Seo Taiji 1992-2004: South Korean popular music and masculinity (my master's thesis)
© Janet Hilts 2006 - please note: this is not the final version of my thesis.
CHAPTER 2: Talking about Seo Taiji, popular music and gendered meanings
Published 금요일, 3월 17, 2006 by 쟈넷 | E-mail this post
This chapter focuses on Seo Taiji fans’ talk about gender, the sound of popular music and Seo Taiji. I have looked for patterns that emerged in fans’ talk on these issues. From examining these communications, we can better understand how young(er) South Koreans make sense of their popular culture environment and gender—of being a certain type of man or a certain type of woman. Examining these communications can also help us understand what types of meanings are produced around the music, performance and image of stars, in this case of Taiji, in South Korea.
In this chapter I am less concerned in the fine details of fans’ communication and more in the broader patterns that emerged from how fans made sense of the topics at hand: gender, popular music and Seo Taiji. First, I present analyses of fans’ communication about popular music (its sound) and gender. Second, I present analyses of fans’ communication about Seo Taiji in terms of gender. In the first section, I will discuss the sense-making of fans where music seems expressive of a variety of genders and as well as expressive of only extremes of masculinity and femininity. In the second section, I discuss two common patterns: Seo Taiji is expressive of a number of different types of gender, and, Seo Taiji has no gender and instead expresses his individual personal characteristics.
Now when notions of masculinity and femininity are in flux in South Korea (not always and everywhere but often to a great degree), young South Koreans’ communications are highly valuable snapshots of rapidly transforming culture at work. In the fans’ communications throughout this chapter, we will come across considerable hesitation, ambivalence and even confusion, as well as considerable diversity of opinion: for instance, one fan says Taiji’s plurality of gender expressions is realistic and particularly contemporary, while another says Taiji has no gender at all. Fans’ talk will seam particularly unstable, going this way and that, and rarely certain. Dynamic at times, ambivalent or reluctant at others, the types of communications about gender and about Taiji in this chapter are particularly interesting because they reflect and piece together a highly transitional period in young Korean’s contemporary culture, where little can be spoken plainly about and little is static.
In addition to conceptions of gender, fans’ talk in this chapter provide us with insight into how non-linguistic modes of signification, in this case music, make sense to young(er) Koreans and factor into their conceptions of gender. In this regard, this chapter is a much-needed addition to work on South Korean popular music that focus on lyrics (Howard, 2002, 2003; J. S. Lee, 2004; Maliangkay, 2003; Noh, 2001, 2002; Shin, 1998) and fan reception of dancing, star image and lyrics (Morelli, 1997; Pak, 2003; Willoughby, 2005; Young, 1999).
In this chapter I am less concerned in the fine details of fans’ communication and more in the broader patterns that emerged from how fans made sense of the topics at hand: gender, popular music and Seo Taiji. First, I present analyses of fans’ communication about popular music (its sound) and gender. Second, I present analyses of fans’ communication about Seo Taiji in terms of gender. In the first section, I will discuss the sense-making of fans where music seems expressive of a variety of genders and as well as expressive of only extremes of masculinity and femininity. In the second section, I discuss two common patterns: Seo Taiji is expressive of a number of different types of gender, and, Seo Taiji has no gender and instead expresses his individual personal characteristics.
Now when notions of masculinity and femininity are in flux in South Korea (not always and everywhere but often to a great degree), young South Koreans’ communications are highly valuable snapshots of rapidly transforming culture at work. In the fans’ communications throughout this chapter, we will come across considerable hesitation, ambivalence and even confusion, as well as considerable diversity of opinion: for instance, one fan says Taiji’s plurality of gender expressions is realistic and particularly contemporary, while another says Taiji has no gender at all. Fans’ talk will seam particularly unstable, going this way and that, and rarely certain. Dynamic at times, ambivalent or reluctant at others, the types of communications about gender and about Taiji in this chapter are particularly interesting because they reflect and piece together a highly transitional period in young Korean’s contemporary culture, where little can be spoken plainly about and little is static.
In addition to conceptions of gender, fans’ talk in this chapter provide us with insight into how non-linguistic modes of signification, in this case music, make sense to young(er) Koreans and factor into their conceptions of gender. In this regard, this chapter is a much-needed addition to work on South Korean popular music that focus on lyrics (Howard, 2002, 2003; J. S. Lee, 2004; Maliangkay, 2003; Noh, 2001, 2002; Shin, 1998) and fan reception of dancing, star image and lyrics (Morelli, 1997; Pak, 2003; Willoughby, 2005; Young, 1999).
Previous posts
- [ch. 2] Popular music and gendered meanings
- [ch. 2] Popular music and gendered meanings cont.
- [ch. 2] Taiji and gender 1
- [ch. 2] Taiji and gender 2 & Conclusion
- Vignette # 2
- CHAPTER 3: Alternative masculinity through Seo Tai...
- [ch. 3] Vocal sound and gender
- [ch. 3] Seo Taiji & Boys’ soft, slow songs
- [ch. 3] Taiji’s vocals in relation to hegemonic ma...
- CHAPTER 4: The relationship of “Hayôga” performanc...