Katseye is K-POP (and also not)

Since everyone is throwing in their two cents about the recent Manon situation, I figured I'd add my paise in there too. 

Katseye is a mess. And it was from the start.

They were literally manufactured to be an 'International Girl Group'. Which is not really that weird, considering some of the most recent disbanded bands in pop were also manufactured, like 1D, Fifth Harmony, Little Mix, etc. The difference is that they were trained under the K-pop system by HYBE, a known K-pop industry giant, and Geffen, a label under Universal Music. But besides that, the girls were set up from the beginning. 

They were put on a survival show, against their knowledge, and forced to compete to get a spot in the group against many other girls, and their experience was used as footage to later entertain the masses on Netflix. Dream Academy, the aforementioned competition, was basically, like any reality show, a breeding ground to pit both the girls against each other to 'make it', and made viewers pick and choose who deserved it and who didn't. It basically created biases and tension that would later go on to influence Katseye well after the program was over. 

But Dream Academy happened around two years ago, right? Katseye was formed, they had fans, they were putting out music and they were doing good for rookies, especially in a market that wasn't really favoring girl groups. Their music is department store, TikTok trending, substance-less pop. Which has its place in the pop hierarchy, but wasn't what was expected, keeping in mind the talent that was visibly showcased by HYBE X Geffen in their own show. Those girls could sing, dance and perform like it was nothing. They were good. So, why was their music so lackluster and devoid of any real personality? 

This is where the K-POP of it all creeps in. 

They are under Universal, but more importantly, they are also under HYBE. People can argue that Katseye isn't K-pop, and that is true. They aren't singing Korean pop music. But they borrow a lot from the K-pop system (who 'borrow' from Black people), which means they act like a K-pop group. They sell mini-albums, they aren't heavily involved in their music in terms of songwriting and production, even though the members are talented and have shown they are capable of doing so, and they are selling product over personality. 

See, it's easier to talk about vague topics like a romantic breakup and feeling insecure, because it has a certain relatability, and it doesn't hurt any feelings. The problem even when talking about such topics, the lyrics are so estranged and lack any specificity that it's just not something you can connect with. It's literally just created to be trendy and catchy. Pop music has many earworms, but it's weird that Katseye, a group with six talented girls who clearly care about music and have a lot to say, are only allowed shallow songs, when the individual members have unreleased songs that are much more interesting than whatever marketing tactic HXG is going for. 

The girls are, unfortunately, only allowed to unveil their true potential when making song covers, dance trends, live performances and not on their actual albums and singles. And when they're not being limited artistically, they're basically walking products. Katseye, as a group, is constantly promoting some brand or another, and it feels like they're basically a cash cow for their label. HYBE is quite infamous for its notorious mistreatment of girl groups, and so it doesn't surprise me that they'll make the girls do ads because they can, but it makes them seem more like influencers than musicians. 

I see more TikTok and Instagram reels of these girls than their music most times. 

And because, at the end of the day, Katseye is a brand, the girls are the face of it. And the way they are presented is concerning. The girls' identities are used as a form of tokenized representation, and they're sexualized to create interest and attention towards the group. And people on the internet justify it, saying that 'It's their choice, and they wanted to.' We're talking about girls who, during Dream Academy and the beginning of Katseye, were minors. Not just Yoonchae, who was the youngest, at 15. Lara and Megan were also minors. Daniela was 19, Sophia was 20, and Manon was 21. None of them, whether old enough or not, is immune to peer pressure, especially in an industry that thrives on the exploitation and destruction of young girls and women. Whether it's their personal style is another matter altogether (which is also influenced by more complex things and should be questioned internally), but the fact that their label has no problem sexualizing the girls is concerning. Also, a good chunk of their outfits are a hit or miss, so the fashion aspect doesn't always work as a defense. 

But when you say stuff like that, people think it's purity culture at play. Well, as someone who has written about how purity culture is a cage that seeks to demonize girls and women, I can assure you that is not the case here. The opposite of forced modesty is not hypersexualization. When people point out that Yoonchae should be protected, as she was underage during their first year or so after their debut, that applies to Lara and Megan as well. Whether the girls want to wear short clothes or not, this is an industry that has routinely profited off of forcing girls, too early in the career to know better and too scared to lose everything, to sell themselves. Unlike you and your friends, who dress up for fashion and fun, these girls are products. They do not have half as much autonomy as they'd like you to think. They can't even make the music they want. Do you really think their images are authentic? That's what they're actually like, that's what they want to be perceived as? I don't. 

Note for those with no patience for the multitudes in a perspective: This is in no way, shape, or form shaming or criticizing the girls for what they have worn or will wear; there is no, nor will there be a universe in which slutshaming or demonizing women for their bodies or attire is okay. At the same time, we can also address that a lot of the sexuality that women perform under what they consider to be liberation, very rarely centers on what actually causes liberty for women. It is, like many things, something that is based on preconceived, patriarchal notions of what is sexy. We are not actually ever shown a version of sexy in mainstream media that isn't male-centred. Even in our 'liberation', we play an antiquated role. Which is why, like we question forced modesty and the culture's obsession with remaining docile, girl-ish and pure, we must also question why being free must be the exact opposite, with a sexiness that looks cool but cannot be sustainable. It is choice that is free from the intervention of others, that is ever truly yours. Who actually benefits from this? Let people beeeeeee. 

This is not just a K-pop problem. It's a music industry problem. It's a Pop problem. Which is why it can't be blamed on just one version of the same industry. K-pop is based on Pop. They may have their own industry issues, but most of them aren't unique to them. There's a reason why Billie Eilish, in the early stages of her career, wore baggy clothes and tried her best to keep her body away from the public perception, because being sexualized by strangers online is not liberating, it is not cunty, it is just another way for the internet to strip you of any value and talent and diminish you by an arbitary beauty standard. The average person does not have to deal with that mass judgment and shame of a gazillion people, so it's easy to assume that what applies to me, applies to thee. 

That, combined with their weird, parasocial fanbase, honestly, it doesn't get more pop than that. They literally use Weverse, a site used by K-pop idols, to chat and do lives to stay in touch with their fans. Said fans, having seen these girls since DA, are way too comfortable with their opinions (like all of Stan TwT), and are downright unbearable. They constantly pit the girls against each other, mainly because of Popstar Academy (the name of the Netflix doc), and use it as a reason to dogpile on Manon more than others. There's a lot of racism and DA politics in the fandom, and it's so weird. Like, that show was edited to get Katseye an audience, and there are several instances of the staff straight-up deceiving the girls left and right. If we're gonna be mad at anyone, direct that energy at HXG. The problem with the Manon issue, both in the show and currently, is that the girls were all brought up in rich or showbiz-related environments, they were trainees, had background experience in the industry, and would do anything to achieve their dreams. Whether said dream would be taking place in a healthy manner or not. It's a very all-or-nothing mentality that you will see exhibited in many different industries, like dance, sports, and many other occupations. They have to be okay with a lack of boundaries, a gruelling workplace, and a life that is generally very stressful and chaotic, because it is toxic and exploitative in nature. 

Enter Manon, who rightfully asserts boundaries and doesn't want to be a worker bee who works herself to death, and when she is put in a room full of girls, who have been conditioned to believe that this insane form of  'discipline' is the only way to succeed, that this the only way to fulfill their dreams, she will be the odd one out. She isn't evil, and neither are any of the other girls. Say it with me: THE INDUSTRY IS. They want girls and boys who do not question the status quo because it benefits them to squeeze every ounce of star power from you and leave you overworked and empty. Those who do question the system and try to speak out are blacklisted, silenced, or straight-up ignored by people because it breaks the illusion of what a popstar is. 

The concept of touring around the world, making cool music, and being famous, pretty, and rich, all becomes a lot less alluring when you realize that it involves eating disorders, mental health issues, being overworked to death, online hate, death threats, media play, forced personas, and toxic relationships. These people do not live normal lives. We do not know them. And most of them probably suck. So we should defend an industry that celebrates a culture of repressing artists. Good art is not derived from the pain it comes from. Talent is not bred from misery.  

Whether this is a PR tactic from HXG for their next album or not, mistreatment is still mistreatment, and personally, I hope Manon does not go back to Katseye. In fact, I do not think the KATSEYE brand is something that will benefit any of the girls. No one is a fan of Katseye because they think HXG is amazing at marketing (though they are persistent with it like everyone else), it's because of the member's charm and presence. They should just leave that label and form the group under an independent label because I doubt they're gonna get better sonically, or otherwise, as they are. 

Also, people need to stop assuming and making up stories about these girls they know nothing about. Talk about the people who made things get this bad: Geffen (and then HYBE, because it's HYBE). It's nice to see that people are on the artist's side and are supporting Manon against the racism and mismanagement she has faced from both her label and parts of the fandom. 

To conclude...if the industry doesn't change, we're gonna be seeing a lot more of this in different forms. 

🐄