BTS Oneshots & Drabbles

Defense of the Attractiveness and Manliness of Kim Taehyung

  (A/N) : This is a Persuasive Research Essay I wrote in class and for my father, and I thought I'd share it with you as well.

With the rising popularity of South Korean pop groups in the West, some questions are being raised. Fathers whose young daughters are spending hours upon hours focused on the members of these music groups are some of the most vocal. Many concerns voiced are that the men in these groups are not very manly, and some even state that they match androgynous ideals. These individuals hold that since the men dress in a fashionable way and wear some makeup they give off a more feminine appeal. While it is true that many Korean pop idols, men and women alike, dress fashionably and wear makeup, I do not think that it is a fair conclusion to say that these men are not masculine. I'd like to examine one Korean male idol in particular to support this conclusion. Kim Taehyung of the group BTS is known for his vocal, dance, and acting talent. However, he is also a very classically attractive and masculine man. Masculinity is somewhat subjective from country to country and culture to culture. There are many different ideals, beliefs, and practices that vary in regards to masculinity. However, there do seem to be some universally held ideas on masculinity, such as bravery and protection of those who are weaker, among other things. In order to support my stance, I will be examining the cultural and societal ideals of South Korean masculinity. I will also discuss how closely Kim Taehyung compares to the artistic ideals of the "perfect man". Through these discussions I hope to at least show the unfairness in labeling this man as androgynous, or as "not manly".

   Part of the unfairness in Westerners saying that Kim Taehyung, and other men in his line of work, aren't masculine is the fact that Western ideals of masculinity are different from South Korean ideals of masculinity. In order to understand how these men are masculine, we must first examine the ideals of their culture. Masculinity of course is not just about a person's appearance, but about their character. Upon examining the ideals of masculine traits in South Korean culture, we find that diligence, hard work, filial obedience, humbleness, and success are some of the more prominent characteristics. From ancient Korean practices to present ones, it is considered proper for the sons, the eldest in particular, to care for their aging parents. So therefore, respecting and honoring one's parents in Korea is considered manly. Taehyung has always been vocal about his respect and love for his parents and his grandparents. There are many different instances when he honored his parent or grandparents while on stage through a speech or in a formal bow, which is considered a great show of honor in Korea.
He, and the rest of his bandmates, spend dizzying amounts of time perfecting their stage performance techniques, producing music, and performing. He puts a lot of effort into his career and it's indisputable that he has found a lot of success; in 2018 alone his band won the BBMA award for best fan-base, MNET's Artist of the Year award, among other notable awards. In his success, he has kept a very humble and kind attitude amid all of his success, always taking care to thank the individuals who support him.
As already discussed, Korean culture highly values success, and this creates a very competitive atmosphere. Parents push their children to meet high academic standards so that they can get into a prestigious college and start successful careers. The high competition makes standing out in school or the job force difficult. So, in order to meet expectations with flying colors, Koreans hold other factors in high regard as well. One of these is appearance, or "beauty" standards. Looking youthful and bright are valued in the appearance of men and women in South Korea because it denotes the idea that the individual will be able to offer their company or employer a lot of energy, and they'll look great doing so. This is why Korean men are often found wearing makeup such as BB Cream; it's just another part of the competitive success culture; a successful person must also look young and attractive. Makeup and fashionable dressing allows this ideal to be achieved.        
    Of course, male K-Pop idols are one of the groups that are most known, and the most criticized for their use of makeup. However, Western male celebrities also wear makeup. Most times the heaviest makeup that K-Pop idols wear amounts to stage makeup, a tool that actors and musicians around the world utilize. Kim Taehyung wears makeup, both because it is a norm in his culture and because as a career singer, dancer, and actor he utilizes stage makeup.
Based off of these observations and information, by Korean standards, Kim Taehyung does exhibit masculinity. He is successful, diligent, humble, and respectful and takes care of his elders and family,
    By Western standards, Kim Taehyung also meets many common masculinity standards. Some common Western masculinity traits include:  courage, humility, confidence, boldness, diligence, intelligence, and leadership. Of course, as many do not personally know him, it is hard to say definitively whether or not he shows these traits. However, in his public image and career success, he does display humbleness, confidence, boldness, diligence, leadership, and arguably courage. In terms of physical masculinity, common Western ideals include broad shoulders, athleticism, defined cheekbones, and a prominent Adam's apple. Of course when it comes to appearance, things become more subjective, but in many ways, still comparative. Kim Taehyung is athletic, has fairly high cheekbones, and broad shoulders. This isn't an exhaustive list, and  while he doesn't meet every Western standard, I think it would be unfair to consider him not masculine as a result.
           
     Another thing to discuss is the close comparison between Kim Taehyung's face and various artistic aesthetics of handsomeness. It has been stated by multiple sources that Kim Taehyung does in fact have a classical, idealistic face. While attractiveness is of course subjective to each individual. Science and art has identified some common features and proportions that are often found to be idealistic.  These ideals are often outlined by the Rules of Golden Proportion, Pi, and data gathered from wide audiences. In the picture to the right, an art textbook gives a guideline to an ideal male's face. As you can see, an overlay done on Kim Taehyung's face shows a very close representation. While there are a few discrepancies between the two, the most notable matches are the angles of his nose and mouth, and the position of his eyebrows and eyes. There are other pictures and models that he has been compared to and he matches very closely with many of them. Furthermore, plastic surgeons, who deal daily with the facial ideals of society, have observed Taehyung's face and said that they cannot find any traces of past plastic surgeries, nor do they find a need for them. In 2017, Kim Taehyung won TC Chandler's and the Independent Critics' 100 Most Handsome Faces award, and he received fifth most handsome face for the most recent competition in 2018. These examples are not exhaustive, and there are other comparisons and models out there, but these are a few of the more common ones. Regardless of how one may feel about these types of standards, it must at least recognize that he does meet many common social standards.
            In conclusion, the judgment of whether an individual is masculine, will not have a fair conclusion unless the judge has a knowledge of that person's cultural ideals and practices. It's unfair to judge Kim Taehyung, and his contemporaries, based solely off of Western standards. His character seems to be one that matches many Western standards, and upon examination he meets Korean standards of masculinity. Some of the most accredited judges of widely accepted standards of attractiveness have judged Kim Taehyung to meet their standards. While Kim Taehyung may not meet everyone's personal standards of masculinity, I think it's fair to say that he is still masculine and attractive based of off the former points.

Works Cited

100 Most Handsome Faces of 2017. Dir. TC Chandler and The Independent Critics. YouTube. TC Chandler and the Independent Critics, 27 Dec. 2017. Web. Accessed 14 Jan. 2019. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ojVQQBiwono

100 Most Handsome Faces of 2018. Dir. TC Chandler and The Independent Critics. YouTube. TC Chandler and the Independent Critics, 28 Dec. 2018. Web. 14 Jan. 2019. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KOpy23FafQE

Bennett, Sean, RN, MSN; Chavez, She; Ellison, Yvonne, RN, CRRN. "Chapter 15:  Korean Culture." Transcultural Nursing. Sean N. Bennett, 2010. Web. Accessed 22 Jan. 2019. https://freebooks.uvu.edu/NURS3400/index.php/ch11-korean-culture.html

Feke, Vivian.  "Competition in Korean Education." Dateline/Seoul. Rep. Dateline, n.d. Web.  Accessed 14 Jan. 2019. https://internationalstorytelling.org/southkorea/cultivating-competition-the-value-of-korean-education

Kim, Jeanne. "What South Korea high school students carry in their backpacks may surprise you." Quartz, 6 Aug. 2014. Web. Accessed Oct. 28, 2018. https://qz.com/244448/what-south-korean-high-school-students-carry-in-their-backpacks-may-surprise-you/

Kwong, Matt. "Korean men are wearing makeup for that 'chok-chok' look. There's an economic reason why." CBC in South Korea, 26 Feb. 2018. Web. Accessed 22 Jan. 2019. https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/korean-men-makeup-cosmetics-mainstream-1.4552761

@lowqualitytae ."Kim Taehyung v. the Ideal Man" Twitter.com