90s fashion is back and Gen Z is doing it better (sorry Millennials). Wide legged jeans, bright neon colors, and kitschy patterns are cool again, but it’s not just limited to the West.
Korean fashion has taken the iconic Clueless-inspired aesthetic and made it their own. I will be discussing two music videos that feature highteen fashion: You Can’t Sit With Us by Sunmi and XOXO by Somi.
With its plethora of pink and clear reference to Mean Girls, You Can’t Sit With Us tells the story of a jilted lover (Sunmi), dressed to the nines and committing violence to her ex-lover. While XOXO tells the story of a jilted lover (Somi), dressed to the nines and committing violence to, you guessed it, her ex-lover. Situated in South Korea, highteen fashion has connotations of revenge and rebellion because of its origins from American culture. Rather than the demure and innocent image that male fans like, the confident and bratty protagonist who takes vengeance into her own hands appeals more towards the female audience.
However, what purpose does the explicit violence towards the ex-boyfriends serve?
A twisted version of the Romeo and Juliet balcony scene where Sunmi throws a flowerpot and nails him in the head, leading to his demise:
These portrayals of misandry resonate with Banet-Weiser’s notion of popular feminism: the celebration of individual success, or #girlbosses. Combined with the highteen aesthetic, popular feminism is commodified through these videos. The independent characters that Sunmi and Somi play are packaged into a stereotype: angsty, rich girl with a posse.
Seeing Sunmi and Somi unapologetically shoot zombie boyfriends and blow up cars may feel gratifying, but when Sunmi embraces her boyfriend when he proposes at the end, we ask “What’s the point?” What’s the point of being badass if we’re just going to forgive our trashy ex and give him another chance? Sunmi running into her boyfriend’s arms makes her violent outburst seem like a frenzy of feminine madness: God forbid women are anything other than submissive and modest, otherwise we’re insane.
This speaks directly to the caveat of popular feminism of not being able to challenge patriarchy, as Banet-Weiser points out. Expressions of popular feminism can be individual push backs against the greater hegemonic structure, but ultimately, there is no real action done against it. Similarly, Zeisler brings up questions of representation of women in the media. There might be new and more diverse portrayals, but what is their role in perpetuating or defying existing oppressive structures against women? Of course, these music videos are a part of pop culture, which is supposed to be fun and entertaining. The female audience is meant to take pleasure in watching Sunmi and Somi break the rules and freely express themselves, but we must also ask critical questions about these representations. Admittedly, feminism and popular feminism may operate in different ways in South Korea, if they even exist at all. As a viewer from a more post-feminist society, the tensions between consuming media as entertainment and a critique on larger structures definitely still come through. But these tensions won’t stop me from appreciating Sunmi and Somi’s artistry, fashion, and stories.
References
20+ Times BLACKPINK’s Jennie Proved She’s The Icon Of “High Teen” Fashion. Koreaboo. https://www.koreaboo.com/lists/20-times-blackpink-jennie-icon-high-teen-fashion/
An Ode to 90s Chanel. Bleu. https://www.the-bleu.com/fashion/90s-chanel/
Banet-Weiser, S. (2015, January 21). Popular Misogyny: A Zeitgeist. Culture Digitally. Retrieved November 9, 2021, from https://culturedigitally.org/2015/01/popular-misogyny-a-zeitgeist/.
Bershka cross strap detail long sleeve mini dress in bold retro floral. ASOS. https://www.asos.com/us/bershka/bershka-cross-strap-detail-long-sleeve-mini-dress-in-bold-retro-floral/prd/201463511?affid=26521&freelisting=yes
BLACKPINK’s Jennie Looked Flaming Hot at the Chanel Show. TeenVogue. https://www.teenvogue.com/story/blackpink-jennie-chanel-pfw-ss22
Joy outfit. Pinterest. https://www.pinterest.com/moonpowerr/joy-outfit/
Mean Girls Is Coming Back to the Big Screen. That’s So Fetch!. Vogue. https://www.vogue.com/article/mean-girls-musical-new-film
Proud plaid enthusiast. Tumblr. https://kfashioncrush.tumblr.com/post/634165821556621312/koreapop12-201018-red-velvets-yeri-2020
Somi. [THEBLACKLABEL]. (2021, October 29). XOXO [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H8kqPkEXP_E
SUNMI. (2021, August 6). 선미 (SUNMI) “You can’t sit with us” MV [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V0wInr_xATk
STAYC – ‘Stereotype’ review: K-pop’s most promising girl group prove they are anything but cliché. NME. https://www.nme.com/reviews/album/stayc-stereotype-review-first-mini-album-3040365
THEN AND NOW: The cast of 'Clueless' 26 years later. Insider. https://www.insider.com/clueless-movie-cast-then-and-now-photos-2018-7
Wide Leg Jeans. Pull & Bear. https://www.pullandbear.com/gb/woman/clothing/jeans/wide-leg-n6900
Yes stan twice. Pinterest. https://www.pinterest.com/pin/814729388835680736/
Zeisler, A. (2008). Feminism and Pop Culture. New York, NY: Seal Press. pp. 1-21.
Hannah, your discussion about 90s and early 2000s fashion as expressed in South Korea as “highteen” was very engaging! It is fascinating to visualize the differences in styles inspired by the same decade pf American fashion between millennials in the United States and K-pop idols in South Korea (I particularly appreciated all of the images you included in your blog post to help visualize the styles you were discussing). I found your argument about highteen fashion’s “connotations of revenge and rebellion” as originating in popular portrayals of American high school culture to be particularly convincing. The perception of female insanity in these music videos’ depictions of “violent outburst” and “frenzy of feminine madness” makes me think about Jilly Boyce Kay’s and Sarah Banet-Weiser’s conceptions of female anger and affective injustice. While a female audience might view these types of actions as a justified reaction to the systematic mistreatment and exploitation of women, particularly in romantic relationships, “getting angry is a risky endeavor for those who are already stereotyped as rageful, violent, or shrill”, a stereotype in which many ex-girlfriends in popular culture are indeed portrayed (Kay & Banet-Weiser, 2019, pg. 605). The music videos you discuss in this blog post relate to this idea of affective injustice and “unequal access to public rage” as discussed by Kay and Banet-Weiser, as women’s public anger is not always seen as appropriate or justified even despite the many wrongdoings done to them, especially when she returns to her man at the end, as in these music videos, making her rage seem relatively unnecessary, an overreaction. Surely the music videos you reference are exaggerated and dramatized depictions of female anger and revenge, video content that was largely intended for aesthetic and entertainment purposes, not necessarily for realism. However, while this rage might be unrealistic and unrepresentative of everyday life, it nonetheless contributes to the intertextual landscape of female representation (and misrepresentation) in popular media.
ReplyDeleteHello Hannah,
ReplyDeleteI deeply enjoyed your piece discussing the similarities in two music videos by Sunmi and Somi as well as the introduction to “Highteen.” I have never seen these videos (which makes me feel as if I have been living under a rock), but you did a great job in fully describing each one and connecting it back to popular feminism. You are correct that Banet-Weiser believes popular feminism isn’t enough to challenge patriarchy and patriarchal ways embedded in our society. However, I think it is also significant that it is discussed how she believes it can still be helpful. For instance, according to Banet-Weiser, popular feminism can still make a difference by bringing in indidviduals into the movement and creating exposure. This is significant since popular feminism revolves around technology and social media, which is ever growing in our world, meaning more and more individuals are exposed to this content. On the other hand, you are right in that it doesn’t help much in actually pushing back against these systems and making real change. Additionally, you mention how it rises many to questions as to whether or not these two videos and popular feminism in general help feminism. This makes me wonder if heading in an alternative route might be best to fight against these oppressive systems. For example, Melissa Brown, mentions “culture of dissemblance.” This originated from Black women during slavery constantly being used as “reproduyctive technology meant to generate more free labor”, which led them to create various strategies to control how they were seen or if they were seen at all. Currently, oppressed and subordinate groups who are constantly under surveillance use culture of dissemblance to create a sense of privacy and agency. Popular feminism revolves around creating noise and being seen through the media and marketing, as seen through the two videos of Sunmi and Somi you analyzed, but as I previously mentioned, are different methods worth giving a shot collectively? I believe so. Once again, I loved your very entertaining and intriguing blog, and I hope my thoughts translated well. You did an amazing job!
- Laura Arellano :)
Hi Hannah,
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed your reading on the popular South Korean "highteen" fashion phenomenon and its prevalence in two music videos. I have never seen Sunmi's video nor Somi's video, but you did a great job at allowing me to understand the content in each and their connections to what we have learned and read in class. I have never heard of the "highteen" fashion trend before reading your blog post and loved learning about it's origins (I am going to admit that a majority of the movies that have inspired "highteen" are some of my guilty pleasures. ) I agree with Banet-Weiser on the idea that popular feminism's push on the greater hegemonic structure is not enough to disassemble the current power structure we are living in... but I do believe that it is a start. However, I feel as if videos like the ones you describe are not entirely sticking to the feminist ideals like we hope, for the female body almost always seems to be hyper sexualized and made for the male gaze. And I do believe that this is a result of the video being made for the masses and made to become a thing of popular culture-- if the video was made for the sole purpose of critiquing power structures and the patriarchy, would it have even gotten to the point of being an item of popular culture? I do feel as if you could have connected the "highteen" fashion phenomenon to both of the music videos a little more, but you still did an amazing job of translating items of popular culture into a text that relates to the ideas that we have learned in class. Again, great job!
-Giselle Wagner
Hannah, I want to highlight how engaged I was throughout your post on such an interesting topic. I believe that many of us underestimate the influence Western culture has on the world, especially when it comes to fashion. I liked that you included a background on “highteen” fashion which helped me as a reader understand the way you analyzed the two videos. As I was reading your blog post, Stuart Hall’s reading immediately came to mind. There are various aspects of your post that I feel relate to his reading. The beginning of your blog post that talks about Western influences in Korea through “highteen” fashion reminds me of intertextuality. Hall defines intertextuality as the, “accumulation of meanings across different texts, where one image refers to another....” (pg.272). I thought of this when you discussed how the You Can’t Sit With Us video references Mean Girls and it was clear throughout the video that it referred to it. After you discussed the two videos and how they portrayed women, Hall’s discussion on regime of representation and stereotypes came to mind. It was interesting to see you discuss how there is popular feminism present throughout the video but the ending falls short and plays into the idea of women running back to men regardless. Regarding regime of representation, women are seen as always needing a man and running back to a man. They are seen as inferior and submissive. I thought that it was surprising how the video somehow managed to display that while also giving women empowerment at the beginning of the video. Overall, I really enjoyed reading your blog post and thinking about how it fits into the idea of representation as well as influence in the media.
ReplyDeleteHannah, I want to highlight how engaged I was throughout your post on such an interesting topic. I believe that many of us underestimate the influence Western culture has on the world, especially when it comes to fashion. I liked that you included a background on “highteen” fashion which helped me as a reader understand the way you analyzed the two videos. As I was reading your blog post, Stuart Hall’s reading immediately came to mind. There are various aspects of your post that I feel relate to his reading. The beginning of your blog post that talks about Western influences in Korea through “highteen” fashion reminds me of intertextuality. Hall defines intertextuality as the, “accumulation of meanings across different texts, where one image refers to another....” (pg.272). I thought of this when you discussed how the You Can’t Sit With Us video references Mean Girls and it was clear throughout the video that it referred to it. After you discussed the two videos and how they portrayed women, Hall’s discussion on regime of representation and stereotypes came to mind. It was interesting to see you discuss how there is popular feminism present throughout the video but the ending falls short and plays into the idea of women running back to men regardless. Regarding regime of representation, women are seen as always needing a man and running back to a man. They are seen as inferior and submissive. I thought that it was surprising how the video somehow managed to display that while also giving women empowerment at the beginning of the video. Overall, I really enjoyed reading your blog post and thinking about how it fits into the idea of representation as well as influence in the media. - Sandra Navarro Davalos
ReplyDelete