They are famous for being famous, they do the basic or bare minimun and demand to be workshiped for it. That does not denny their talent but it is a shame new groups rush to follow their steps, flashy MVs, "badass" looking songs (not necesary real badass lyrics or music) and visual over being able to sing your own music.
They are a model group that happens to sing from time to time and I am afraif many groups are debuting with that goal on mind.
Yeah, you're most of new group already focusing on modeling. And some of have big brand deals. And mostly 4 generation group following bp foot steps. Then someone ask who is 4 generation music group i definitely can say it's aespa. Because we know they come from SM who first priority always their music then other things. I can say they're balanced group right now in 4 generation. But it's the only group in 4 generation who gets title of coping BP. Just because having 4 members. I bet SM just focus on them Little bit aespa definitely can stand in 4 generation with strong discography. And they also have brand deals which all SM idols gets but still focus on music. It's the bad things with YG their first priority is not music. That's why after getting great start in music their group but coming in middle or end of group contract they become something which they never wished at first place.
@@belaytriks hybe boy group are only focused on music not girl group (well they just have 2 group who litterly didn't look like main focus is music.)
And about aespa. Well i said because SM group always know for their music still become popular in other aspects. I didn't use aespa because they're aespa i choose because they're from SM. And having like 30 songs they're already become more versitile group in 4 generation with great quality of music. That's what I'm saying they're definitely looking music group because they're from SM.
@@try_best Aespa is following SM model and in general I like it. But I do not feel inclined to follow them.
Oh! And I erased the comment because I was ranting.. 😅
Ok. To give context. Hybe groups are still focusing on music but the CEO have stated they want the Next BP. And with SoMu new group they gailled because the not so clean image of some members. And they more or less managed with their new group but people noticed their company is paying for a lot of their fast growing popularity.
I was mentioning that I feel 4th generation groups are lacking the creation of a cohesive image (for Aespa are the neon/pastel colors and the psychodelic images) and characteristic sound (for me Aespa has that till its last comeback NingNig and Winter voices gave their music a cool touch).
@@belaytriks well let's wait where hybe new girl group end. Because both le serrifim and new jeans are popular. But they're truly how much popular still no one know expect hybe. So let's just wait for 2-3 year. Because now judging them that fast is wrong.
Imply that they are basically nothing and then probably blabber about just "criticising them". Hot take but nobody demanded to be worshipped for nothing and you're belittling all their hardwork and success. You're an asshole...and better deal with it.
Yikes! I didn't realize how a lot of these lyrics came across as egotistic and superiority. Those are definitely not traits that I stand for and the fact that I have loved Blackpink for years makes me question why I was so blind to these problematic qualities.
I think I overlook them too. Don't know why. Fun songs maybe.
I've just posted a comment from the perspective of a Blink that might help you understand another point of view other than the one presented in this video.
Are you ready? Reality is that the "toxic kpop beauty standards" are not beauty standards..... They are BUSINESS standards. Kpop companies are NOT dumb. They know wut they sell and how to sell it.
Kpop fans: omg I hate the toxic beauty standard
Also kpop fans: omg blackpink(the living embodiment of the toxic standard) is my favorite queens!!!
Also just to be clear, I like blackpink... I just can't for the life of me understand the huge popularity gap between them and the next kpop group
When i first listened to them , i really shocked . I was like they literally mocking n how their fans accepted it. I thought they have only male fans, but no , girls who love them n defend them like, they are fighters n fighting for their life. N these fans there to protect them.
Like wtf.
I never seen anything talent in them apart from glory.
I heard Jennie singing live, i couldn't believe people have no guts to tell, she singing wrong.
'Typa Girl' is quite the epitome of all that BP represents.
And they ate 😍
@@Darkdesires946 yeah, at being mediocre 😍
@@EnglishwithMasakali yeah at least not oppas
@@Darkdesires946I am not like these other girls at all 😍😍💀💀women empowerment ig 😂😂
@@amnashahzad883 I bring money to the table not ur dinner is women empowerment 🤣
this is unbelievably well made, I'm really impressed.
Thank you so much, I really appreciate it!🥰
What I've also noticed over the last 3 years.
Is how exclusive Blackpink sells themself.
For example, all four solo albums have only 2 songs. Yet it sells for the same price as other solo albums by other idols that have 6-8 songs on it.
And the fans buy and celebrate the albums like crazy to set some new records instead of just saying that a CD with 6 min running time and paper is not worth the money. And the best thing as far as I know (please correct me if I'm wrong) is that no one else is doing it.
Like the fans act if the album and the mv is not about the music style, but how much they sold how many views they got.
Cause Blackpink has to be on top. They are queens, they are seen as the best by their fans.
Or the Born Pink tickets. Blinks have celebrated that Blackpink is the GG with the most revenue.
But no one ever commented that it was because the tickets were clearly way too expensive. But it doesn't matter, the Queens make money and show it to the haters.
I'm sorry if my comment was a bit brutal and on the angry side, but since many Blinks belong to the younger side. It just makes me angry how this quick money with low effort is used to pull young people so much money out of their pockets. And still be able to market as high value shit.
At some point beeing a Blinks will become a privilege, because some people will not be able to afford it.
I'm with you. That plays into how YG tries to market them as exclusive and effortlessly successful (while doing the bare minimum)
Los precios de las entradas nisiquiera las pone la empresa 😂, los ponen los organizadores de los conciertos de cada país, y se guían en la demanda que hay por ellas, investiga antes de hablar
Talvez devesses ler sobre o assunto. Os artistas recebem uma taxa fixa. A empresa lucra com os concertos e, por isso, ignora o problema ou apoia-o, pois só é positivo para eles.
Os grandes artistas ficam normalmente com cerca de 1/3 das receitas. Para além disso, as empresas ganham muito dinheiro.
E o senhor faz parte do problema, em vez de o resolver, goza com o meu comentário noutra língua, em vez de lhe responder de forma razoável em inglês e de me escrever a dizer que falhei um ponto no meu comentário.
Acho que se eu gozar com o seu comentário numa língua estrangeira, também vai achar que é estúpido.
Se o seu argumento não fosso tão condescendente, concordaria consigo.
Recently, SUGA, or AgustD, broke a record for his album. Blinks tried to say it was Lisa who won it. Lisa's "album" wasn't even an album. It was by all technicality points, an EP. Even Spotify, where the record was made (I think), Recognizes it as a an EP. Most of their "albums" as actually EP's which really throws me off.
@@namjooning1017 honestly there should be rules on when to name an album an album.
Like ar this point it is rude to all artist who put the time and work in it to make a reall album.
mamamoo and g(idle) do great at actual female empowerment imo
I agree
(I personally would add debut itzy as well but that's not important) you're totally right and it's crazy because those two groups don't have as much deals, attention and popularity as black pink when they most definitely deserve it but since blackpink if from a very wealthy and popular company they have it.
True...but also its problems when it's always about empowerment and not normal
"and if they don't have any control of their carrer then why call them queen,ikon "
This was 😲
Oh my my!!!
You and your ability to put your pov out there without actually "dragging" someone is so on point...
I do respect these 4 women as artists, I respect their struggle and hardwork, but that's about it...
When I initially got into k pop, blackpink was one of the first groups I had listened to, and at that point of time I did like it, coz my perecption of K pop in the first 1-2 week of me listening to it was that, its just another fun peppy genre of music...
But as I delved deeper into the lyrics of a few other groups, what they stand for, the kind of message they promote, the kind of music they produce, blackpink somehow just took the back seat for me...
Also, not to bring my culture into this comment, but there was this huge controversy regarding the How You Like That MV, where Lisa was sitting and rapping infront of Lord Ganesha's idol,
There were so many thing wrong with that certain part of the mv and all the co. Did was just edit that part out from the original mv, no apologies nothing....
I won't delve too deep into how disgusting this entire act was, but talking about the artist in the frame, Lisa, she comes from thailand, and as much as I'm aware of the thai culture a lot of people from that country are religious too, they have numerous temples, even a few one's with hindu deities....
Even if Lisa didn't come from a very religious background, or she might have, I have no idea...
she must have seen atleast a few religious people around her... she was well aware of the fact, how it would hurt the religious sentiments so many fans of her, yet she did what she had to....
This exactly where my issue with blackpink lies, they're there to enjoy the fame, the lifestyle, the love they get, but are never ready to take responisiblity for their actions...
We're all humans, We're all flawed, No one's perfect, we make mistakes all the damn time, but most of us would apologize for our mistakes, we'd be held responsible for the things we do, but the co. That manages these 4 women, not they themselves are every ready to take over that responsibility....
And do not even get me started over the entire "psuedo feminist" idea they preach (yes, it in my eyes in psuedo feminism, feminism is an ideology, and all of us can perceive it the way we want to)
A lot of western artist are called out mutliple times because of the generic topics they mostly base their lyrics on, the same old, love, sex, money......
Yet, most of these artist do have atleast a few songs in their discographies, that delves deeper into their feelings, or their perception of life, something more meaningful....
With blackpink being one of the biggest names in the kpop industry, I hardly find them ever being "real" with their fans, either be it through their music, or through their interactions....
I honestly have no idea about how much freedom they do have, when it comes to their music, but their music just doesn't have that "life" in it....
Its shallow.... its catchy for sure, I still listen to them once in a while, but will I ever connect to them or their music as an artist, I don't think so...
Until n unless their music goes through a complete transformation (which I highly doubt it will)
I don't think I'd be able to relate to their music, which for me is the essence of it...
As someone who has not only learnt music for years, but has been connected to it beyond just being a "fan" of any artist.... I don't think blackpink's music is something I'd go back and listen to over n over, throughout my life....
Aslo, I do understand that kpop does promote these idols as a full package, where they're much more beyond being just singers, or dancers, or songwriters....
Yet we all would have to agree that music is the crux of it, those songs, their meaning, the lyrics, the music, that is the main focus and everything else is just an icing on it....
But blackpink music, is more about their visuals, their mv sets, their outfits, basically everthing else but the actual song...😅
I completely agree! Thank you for taking time to write down your thoughts🥰 and also thank you for bringing up this controversy :/ it's a shame that these things happen again and again with them and no apology is made and no growth is shown.
Wow no sabía que las miembros de blackpink se encargaban de hacer lo videos musicales 🤡...
Ellas no tienen porque disculparse, es la empresa la que lo debe hacer PORQUE LA EMPRESA ES QUIÉN SE ENCARGA DE LOS VIDEOS MUSICALES. Como sea quieren odiar a blackpink 😂
Tell this to a blink and they will burn down your house cuz they can't accept the truth
@@Churritos978 and I still wouldn't be scared of putting forward my opinion, coz at the end of the day, its just an opinion, its not the end of the world.
@@ayushee_17 exactly
I'm so glad that I came across your channel today.
To be honest when I first got into kpop, I've only known BTS but I thought to give other groups a listen. Blackpink was one of them. I liked some of their songs because they were catchy but as a person who loves to what is the message behind the music/lyrics all I got is MONEY, FAME, I'M BOSS B and they call it women empowerment?!! Women empowerment is respecting their choices, giving the opportunities women deserve, having equal rights as men, not something like I'm superior because I'm rich and you're inferior because you're poor.
I saw many Blinks blaming their labels for not giving them artistic freedom, like gurl....they can have their artistic freedom if they really want to, they are influential enough to stand for their rights for writing their own music only if they're passionate about it. After their hiatus of 2 years, they don't even feel like a group anymore, they feel like four influencers making a collab for music.
And Don't get me started when it comes to fans, mostly half of the fans of this group are either teens or people in their early 20s and sharing messages like I'm pretty and look at you, you're gonna come to me anyways leaves really bad effect on their teen fans like If I'm pretty I can get everything I want, if I'm skinny I will be more pretty and try to follow their diets to look like them which is very unhealthy and cause eating disorders.
QUEENS OF KPOP?!! They have only 37 songs in their discography including their solos and 80% of the songs talk about money, fame, diamonds, pretty face and what not. They can't even be called Artists, they are IDOLS. They promise women empowerment and sings the songs written by men, dunny isn't it. Their marketing strategy for the west was literally being the female equivalent of BTS which as an ARMY and a female I find to be offensive and confusing because you don't have to compare yourself or make yourself a “female" version of any thing just to fit into something.
If I go to write about them, I can write the whole essay but let's just stop here✌️💜
I'm right with you on this! Thank you for watching and commenting
I would not consider them neither idols or maybe they are except Jennie that has left clear is not interested anymore.
An Idol by definition is a role model for teens and children that promotes Korean values, are embassadors of Korean culture and cheerleaders for Korean youth. That is the reason behind the inocent and clean image that an idol should mantain while being idols. It is a job requirement and one supported by the Korean goverment.
Jenni using a bralet and twerking on a concert is her saying that does not care that teens and children have a role model that twerks in public. That is not Korean standard. It is not about her being an adult, it is all to do with her public target: children and teens and the values she is projecting: Korea.
The rest I think are fine with the title but the mess in their first concert contradicts a lot of Korean values like: hardwork, teamwork, respect to your fans, deliver value in your work and practice as a way to perfection. If rumours are truth the only one that actually cared to do the rehersal was actually Lisa, the thai girl was the one to live to the Korean standars and therefort the idol image.
So I would call it an idol doing a collaboration with some influencers.
SOOOOOO TRUEEEEEEE. BRO YOU CAN'T BE MORE RIGHT. The blame that the blinks give to yg is just so meaningless. And also one thing, i don't believe that blinks actually stan blackpink for their music, its everything except music.
Bro so true 😫
You are so true , I am also not in blackpink anymore , I like only rosee cuz she is the only one who loves to sing , others are just insta model
OK, but why doesn't this channel have more views??? So glad youtube recommended me one of your videos) You are def one of the best k-pop themed essay creators!
Thank you so much!
genuinely one of the best kpop essays ive seen. i personally had many opinions about the "female empowerment" marketed by bp and yg, but there were so many points here that i didnt think of and i LOVE that. subscribed and please keep making more essays (as long as youre free and able to ofc!)
tbh i always thought the only women blackpink is empowering is blackpink themselves
I honestly felt crazy because i felt only I was feeling something extremely off with the lyrics. It's like an echo chamber where one praises themselves and fans reflect that back. It promotes toxic positivity where basically no one criticized BP to innovate and move on from the girl boss image and now they are stuck on it. This also reflects in their pink venom tour where they seem like a newly debuted group when they are 3rd gens. It's just sad that the fans are not able to grow up with them.
I think it's because despite the fact that Blackpink is about 4 women, the team behind them, their brand and their music...are mostly men
their feminism is lowkey fake as hell because they're putting down other women in their songs for a guy. and note these songs are written by MEN...
"All of these girls on some uppercase shit
That mean they all cap"
"I'm not like these other girls at all"
Just bp reinforcing that they're different, richer, and better again...
I once wrote a comment, saying that I really appreciated Yunjin’s “I≠DOLL” for being truly empowering under a video that was also talking about Blackpink’s songs messages and I had to take the comment down. I was bombarded with hate replies from Blinks, which truly showcases how deaf some people can be (the video was mostly mentioning the lyrics of Typa Girl).
When it comes to empowerment, I think the obvious answer would be Mamamoo - these 4 women are the embodiment of empowering message - no matter if you like to expose your skin or not, we as women should be allowed to do whatever we’re comfortable with. But I also found empowerment with Le Sserafim, which works very well for younger audiences. The members are all empowering themselves and the way they act is their testimony. Even Eunchae’s Star Diary can be seen as empowering, as this young introverted teen slowly gets over her awkwardness and anxiety and is able to interview and connect with seniors who have years more experience than her.
YG made a very smart move, making BlackPink have pretty privilege in an industry packed with the prettiest girls. This move was what makes them so famous in the west.
First of all, BlackPink' members all have very different visuals. When I first saw Lisa I thought that she was either caucasian or a half. Parts of her natural thai traits were completely erased from her face, making her ethnicity look very confusing while also making her extremely beautiful. Lisa's face looks very unique, and it would be impossible to confuse her with anyone else.
Rosé on the other hand has a very ethereal beauty, especially when her hair is blond. She looks like a fairy and also has unique features, such as big eyes that are close to each other, and her slim yet long face. She looks very unique and also very different from her other members. She sometimes gives off Anya Taylor Joy vibes.
Jisoo's visual is heavily based on the Korean beauty standards. She's basically the perfect korean woman, giving her the nickname of "Miss Korea". Yet it does not stop her from being considered very beautiful in the west.
Jennie's visual is very popular among Koreans who love the round face-fox/cat eyes look, giving the person a cute and sexy appearance. And at the same time she is considered as very beautiful in the west too.
See a pattern here? The 4 of them are extremely beautiful both in the west and in the east, and at the same time they do not look like each other or any other idol. Their features are very recognizable. Which, coupled with their very different images (the ones stated in the video: Tomboy-bubbly, Chic-spoiled, Indie fairy, elegant and sweet), makes it very easy for westerners to get into their fandom.
The fact that there are only 4 members also makes it very easy to know and recognize them, there Isn't much to catch up, you can follow all their activities, and it just makes it easier to distinguish their appearances and personas.
To give you examples of groups who did not take notes to do this, I could start by NewJeans. Very pretty girls, sure. However, to this day, I am unable of telling them appart except Danielle. They all have very big eyes, a small nose and pouty lips, with a similar face shape. This doesn't make getting into their fandom very easy.
Another example would be Twice. Twice do not have the same problem as New Jeans, their visuals are very diverse and it's easy to tell them appart. However, they have 9 members, which is a lot, at least for the local westerner trying to get into KPOP.
Such an interesting point! And I agree, I think their racially ambiguous looks are a huge part of their international appeal. And the fact that you can easily tell them apart.
i would add that their voices also are very easily distinguishable. a warm dark voice, a sweet high voice, smooth rap, raw rap.
All BlackPink members have had plastic surgery procedures, at differing levels. E.g Jennie got her nose tip to be less flat but her nose bridge was not made higher. Rosé's nose bridge was made higher (which is a Korean beauty preference). Jennie got blepharoplasty to make the skin above her eyelid sag less above her eye) but her eyes are still smallish and narrow. Lisa got canthoplasty to make her eyes appear larger and wider. Lisa's rhinoplasty still retains some width in her nose. Whereas Jisoo's rhinoplasty is sharper. Jennie naturally had a flat forehead and she got fat transplant to her forhead to give a rounder side profile to her forehead. Jisoo has a flat forehead but she didn't get fat transfer surgery.
Even their plastic surgeries were done strategically.
Btw Sana and Momo from Twice got a lot of plastic surgery procedures. They actually look more similar now compared to before their surgeries.
I will Honestly always be Amazed by How these 4 Women have such a Strong Aura to such an extent that they "" Embody literally their image "" , Especially Rosé for me , she embodies Sensuality and is the epitome of Feminity , from her face shape , her sensual body her freaking voice and her DANCE MOVES .
Lisa and Jennie too , and Oh My why does Jisoo Beauty looks like a humanized korea if you get what am saying .... It's simply Mind Boggling
@@mariemarilynbp9865 I agree, it's truly incredible
I think that it's part of what makes them THE BlackPink. It's crazy how YG, or whoever came up with the idea of putting them in a group together was right. A marketing genius
Regarding Blackpick and their concept of women being "versatile". I feel like k-pop and popular music (and other mediums) in general portray women as only able to exist in two mediums; it feels like we should be stuck between being savage and cute, between "black" and "pink". If I am feeling green or blue or yellow, I have to turn somewhere else, outside of popular culture, to see someone to relate to, but even than it would be hard to find. Blackpink songs do succeed in making me feel powerful and strong, but if that's all they are planning to do in their creative direction (seems like it), than I probably wouldn't ever feel close to their message.
There are exceptions to that rule, I feel like. But you're right, popular music is not the best place to look for good/ multi-faceted representation of womanhood :/
I am honestly so happy that many more ppl r being aware of their cheap methods and concept and now we can find like hundreds of thousands of vids talking abt it. They r and will be nothing without their Company and that's a UNIVERSAL FACT.
These people singing to the lyrics of Typa Girl are the same who call every other idol (esp gg) "pick me"s.
Completely agree with your analysis and your pt of view. Great video.
I am a true feminist and ive never thought of any woman as a pick me never . After being bullied and beaten up all my childhood and teenage years up till now those songs make me feel something i know bringing someone down is wrong but when they sing like that i imagine my bullies who didn’t succeed makes me happy because in m mind if u are a bad person for so many years without reflecting or apologizing and going on with it as an adult u deserve bad things . I dont feel bad when they sing about being rich and that like i will never be because i am not jealous of women who succeed even if i dont have that life i cheer for them
And with bad things i DONT mean rpe or losing someone u love or something like that. i mean getting the same treatment back and knowing how it feels because most of the times my bullies or my rpist had a happy life after hurting me and others keept on bullying people etc and now whooooopsiiiee the men left them they dont have a job and are struggling i feel bad for the kids but not for them they where spoiled and had money and they hurt me and others physically and emotionally up until like they where 24 an adult so yeah and now they cry how unfair everything is so yes mines is mine and get in line i resonate with their songs
This is such an insightful video! I've always liked Blackpink--found their songs catchy and visuals pretty, but never really paid attention to the lyrics or who they were as a group. Since the recent 'Sell Out' controversy, I've been looking into them a bit more out of curiosity, and it's given me a lot of food for thought.
I find it interesting how every point you've talked about here is so perfectly illustrated in the way extreme outraged fans reacted to the parody: mocking TwoSet for 'flopping' compared to their 'queens', flaunting their wealth and popularity and their status as 'brand ambassadors' (while taking offense to the 'instagram models' line, ironically), simultaneously worshipping and babying them (I couldn't help but notice how Blackpink were often referred to as "innocent girls" while TwoSet were "grown men"...when they're actually pretty close in age!), calling Eddy ugly or in need of plastic surgery, etc... Blackpink's carefully cultivated persona is well represented in the arguments used by those fans to attack TwoSet.
In a way, that's perhaps the answer to what makes them so empowering to some fans. They're an unattainable ideal, but those fans can live vicariously through them, and derive satisfaction from the confidence that "my idol is better than your idol" (nevermind that they're nowhere near on the same playing field). Which is not necessarily a bad thing on its own, mind you. People can admire celebrities and be happy to see the ones they like succeed. Where it gets dangerous and can lead to toxic fannish behavior is when the fans' identity gets too tied up to their idol, and it tends to explode when they encounter something (or someone) that they perceive as threatening their (idol's) superiority. As the past few weeks have demonstrated.
Funnily, your essay is making me appreciate Sell Out all the more. Despite the apparent silliness and irreverent provocation, it's a parody that goes deep into what it's actually calling out. I initially wondered why TwoSet took the risk to anger a huge kpop standom, when they used to be so careful before, but now I'm glad they did it. There's a statement there on so many levels.
Anyway sorry for the rambling, you've just given me a lot to think about. Thanks for making this video!
The connections you drew to the Sell Out controversy!! So true. I also found the parody quite spot on. And the backlash showed so well what some Blinks are about.
Thank you so much for watching and commenting!
man, you a fan of TwoSet? I APPRECIATE YOU! ❤
I think these reasons are also the facts for why Blinks are the most toxic fandom. Because they always listen songs about comparison and these would make anybody down on a long period of time.
no because almost every blink i talk to gives off that kind of condescending, aggressive, dark aura and I always wondered why..
Thank you SO MUCH!!! I feel this exact SAME way about Taylor Swift and so many so-called "feminist icons". This capitalists won't save us. And regarding your question, my women role models are women who uplift their communities and empower and help others to improve themselves in a communal sense. Many of these women are women from my personal life that helped me in my toughest times and who I adore.
I get some blinks/ggs fans saying that there’s hurdle female artists have to face, which is valid. When we look at K-pop industry or whole society is patriarchal and have the additional struggle which we as women have. Seeing Asian women have this influence worldwide is so encouraging, specially when Asian women are seen as submissive and festished. their persona as badasses is inspiring. I really want to root for them but I can’t because their music is… just meh.
I agree with what you’ve said about their music pushing the idea of empowerment as capital gains which is just frustrating but also not surprising how some types of feminism’s goal is just that - being atop of capitalistic hierarchy. Maybe I’m expecting too much but having this huge platform with power is an invitation to be reflective… if not about the society that we live in, then at least of the struggles that we have, as women, as Asian women, as them being women in an industry that isn’t supportive yet capitalizing off of it.
I understand why people find blackpink’s music fun because it is. But that’s it. They’re not feminist icons, they’re not beacon of empowerment. Maybe they’re just public figures that make albums once every 2-3 years.
But what I’m scared for is other female artists who would want to be vulnerable, outspoken and revolutionary but seeing how bp is the marker of success for ggs, it could be discouraging. I just hope that they would have time to make meaningful music that is through their self reflection, but maybe this is just wishful thinking.
Thank you for this video. Really captured why I didn’t vibe with them or their fans into words.
Thank you for bringing up the aspect of their Asian identity and fetishisation. I totally see how their personas go against the harmful stereotypes of Asian women that were perpetuated for so long.
Thank you for watching! 🥰
... and yes, I hope Blackpink won't become the blueprint of how girl groups are going to look like in the future, especially with what you said, the lack of vulnerability :/
Please listen to Hyunjin songs, very inspiring
But for real, what exactly revolutionary about them? I ask myself that everytime I read that phrase
Blackpink broke my heart
I was a huge fan, I’ve been waiting for years for their comeback, I dreamed about every merch they released but got no money for it, I learned the most of their choreo
Everything changed in Lisa’s solo.
Lisa was my bias.
I waited her solo so much.
And then her solo released. I was really broke. Lisa have a big story of her way from Thailand to Korea, to K-pop idol, to a world star. I waited to see and hear this story in her solo. What I got? “ASS ASS MONEY MONEY IM LALISA MONEY MONEY ASS I CAN SWEAR YASS IM THE BEST URE TRASH ASS ASS MONEY LALISA LALISA”
It was a big fail after Rosé’s solo.
Rosé’s solo was the highest point of my love to Blackpink. “On the ground” is a masterpiece. “On the ground” is about the phase when Rosé was a trainee, she worked so hard and she lost the reason why she doing all this, and then she learned how to be happy even when everything is so hard, even when you’re on the ground.
After Lisa’s solo Blackpink started to degrading
Because of TikTok
Money gone viral on TikTok and girls and yg understood the formula of fame
“Low quality, meaningless, easy choreo, viral sound”
“Born Pink” and “me” are made for TikTok
Easy choreography are made for little girls, which gonna do a millions of dance challenge videos
I just don’t feel satisfied when I see this choreo, because its not made to be beautiful, it’s not made to show girls talents, it’s not art. It’s commercial trend for little girls.
The song don’t made to mean something, songs are made for mindlessly twitching, for catchy sound, absolutely nothing more. And songs that mean something people just don’t need. How many videos and trends you seen about “The happiest girl”? None, me too. Because people don’t need it. People don’t need good music and art = yg and Blackpink do what people want and gets money.
And the most hurting thing for me is fans, those mocking other fans who don’t like something. You don’t like something what girls do = ur not a true fan ur stoopid hater.
That's why I'm not BLink anymore bp isn't that bigger that media show them
@@gtx_zaza well, i would say a good decision. which group are u stanning these days??
@@samiksharaj-sf3dc BTS and I luv twice,Itzy, Aespa and Gidle.....
@@gtx_zaza i only stan bts but last year got into gidle, good choice...love their music.
@@samiksharaj-sf3dc yeah me too especially their concept Women empowerment!!
I've watched two video essays some time ago about whether BP is empowering women or not, but nobody has ever pointed out THE VERY OBVIOUS CHOREOGRAPHY???!!!! LIKE WTF
Hahaha I was so eager to point it out, because I couldn't understand how no one EVER talked about it!
@@wandering_thoughts rightfully so!!
I never thought of them as feminist or role models tbh lol but what I always liked about their group is how each member has very distinct role and aesthetic and individuality, of course it would be great if we could see more of their authentic selves and their creative freedom, but I'm afraid it would only happen in a perfect world. A lot of the points are very good but can be said about many other kpop, or just pop artists and our society as a whole. I really think their music is meant to just be fun. Some points (especially about beauty standarts) can be said about boy groups just as much.
I agree, a lot of the points I made apply to other groups as well, and yet I think Blackpink are an extreme case of all of them. I believe the rhetoric fans use and their worship of the members and of their huge international success cannot be understated ("queens", "the revolution" etc.), and that goes for the visual coding of the members as well. And in contrast to other groups, their entire selling point is the "feminism aesthetic". Which as I wanted to point out - is hollow.
I'm happy for you to be able to enjoy their music! As I said in the video, I don't think there's anything wrong with that. I made this video with the intent to deconstruct the beliefs a lot of (often younger) fans seem to have. The blind worship (+ the inevitable comparison with the members that comes with that) and the superiority complex as if they stanned a progressive group (and thinking stanning a girl group somehow makes you a feminist).
And what you said about their aesthetic personas - I think that's actually so interesting and I believe the aesthetic appeal and clear characterization of each member are a huge part of their success. But again, these personas are in no way revolutionary or progressive or feminist. They are just meant to be addictive and to bring in a lot of money. In my opinion, anyway.
@@wandering_thoughts I agree completely. And I think many older fans would agree, it is mostly young ones who worship bp this way, and because of the fact the fandom is so huge it's very noticable. I feel like there is a lot of lost potential with bp sadly. It was a great video!
The "toxic kpop beauty standard" is actually a BUSINESS standard. Fans don't want companies starving idols and focusing on beauty over talent? But then give all their attention and money to the EMBODIMENTS of the business standard
@@wandering_thoughts Literally everything you just stated also applies to any group.
1. Which fandom doesn't use "queen" "slay" "MOTHER" rhetoric to worship their idols?
2. There's a lot of groups who explicitly use the Royal aesthetic, even more so than BP.
3. Their entire selling point was always ASPIRATIONAL - YOU are boxing them into a "feminism aesthetic" so u can shoehorn ur trite arguments as specific to BP when it is an industry and culture-wide issue.
4. It's ironic cos the superiority complex comes from anti-blinks who chastise blinks for enjoying music that isn't "feminist enough." U know kinda like what u are doing.
5. Ur type of commentary is highly insidious cos it implies that there is a 'real feminism' to be found in other groups when the industry itself only sells u images of feminism as a commodity.
If anything BP is the most honest group out there cos what u see is what u get. They should say they're not like the other girls COS THEY'RE NOT, they're rich pop stars... but u want young girls to buy into the condescending and patronizing myth of RELATABILITY about how their idols are ~just like them~.
I couldn’t put my finger on why I didn’t like their songs but I think u just summed it up perfectly. The lyric’s definitely scream pick me.
They didn't right them look at let's say rosè solo she talked about love with her self first then a love with a person plus most of their songs are not about fame money brands
@@Jeezthatbitchsexy lalisa, rockstar, typa girl, shut down etc
Rose and jisoo are the only ones who's solo is actually about the general public and not about themselves
I will still never forget that I stanned Lisa back in the day then I dropped BP because boring and then she goes and drops two songs that are just BRAGGING, i think for a lot of people it left a bad taste when there's so many other things she couldve done like how about a song about moving to a foreign country, a lot of ppl can relate, something vulnerable. nah chose to flex.
YES to everything you said!!!! You perfectly verbalized all of the things I have been thinking about Blackpink, especially after the release of Born Pink. BP was the first k-pop group that appealed to me. But, I quickly transitioned away from them after discovering other groups. Mainly because, like you said, after a while I realized how little they actually offer. I was intrigued by their comeback initially. However, I must have only listened to the Born Pink album once or twice in total. It was completely disappointing, and again didn't offer anything new. The superficiality and lack of depth just gets frustrating after a while. They aren't a group of artists with any vision. They're a brand. It's sad because they have so much potential, yet are unwilling to go beyond the formula that has made them famous. It's understandable if their only goal is to make money and be successful. But, as a consumer, it's not something I want to actively support.
That's why I like itzy, they always talk about how it's ok to be different, without putting anyone down. And they never hid their feelings in their songs.
FINALLY SOMEONE SAID IT. I feel the exact same way about every aspect of this… I believe that someone can only say “i’m rich and hot” so many times before it gets real stale, and they hit that point… a while ago. I never got into them because their lyrics just weren’t empowering or deep, but I’m not a hater, I just prefer groups like Mamamoo and (G)-idle who really make you think and still produce amazing music.
As a blink myself i would like to comment on this video. Before people comment under me i would like to say now that i fully agree with this video. Being a woman and flexing how rich you are and how better you are isn’t a feminist move. What drew me so close to Blackpink was when they came out with their first song in my 6th grade year. I liked their outfits and cool looks and it took me away from my reality from being bullied in middle school. When the Blackpink documentaries came out i really connected with Jennie. I was in a dance and performance agency since i was 4 years old. I would get so shy off stage and i got really nervous nights before my performances. I remember my dance teacher yelling in my face and humiliating me infront of the class. I would try my hardest not to cry infront of everyone because i was scared of being laughed at. Connecting with Jennie made me feel so much sympathy for her. Every time a new song came out I would think about all those years working hard and how hard i worked as a child. The hard work means so much and i felt it in a second hand way. However over the years the lyrics and fandom have become more toxic and it disappoints me about the group. i’m very happy to see this video is made and i applaud your hard work!!! thank you for this :)))
Have nothing against blackpink, I listen to their music casually, but everything said in this vid sums up the problem with them. Imo, the blackpink members themselves are not the ones at fault here, rather its Blinks and YGE. I feel like from blackpink's debut, they were just promoted as this badass girlgroup and nothing more. But Blinks forced them this narrative of being the "embodiment of feminism and women empowerment" and thats when YGE also began to promote blackpink the same way.
Blackpink uses "feminism" and "women empowerment" as an aesthetic and nothing more. Yet they portray this very poorly as they present feminism as egoistical and arrogant. Though if I said this on twitter, i wouldve definitely be bombarded with death threats by now.
any kind of BP's "female empowerment" image just lessens even more by how much their career has been created and directed by MEN, everything they do is for men, every song is 80% to 100% created by men.
At least with [g]i-dle Soyeon creates empowerment songs with WOMEN in mind and [g]i-dle are very much for the girls kind of group and take pride in that.
You asked my favourite girlboss artist?
For me It's Taylor Swift. I think you need to watch her documentary to get it but I love her. She barely brags in her songs but when she does it's about how "so many fade, but I'm still here". Her songs (not just her singles) are authentic, real and relatable. Also The Man is just like a feminist song all around.
The Man Quotes
"When everyone believes ya, whats that like?"
"Wondering if I'd get there quicker if I was a man"
"They wouldn't shake their heads and question how much of this I deserve"
The only time I can ever remember about her bragging about money is when someone else was earning money from her downfall or her music
"And if he spend my change then he had it coming" I Did Something Bad (2017)
"My Pennies made your crown" Karma (2022)
Her only misogynistic song (Better Than Revenge) in her discography has been addressed and she has recognised it was wrong and changed the lyrics. She even made a song 10 years later about "The Other Woman" talking about how when she was young she thought that another girl could actually steal her boyfriend but in reality she realised the other woman usually has no idea shes the other woman and he can't "get stolen" if he actually wants to stay with you. The song she made about this is called August.
SHE HAS DONE IT AGAIN! 💗THE QUEEN OF VIDEO ESSAYS!
Nooo you flatter me🥺🥺
I just wanna tell you that you're doing an amazing job and I FRICKIN LOVE YOUR VIDEO ESSAYS PLS KEEP MAKING THEM
For some reason, I saw your comment twice haha
Thank you so much, though! That means a lot
the idea of them losing their musical identity if they experiment too much is so interesting and i never thought of it. but its true. because for example bts experiments a LOT, but they have extremely distinct vocal tones and rap styles that make them distinguishable. same goes for groups like mamamoo and maybe gidle. honestly when i first heard bp in 2017 i loooved their stuff because i was new to kpop and wasnt too into cutesy songs (love them now) and found them to be a breath of fresh air. i also loved that they had distinct voices compared to other girlgroups i had heard at the time. but when they started making the same exact stuff over and over again while the quality got lower and the lyrics got worse i just... stopped caring. and when i saw the way blinks talk about them it started getting a little offputting because its perfectly fine to love their music, but praising the girls for women empowerment while constantly insulting other girlgroups is NOT feminism. and acting like being rich and pretty makes you better than other girls is NOT feminism. bragging about expensive concert tickets and paid lives and brand endorsements just makes me feel sad too. but i think the absolute biggest reason i started having an issue with bp was their concert clips. fans pay a LOT of money to go there, just to see incredibly subpar performances. im not talking about instances when theyre actually sick or hurt. but ive never seen another kpop grouo behave like that, where they pick and choose which performances to do well in, or where fans have to go "no i promise they did well in the other song the other day". its incredibly unfair to fans and honestly just plain wrong
If Rosé’s solo “on the ground” and Jennie’s “solo” doesn’t convey vulnerability, then I don’t know what does. Rosé literally sings about the importance of being humble and grounded despite one’s success. Jennie sings about having strength to be independent.
The problem with this “commentary video essays” is that as much as you try to be unbiased, you still are. You leave important facts just to prove your point.
Also, they’re a manufactured kpop girl group, most of the songs they sing about shouldn’t be taken seriously anyways. I think mature and smart fans know that.
Blackpink is famous and loved not just because of their hits, but because they are well rounded sweet and humble girls irl. And thats why they remain to be inspiring despite having naysayers like some youtuber with a thousand subscribers.
I need a part 2 for the year 2024!!!!! Please cause so much has changed.
female artist who i find inspiring: Beyonce like I know that's basic but this woman is one hell of a hard worker and a perfectionist and she influences me by example all the things she has were earned by hard work and persistence.
nicki minaj I LOVED nicki as a kid and i literally wanted to enter the screen of my tv to be part of her world. all the colourful barbie stuff really spoke to me, and that celebrates girliness what nicki inspires me to do has nothing to do with her music but more with her character. I think she is authentic, and let me not start about how whenever i'm. sick of school nicki is in the back of my mind saying "stay in school" lol
Saweetie as well she is one hell of a business woman and she is always putting herself out there she single handedly keeps her brand going and i respect that.
J fckn Cole let me just say I can't stop listening to this man I'm over here looking up interviews from years ago just so i can get to see more of his mind. like he talks about some real things like things that actually matter and are worth thinking about. things that need to be thought about and he shares his honest opinion. he encourages people to believe in themselves but not be mindless, and he is proof that if you actually work towards your dream you will reach them. and not to mention his lifestyle in and of itself, he is just a regular guy that has achieved success and that is inspiring. and he shares his insecurities as well and how it's beautiful to be imperfect (crooked smile) honestly J Cole is more of a feminist icon than Blackpink oop-
PS: also i'll never forget when kendrick lamar said "I'm so tired of the photoshop show me something natural like ass with some stretch marks" NEVER
J MOFUGGIN COLE BABY!
Here from TwoSetViolin (found your channel through a reply to a comment), and I love this video, absolute banger
Thank you so much! I'm glad you enjoyed it☺️
Blackpink is the best example of how kpop groups should be perfectly marketed. The credit of that should go to even rhough blinks love to hate Yg
Coming from twoset for the roast, stayed for actually good video essay
Thank you so much for being here!🥰
Same.
Me too!
Great video! I must point out that Jennie and Rosé's response that "its something new" to the interviewer's (Zach?) question about what makes fams relate to them and their artistry was kind of lame and underwhelming...idk they couldve gone into a littke depth and said more ig?
9:49 you have a great point, but in case you didn't know all the BP members were born with a very wealthy lifestyle so I feel like even if they weren't a group they probably would still have money anyways. But yeah I am tired of the overused " I'm rich " " you can't afford this " type of lyrics like..teddy we already have enough of those types of songs😐 it's a little annoying.
I noticed as an old person that they are a marketed brand from their company - I don’t believe they actually have their own say - just what their company allows them to say
That could be!! But I also think that if they really want any artistic freedom, they actually can....they are influential enough to have their say about what they want but only if they are passionate about it. The only member I think feels at least passionate about music os ROSÈ....and maybe Lisa.
I agree that they were being controlled by company during their debut years but now after 6 years being in the industry, I think they can have control over their music if they really want to.
*sigh* I wish if they are going to continue music and renew their contract, they could at least stand for themselves as a ARTIST, not IDOLS!!
Peace💜
@@aishu_k02 no, ellas no tienen 100% el control de lo que hacen, su empresa no les dan libertad de poder escribir y lanzar canciónes escritas por ellas mismas y si las dejan no las promocionan, es como si YG les dijera: créditos o promociones, un ejemplo es Rosé, ellas esta acreditada en ambos solos pero su empresa no la promociono como Lisa o Jisoo, Rosé hasta tuvo que crear las portadas y teaser a su álbum, no tendrán ese privilegio de libertad creativa al menos hasta que llegue el día de la renovación del contrato donde ellas podran exigir no se, como 2 comebacks por año. También otra prueba de que YG no les da libertad en lo que hacen es con Jennie, la canción 100% escrita por ella (I love u and me) recién se esta dando a conocer a pesar de que Jennie menciono en un vídeo que esa canción estaba lista para ser su canción debut en solitario pero YG la cambio por Solo
I personally have never idolized or worshipped BP as being revolutionary! Nor did I ever think of their music as pushing the boundaries of feminism. Maybe it's because I got into K-pop when I was in college. I was a lot more mature and had a good grasp of who I was and what I stood for! I casually listen to BP and I consider myself a fan but I can objectively say that their music is nothing ground-breaking! But I believe their Solo work has much more substance (and I use that word lightly) than their group comebacks!
Sidenote: I am a major Rosie fan! I want Rosie to have free creative license over her solo projects going forward but I know that isn't going to happen as long as she is under YG or THEBLACKLABLE! I feel like 'GONE' was more for Rosie and 'On The Ground' was YG racking in the cash! Although OTG did significantly better than GONE, I prefer the latter!
But great video!
spitting nothing but facts
i agree so much with everything you said about their lack of vulnerability. i was a huge blink during 2020, they were one of my safe spaces during the lockdown. but when i watched the netflix documental i felt such a disconnection it made me drop them. it made me realize how... plastic they were. they made me feel nothing, they showed no vulnerability, they were absolutely unrelatable, and they had barely anything to say about their music and the few comments they made about it felt cold and empty because i know and *they* know they don't participate in the making of it.
This video is so well-made, I loved every second of it!
I do wonder, though, if they'd started out with a "love yourself, everyone is different and unique" concept similar to Itzy, how long would have they lasted? We know the massive success Itzy had in the beginning with its peak being 'Wannabe', but they've started falling off. I feel like JYP doesn't know what to do with them as well because how long can you repeat the same nice empowering message without it sounding repetitive?
I read a comment where Blackpink is compared to the Kardashians and it made me think back to when Kylie Jenner said that she had to post her luxury cars and share her luxurious lifestyle with the world because that was what people wanted to see. And for that time, it was indeed the case. But people got tired.
Blackpink are successful because at the beginning of their career the marketing strategy was great. As for now, they continue to be successful because most people haven't gotten tired of them, they want to see what Blackpink promotes and they'll eat it up everytime.
The way you put every single one of my thoughts about bp into words is immaculate ✨ Incredible essay, thank you for your work
Thank you for watching! I'm glad you enjoyed the video!
This video is gold! I would have never been able to articulate this well myself about what's so wrong about blackpink's ideals that are woven into their works. I might be one of those k-pop fans who would just, for the lack of better words, just blame it again on the company, producer, and songwriter 😅
When I first got into K-pop I too only know BP and enjoyed their music. The thing is, the disrepancy of quality became so clear when you look into other GG's musics that have much more nuance, realness, and life in it. Of course there are some fair share of empty, attention grabbing musics by other GGs too but not much of them really overuse and make it their brand their whole career.
As for the question; I feel really empowered by Mamamoo's songs. Especially "Wind Flower" and "Better Than I Thought" that promotes one's inner ability to maintain peace and understanding within oneself after a heartbreak. It helped me be at peace with my own life's turbulence and vulnerability. I'm really inspired by how the members conduct themselves offstage too, they always show kindness and care to everyone around them no matter who. Not to mention how comfortable they are in their own skin too, always goofing around and taking care of each other
This is like actually such a good dive into blackpink as a whole I love this i wish it had more views
Thank you so much! I'm glad you enjoyed it!
It's just stunning to see that some people stay lucid even about these supra-popular girls and their popularity. Thank you for say loud what a lot thought quietly ! Amazing work !
So, 🙃 This is heartbreaking. As a dieheart fan of bp this is really hurtful to listen to BUT I can't deny that this is truth........... 😔
And I really agree with all this facts. And I was really getting teary only in half of the video because the idols, the rolemodels you look up to are just their fake personalities shown to us.....😕... And this is sad cause I am stanning to them for mare than 4 years. 🙂
There is nothing wrong with liking and supporting them! And I'm sure a lot of what they have shown to their fans is true.
Thank you for being respectful, even though I criticized someone you love. I really appreciate it
This comment is sad to see. This video is but one person's perspective and it certainly isn't all "facts". I've just posted a separate comment within this comment section from the perspective of a Blink. It is long but you might like to read it.
If you still come to the same conclusion about Blackpink afterwards then so be it. Have a good day.
I’ve been a fan since a few months after their debut. I was in highschool and I thought they were really changing the game. They didn’t change it they just perfected it. I’m still a fan now but a lot more casual. I’m now 22 and I just appreciate them for what they are, fun girly music to shut your mind off and get ready to or workout too. I was tired of their lack of actual artistry and thought maybe if I wait it’ll come, I know now it’s never gonna come, so I accept them for what they are. It’s catchy it’s fun and that’s it. When I want to listen to something more experimental or thought provoking there’s hundreds of other artists I can listen to. Both within kpop and outside of it. I still enjoy them very much, maybe I appreciate them a lot more bc like i said it’s fun music. It makes me feel confident and pretty. I saw them at coachella this year and it was fun. And I love a lot of more “surface” level artists both kpop and western.
Wow, you just put everything I’m thinking into words ❤
Love this analysis thank you for this! I feel like there is a very important point that gets ignored in these conversations and it's the influence of black culture in the marketing of "powerful" "hip hop" girl groups. It's sad that even though most of the musical and lyrical influence comes from black culture they probably do not understand the context and history behind hip hop. (This goes to all of kpop)
This is the best analytical video I've watched in a while. What a commendable job you've done, I'm totally agreed with your each & every point. And I'm so glad that I found your channel, your new subscriber here!
Thank you so much! I'm glad you enjoyed the video!
This is a good critique of BP's music. I'm glad you put it out there. Also, I don't hate BP. I like their melodies and beats. I used to like BP until I started looking into their lyrics. I just don't like their lack of substance. I agree with you that the lyrics are only empowering BP and not anyone else and are generic and cringy. I'm also not impressed by their on-stage performances. YG has too much control over the group. I'm sure the members are talented, but as I see it, they are just performing monkeys. It's sad bc I'm sure the girls can do a lot more.
This video needs to go viral
okay but your editing is top tier😭
Thank you!! I'm glad you enjoy it :)
Well this is such an eye-opener for blinks and casual listeners like me i wanted to somehow become a good hard core blink as i felt i am not appreciating girls hardwork and arent exactly the fan i could listen their music but never bring myself to stan them for some reason and now as i grow up i am getting to know how dangerous and dark thisk k pop music industry is i am very much infuriated 😠 at YG and girls themselves how they use as such teen fans as their money machine success more on gurls cause we know how toxic and shitty their fans can they literally cyber bully everyone out there who choose to give girls some constructive criticism and how delusional they are but they choose to ignore ( i also feel it's stupid for me to get angry on bp but i can't help but be be angry) hope all other blinks to do wake up to this reality and show that they can't be just used by them.
You made such an amazing video☺️ and i love your intro ❤ keep up 👍 the good spirit!!
woahhh this video is so well thought out and amazing!!! i never really vibed with bp- just enjoying them along with other people when they were popular- but knew they didnt have the musicality or depth that i seek in an artist. kinda wild that actually examining their message and music turns me off even more from before T_T but thats just how it is sometimes
Great video & very thoroughly constructed! There are definitely a lot of things Blackpink can or should be criticized for and you did a really good job at discussing those without being disrespectful or hateful. Conversations like these are quite necessary in the world of k-pop, where people are so quick to glamorize and yell "queens" or "kings" ... Personally, I enjoy a lot of their music as a casual listener, since both the music videos and the music itself are extremely well-produced on a technical level. However, I think we have to recognize that that's pretty much where the greatness ends, Blackpink doesn't go deep or asks questions about our world and they don't have to. It's not wrong to be pretty and love shiny things - at the end of the day, they're just doing their job (without caring much about the influence they have on their audience, though). However, it becomes a problem when people want Blackpink to be more than what they are, what they stand for & what they were created for. Essentially, they are using feminism and confidence as an aesthetic - I don't want to shame them for that, it's common in k-pop and the media overall, but we should be aware that what they do and say is (that's my stance, at least) not worthy of being called "the revolution". Thank you for opening this discussion!
I'm right with you on this!
If I remember correctly, it was the idea of "queens" that made me want to do a video about Blackpink and their image.
And you put it so well - "they are using feminism and confidence as an aesthetic" really hits the nail on the head
ok wait but that intro was so fire 😭if i was a blink i'd go crazy
Hahaha thank you so much
I genuinely enjoy their music and beat. I'm not a hardcore fan of them and I didn't really have a problem with their songs. But ever since Typa Girl came out, I thought I was the only one who felt kinda... uncomfy? Cringey? I don't know what to name it, but the line "I'm not like these other girls at all" seriously shook me, in a bad way. Like what are they trying to convey at this point? I thought I was the only one who thought like this but I'm glad this video stumbled on my recommendation
THESE FACTS. Girl go on. She just spoke everything facts.
If you really wanna look at the black side you should definitely look at 2NE1 cause blackpink only sells the pink side 2NE1 literally showed me what true artist is
While watching this I was thinking as to why does every Blackpink song lyric feel like it was written by a man? Then I went and looked it up and.......😶🥲
Yeah... It's the perfect example of how men think a confident woman thinks like
Part 3: I don't believe they can have a choice in what they do.
There's a buzz that an author of their songs has stopped working with them because she hasn't received the recognition she deserves. Only the company begged her to come back.
According to her, the compositions of the 4 were rejected by the producers and directors.
Do you know the name of the songwriter or have a source/link? I'd love to read up on that :)
@@wandering_thoughtsthere is also a producer who worked with them for 3 or 4 Songs I think who said that he was more like an co writer and that the girls worked really hard and wrote lyrics but none of the songs were on the album. Sadly I don't know his name anymore
@@lavinia648is it bekuh boom
@@lavinia648 i think he Ryan Tedder, the One Republic guy ( i can be wrong let me know if I'm) . it's happens maybe his songs aren't selected for the final selection of album songs or they kept it for future . This types of things happens , not every songs get through the final selection.
“The paradox of simultaneously babying and worshipping idols” yeah, you put it really well
It’s fuckin weird
A bit difficult to wrap my head around
When i first got into kpop blackpink was my favorite girl group because I found them confident on stage but slowly came in realise what are they portraying. I'm sorry to say but I don't sense their individuality, most of their songs are about being rich, pretty and flexing..
Great vid!
Personally, I doubt the girls are conscious of the implications of their image and discography, in the same way they probably don’t have control/don’t desire control over the work and image they put out. It’s making them big money and fans either way
Yeah probably :/
Thank you so much for watching!
Idk man its so funny for me how you just poetically read their raps 😅😂😂
I've been for the span of two years in a back and forth to delete their Playlist, the last thing I have of my time following them. It was nostalgic to me since they were the first group of females I tried to listen to, expand outside the boy groups' espectrum, and because in the beginning, I really enjoyed their music. However, after all the mess within the Fandom and the feeling of abandonment towards their fans when things got desperate, there was just too much drama for me. Music has never been about that to me, so I stopped following them in all social platforms, which leaves me now with the only thing that remains from them, the Playlist.
But now you've helped me make up my mind, finally. Thank you so much. ❤️😅
I think we as human like pretty, beautiful things and somehow blackpink presents that. They provide that craving of what we want to have or we would like to have. Now Its up to you on how you receive that concept, some ppl find it shallow, pretentious and in authentic, cos we know nobody is perfect and real life definitely not that grand and flashy for majority of the people. While others find it inspiring, fun and it's something you want to strive for. The sad thing is as a music lover like me, i want an artist and their music as someone or something i can relate to, that they experience sorrows and disappointments. Let me make it clear tho, not a fan but their songs are catchy, an earworm as someone would say but it lacks substance and very repeatitive. It seems like they have found the formula and stuck with, milk it till it dries out.
P.s. When you recited the lyrics made me cringe. They sound like that mean girl, queen bee in high school. Give it up to the producers, lyricists and whoever is responsible to these songs. Damn they made these girls so shallow and unrelateable at all.
Excellent video essay thank you. I do believe they portray more agency than they have ever given by their company in reality. Whether YG the man is still there, or not. He did create them with “but the pretty one” in mind when contrasting them to 2ne1 which consist of super talented and very attractive young women and yet he characterised as “the ugly group”. Showing that the girls themselves were never his focus. The market is. One was positioned in the market as the “ugly” group. And by ugly he meant strong, unapologetic typified by “I am the best” that’s still one of my favourite kpop song of all time. Which is saying a lot in itself. To equate a strong group of women as ugly. While BlackPink is positioned as “the pretty one” with more feminine and glamorous aesthetics. The unobtainable beauty who knows her worth. Sadly in this instance, in money, and other external worth. Something YG confused as what “hiphop” is all about. (Speaking of the "knowing my worth cooncept", Le Sserafim is doing a better job at right now. Because they are potraying internal worth as the definition of self worth and confidence: I am not fragile, I am fearless, etc. Instead of I am so rich and powerful all of you can lick my boots and say thank you).
Although the reality of selling and the market is part of the music business, kpop seems to me to be characterised with an over representation of the market above all else. The music is more of a by product of what they sell. He may no longer have direct involvements anymore. But his format is set. And with a company not focusing on creativity and authenticity, he left a perfect production machine behind, knowing very well how to mass produce successful formula over and over again. (Big Bang was at the start of the company so they were different. Just as BTS was the start of Big Hit / HYBE, and they were allowed more freedom. Newer artists are plagued with more scripted presence, as companies become more risk averse with increased financial stakes and legal obligations to keep shareholders happy. Which is why I think the company structure of kpop will eventually fail those who truly want to create and be creatives).
For as long as confidence is for sale and for as long as the girls are young and pretty enough to deliver these products and services, they will continue to sell. They are the queen of kpop because they are quintessential kpop.
Wow!💯
Thank you for adding all of this!
And thanks so much for watching🥰
i think keep six or sechskies is start of yg entertainment
This may sound ridiculous and I'm not trying to insult Lisa, I can see why people call her a pick-me girl in the past. Her statement of not being like other girls and being a tomboy screamed pick me vibes or am I misinterpreting her words?
I don’t think her described her own fashion sense’s tomboy is considered a “pick me”
Since when to use being a tomboy is to be a “pick me”?
@@tipicotipoew How talking about how she delivered her message.
Honestly throughout the video ,it felt like a friend was talking to me , you have put everything very nicely in words , and yess they aren't really empowering women , I just always liked their fits and style and it fascinated me bcz I belong to a very conservative background where you can't dress the way you like
Thank you!
I hope you'll be able to dress the way you like!!
The editing, the audio quality - everything is so good!!
I have many issues with Blackpink, but above all I simply can’t stand their sound. Their music sounds so dated and unpleasant. To me they are pretty faces, but not much else.
this is my first video i’ve watched from you and OMG i could write a whole ass essay on how amazing you did with doing this anaysis of Blackpink. it was surprisingly eye opening especially with the choreography 😳
i enjoy their music and knew it wasn’t high quality or that meaningful but this genuinely made me go holy sh!t they really are just putting women down in these lyrics - of course they don’t write them they’re “women written by men” in a way. they’re voicing a male point of view , male ideologies and stereotypes that benefit men
I’m a BLINK and I thought this video would be very biased, but i was pleasantly surprised! I think you were very fair in your assessment with BLACKPINK.
When I say that I love BLACKPINK, I’ve always been talking about Jisoo, Jennie, Rose, and Lisa. How they are in interviews and how they treat each other when they’re together in vlogs as well as how they treat fans is what made me really start to love them. Even if BP disbanded, it’s the girls I’ve cared for, not the brand of BLACKPINK.
And as much as I can say I love BLACKPINK, I do recognize it as a brand. I never felt as though they’re trying to put out songs that were thought provoking-their lyrics tended to stick to surface level topics. Feels like most K-pop bands are there for entertainment, not always to make us feel anything. Also, I always considered BP lyrics and their personas to be more of an act and less of who they really are. I don’t understand Korean so I was always into their songs just for the fun beats, but knowing what the lyrics are saying, I can see why it would be problematic, especially for young K-pop fans. I became a blink in 2020, well into my late 20’s, so I never took their songs to be saying “this is what I believe is true,” more like “here’s some lyrics that sounds strong and cool, I hope you have fun singing them.” But when I saw them on tour and I saw little kids in the crowd, I couldn’t help but feel that BLACKPINK songs weren’t really appropriate for their demographic. The world that BLACKPINK sings about isn’t a real one, and as an adult I know this, but with kids this can be distorted.
Hearing you talk about how their lyrics aren’t empowering really made me think about why some of my favorite songs from them are the ones that make me feel empowered, Love to Hate me being one of them. From personal experience of having someone in my life that was always critical of the things I did, it felt freeing to sing that song and to mean every word of it. I see how some BLACKPINK songs can be a bit “pick me,” but since it always felt like just an act and not reality, I could still enjoy their music and not dive too deep into the meanings.
What you said about MONEY by LISA really brought up a good point, but for me MONEY was empowering because for the longest time, I had been so careful with money. I’d want a boba or I’d see a cute dress but didn’t want to spend money on myself, so I’d always find reasons why I shouldn’t get myself something. Hearing Lisa sing “Imma drop it like it’s pouring imma pour it on myself” makes me be like huh, spoiling myself every once in a while isn’t a bad thing haha! Maybe her song is more in your face and bragging about money, but for me it was a reminder that I shouldn’t feel bad to spend my own money on myself, and plus the song is just fun to sing!
I really love the girls, and BP is my favorite K-pop group, but I don’t know that BLACKPINK or any K-pop group should be looked up to as a role model or standard of living. So much of the K-pop industry can be toxic. I think it’s all right to enjoy the music and to really care about the members, but their world of K-pop is not reality, and it’s important to remember to keep our feet planted in the real world while we enjoy these groups and songs.
Im sure I could go on and on, but I’ll stop here for now and say that I’m glad I came across this video! There’s things we agree on and things we don’t, but I was still interested in hearing your side of things, and I think the video was well done. Thanks for reading! ❤
I don't think the lack of vulnerabilty is necessarily a negative trait, most pop artists only do upbeat shallow songs, that's what the genre mainly stands for and it's ok to just be the type of artist who makes music for when you want to dance/escape/feel badass.
I agree on everything else though, I love them but it's so frustrating to see how much their concept could've been way better executed and the girls themselves probably lack awareness of the real world so they don't even notice any of these things.
10:02 when i was new to blackpink i really get inspired by Blackpink body figure i really want to have body like Lisa .... But soon realised she was born skinny ....
Please don't compare yourself to them
Thank you for making this video.
I just don't take it past face value. Blackpink's persona just gives off so much Pintrest, IG Baddie that there's no way it can be real. Everything about Blackpink from their music videos, lyrics, and Instagrams are so curated. I just listen to their music, feel like a bad bitch, and keep it pushing. This isn't a Blackpink issue, but a YG issue. YG has always tried to push their idols as these too cool for school, "better than you" artists that it's not even surprising that Teddy, with the level of fame Blackpink achieved, is making lyrics like that but to the max.
Agreed!
@@greenthinggg like not everything is as deep as ppl try to make it seem. If Blackpink marketers themselves as “feminists” that would be one thing, but that is purely made up by fans and haters alike. Blackpink just market themselves as strong women. I bet they’re feminists in their actual lives, but that’s not what they’re persona is all about
@@samcarmen right! Like I never saw them as women empowerment it was always clear to me it was more self empowerment and that's fine
@@greenthinggg exactly. Ppl always try to make celebrities these big symbols, when most of the time they aren’t. And that’s completely fine
don't get me wrong. I listen to blackpink's song on a daily basis. I like their songs, the songs are catchy and I love them as a group. but if you want to talk about confidence, femininity, and empowerment, I think little mix has it all. yes, i know they are not part of kpop. they represent all three of those things well, in my opinion. for example in the song salute, little me, woman's world, strip and every song on the LM5 album. they also often talk about insecurity and how difficult it is to live as a woman. In my opinion, little mix is the complete definition of empowerment. love your video btw, you explained it very well
I'm super glad that you made this video, though I'm late to see this. There are so many things I'd like to address, similarly to what you've said in the video but all the fans would come at me. To be honest, I think Blackpink has become so problematic since 2019 with "Kill This Love", back then I only listened to their early tracks because they sound absolytely catchy, without paying too much attention to the context of the songs. Thanks to your analysis, I've started to notice some of the things I didn't see/hear before, but at least I know that I'm not the only one who feels uncomfortable to listen to these shallow lyrics and their flexing culture, it's just the same formula that they've used in every single song. You're right, they're not empowering anyone but themselves. I'm so sorry to any of the Blinks who are offended by this but truth needs to be told. Specially in an interview with Zach Sang, when asked about what makes them different from other groups, you can tell that the girls are dumbfounded and it takes them a while to answer, sad....
As a gay person Blackpink does make me feel like I can be powerful. Blackpink seems like they do have a different personality off screen and on screen, when they are on screen they act like they are super rich but irl they don’t. My friend once met Lisa at a restaurant where she was the waiter and Lisa was very nice and gave her a much bigger tip than usual. I do think they are feminists they just aren’t allowed to say they are. I think this bc there are plenty of times they support women and the lgbtq community like when Jennie changed the misogynistic lyrics of typa girl at coachella. I think their songs are empowering but we should not mean those lyrics and I think the girls think the same way. They don’t write what they put out and the songs they do write don’t have the rich girl vibe like yeah yeah yeah and on the ground. On the ground was written by rose and it shows how she feels, money and status isn’t everything. The points you made about what feminism really is are true and I’m glad you made a video about it so people don’t start treating people that way or trying to reach that level of perfection.
As a gay person: get better idols. Their empowerment is all about putting others down until you are the only one left on top. As an outsider looking in, you can clearly see that mentality in a lot of their fans as well. If you want it or not, these „morals“ will rub off on you and that mentality is definitely not how you should treat people in your life. I promise that you are better than that and that misogynistic men talking through the mouths of pretty women is so much less than you are worth. If you have to prove that they are feminist through undocumented accounts of fans and not through their work, then something is wrong with an artist who clearly profits off the feminist image they portray. This is not to say that you can’t like their music or anything like that, just that you deserve better sources of empowerment.
You need better idols. And celebs are programmed to be nice outside cause of cameras, don't be gullible
I think looking at the lyrics meaning are common now, but back then no one would care about it.YG is definitely stuck in the past.