K-pop has taken the world by storm and with that comes great music and artistry, but also the darker sides of the entertainment industry that we all know too well - the mistreatment of young stars, unrealistic beauty standards, and some questionable cultural exchanges. In this video, I try to cover it all.*

But first, a little background. I stopped listening to K-pop for around a decade. I’d say from 2013 until this year I’ve stayed pretty far away from it. However, this year I started listening to it again and the music has never been so good. I was truly blown away.

I’m really glad to be back, but at the same time I had to catch up on everything that happened while I was away, and the things that I wasn’t paying attention to when I was in high school when I originally was introduced to it, and it was… a lot.

I’ve had to reckon with how I feel about it, but in the end, I still like it, and I hope this video helps you understand why and helps you think about K-pop in a new way.

*Know that this video is only scratching the surface of K-pop and by no means delves into every single thing about the industry.

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If you want to know more please go to the references and sources Google Doc here and do your own research as well:
https://tinyurl.com/3p49mkx9

~my favorite K-pop songs (as of now)~
https://tinyurl.com/4fu3kvjf

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**For viewers with light sensitivity**

Throughout the entire video there are clips shown either from K-pop performances or music videos which contain rapid moving lights (including strobe lights), rooms filled with LED screens, and montages of fast moving light sequences.

FLASHING LIGHT TIME STAMPS:

I’ve outlined the timestamps to avoid in this GoogleDoc because they didn't fit in the description.

https://tinyurl.com/4avkck62

Please proceed with caution.

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Timestamps and Content Notes and Warnings per section:

0:00 Content Notes & Flashing Light Info
0:14 Cold open
1:09 how this video came to be
2:46 this video is NOT
3:23 this video IS
4:13 introducing me
4:35 The K-pop Industry and The Idol Making Process
17:30 The Music Making Process
19:48 Content Notes
The following section will include discussions and mentions of homophobia and transphobia.
19:56 why K-pop seems 'weird' to people
24:59 Content Notes
The following section will include discussions and mentions of eating disorders and restrictive eating.
25:08 Expand your view of Asian women
28:00 Content Notes
The following section will include discussions and mentions of the Atlanta Spa Shootings and hate crimes against Asian Americans.
28:07 Anti-Asian Sentiment
32:36 Content Notes
The following section will include discussions and mentions of colorism and eating disorders.
32:46 Looking “white” and beauty standards
36:17 Content Notes
The following section will include images and mentions of blackface and cultural appropriation.
36:25 Anti-Blackness in K-pop
46:26 Appreciation?
48:03 Black K-pop Idols and Trainees
50:23 Have things gotten better?
55:45 Privilege in Fandom and Consuming K-pop
56:47 Content Notes
The following section will include discussion and mentions of stalking, kidnapping, and harassment.
56:57 Idol culture and Stanning
1:00:13 Content Warnings
The following section will include discussions and mentions of suicide and depression.
1:00:20 Mental Health and Suicide
1:03:34 Content Warnings
The following section will include discussions and mentions of suicide, sexual assault, and rape.
1:03:42 K-pop is a Boy's Club
1:07:48 why i still like k-pop
1:08:13 the 's*x' factor' - a topic for another day
1:10:42 k-pop is its own thing
next video topic 1:13:35
ending credits 1:13:51

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My last three videos: (◕‿◕✿)

⭢ Foot Binding, Women's Secret Script, and a Failed Adaptation |    • Foot Binding, Women's Secret Script, ...  

⭢ Dying for Piety: An Analysis of The Farewell (2019) |    • The Farewell, Spongebob, and Hiding a...  

⭢ Mulan 2 is... a lot |    • Mulan 2 is... a lot  ​

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