MyDramaList MDLv6.6
Home→ South Korea→ Korean Dramas, Movies & Variety shows.→

The double standards amongst kdrama fans

sailorscout

This is such a recurring theme I've seen in kdrama reviews and comments where fans completely trash on the female characters for being too bold, too passive, too mean, too selfish, too controlling, too overbearing, too this or too whatever, but there are literally so many beloved male characters who display the same characteristics as some of these female characters or worse. 

(There's particularly this one male character who is so loved by fans but his entire story screams RED FLAGS, like if he ever existed near me or my friends, I'd grab them and run so far)

I've also seen so many more attacks on actresses for their looks versus actors. I've literally seen a review where someone said they couldn't stand the main female lead because she was too "ugly" -- uhhhh since when were any of these actresses ugly? They're beautiful!

I know there's nothing I can do. People are entitled to their opinions and I'm not really here to change that nor has this deterred my enjoyment of dramas. Just wanted to vent and wonder if other people felt the same way.

Quote
John Smith

I really do not look too often, but have you found the same commenters making statements that suggest they are using double standards?

I cannot speak for anyone else, but issues of personal preference are often so complicated that while they may seem contrary on the surface, they actually could be two different viewpoints.

Some commenters also blur the distinction between the actor/character/previous character played. I think this one point probably covers a lot of the instances of double standards.

I have also seen more comments that seem to judge actresses more harshly than their male counterparts. If a majority of the MDL commenters are female (which I have been led to believe), it might also help to explain some of the discrepancy between comments about actors and actresses. There are also comments that seem to suggest that only certain actresses match a certain actor as a couple in a drama. Maybe those who do not have a problem simply do not comment, so it just seems that way. I think that dramas, especially ones that feature romance, are more about chemistry and talent than beauty.

A few unpleasant commenters can ruin a good drama comment section. Some people might also not be able to express themselves in English as well as they would like. I can also say firsthand that some dramas draw you into their world and make you want to defend a story, action, character, or couple. Commenters might feel the same way about an actor or actress as well. 

Overall, I find the comment section both enjoyable and frustrating. It is also worth the effort when you want to discuss Asian dramas, but people around you have no interest (a lot of the world outside of Asia).

Quote
kardasx

I think that it is partially based on the fact that most of MDL members and kdrama watchers are females. And females see other females differently than they see males. It could be smilar to how males see other males. Some who are said to be handsome by females look normal to me (of course there are some exceptions and some of them look attractive even to me (straight male)), but most don't, but I would not call them ugly. In a similar way, most of females look attractive to me (more or less).

The second reason could be previous drama roles of those actresses/actors. If some character is likable and charming, then people also can see its actor in better light, more attractive and they can forgive her/him many bad characteristics in another drama. If that actor becomes favourite then that feeling is even stronger. I can see that with myself. Any character of my beloved actress is automatically likable and I would forgive her even mass murder. Love is blind. :) In a similar way it is with villains - some people dislike them and then they can also dislike the actor. The more people dislike someone the uglier he/she looks to them. 

Then different people with this different mix of preferences and feelings enter comment section and it becomes battleground. :)

It could be an interesting topic for some Psychology Thesis. lol

Quote
huntress1013

It is not just kdrama, cdrama and jdrama but also kpop, mandopop and jpop. All of them have something in common - very, very high toxicity and really strange double standards.  They want the ladies to be slutty yet innocent and if they are slutty in a movie or video then they must be whores in real life and someone I can trash online and stalk. Yep...riiiight. Gotcha. 

The crap quite a lot of people (and I do not just mean sasaengs  (those are just plain disturbing and should get professional help) but regular people) post is unbelievable. They declare women who weigh more than 47 kg as being "fat" and "ugly" (I mean WTF?!) and if a female star turns out to actually have an opinion about something they care about (I know...shocking -_-) like mental health, family planing, women's rights (god forbid) they will attack her. The whole shit killed Sulli at the end. You can really see the double standard on so many levels but this is also true in Korean society. They want their women, thin, beautiful but most of all obedient. Thankfully quite a few women are no longer interested in playing along. 

Quote
kardasx

People that bully others are the worst scum and should be sentenced by the law and it doesn't matter if it is online or in real life (at least to some community service).

I also don't understand why people have to keep idols from their happiness. When they want to date or marry then let them do that. Why are people against that (and also some agencies)? 

I would be happy if all my idols have someone that they would be happy with. This world is like the hell Joseon and it needs to be changed (to better one).

Quote
John Smith

I hope what I write does not paint everyone or everything in the entertainment world in a bad light, nor do I mean to imply that this is the case in every single situation.

I think a lot of the issues brought up in previous posts also point to the fact that it is an industry problem. The entertainment machine gets its power from every level. Entertainment companies want unreal products (idols/celebrities/talent) and even seeks to make unreal the standard. They also produce  shows across the whole spectrum (drama/movies/concerts) that sell these products with superficial qualities (beauty/sex). They also apparently want them to have the looks and actions of teens forever or at least until they they can no longer squeeze those qualities from them. The entertainment media does not do much better and it can often seem like they work in concert to keep they news cycle going. It does make sense that entertainment needs publicity, and that entertainment media needs news to report. Does anyone really believe that this kind of news is fair and balanced? It almost seems like it is designed to be a warning to those in entertainment to do as you are told or you will be exposed. Fans are not much better as previous posters have pointed out. They can seem like addicts, attacks dogs, and careless, irresponsible kids. Being a fan should be a privilege to support, not a right to intrude and criticize. Books could be written on the behavior of fans in general, and some fans are better served being called criminals. Unfortunately, it seems society likes the way the system works. Fans make viewers, and viewers mean money. Viewers read media, and it seems to reinforce the thought that celebrities are just products for entertainment. Money means that entertainment companies can be more selective when packaging their products, since beauty and sex sells, and even pay to keep the status quo going.

Real change will have to happen at every level, and consistently for things to get better. Even as a fan of Korean (and Asian) dramas, that does not mean I am a bad person for watching them. I will support the good things in the industry, point out the bad, and realize that I am flawed too.

Quote
kardasx

You are absolutely right, I agree with everything. It is business, but it is like a double-edged sword. For actors and music performers it is their job. The more famous they are, the more money they all can earn. But also the more famous they are, the less private life they have. But there should be some border line that can't be crossed. I understand that changing something this big wouldn't be easy and that change would have to be on many levels and it wouldn't be soon.

As a fan, all I can do for my idols is to support them and hope that they are happy and safe with many good and helping people around them. :)

Quote

Recent Discussions

Hottest Discussions