I want to express my appreciation for this article. Thank you for providing such an insightful perspective on this complex cultural issue. Based on what I've seen in Mandarin discussions, one reason for some people changing their attitudes toward Minheejin is the awareness of misogyny; some of the speculations about Min are too ridiculous and steeped in misogyny
Thank you Amber for your kind words! I’m pretty sure that part of the hate directed towards Min originates from misogynistic beliefs. I was shocked by how vigorously HYBE was trying to vilify Min through a PR-based witch hunt. The narrative that Min allowed pride to get to her head and scheme to take over ADOR, underlines, to an extent, how society isn’t fully comfortable with women openly celebrating talent and success. Perhaps Korea is more sensitive towards this as humbleness is a desired trait all across the board
Thank you for writing this. It offers a useful perspective on how international fans react so differently from the locals. Before reading this, it seemed to me that international fans who criticize Minheejin are just some ignorant and annoying people. After reading, I gave them the benefit of the doubt, but they are still annoying xD
Thanks Angeli for the support! I was surprised by the amount of negativity Min was receiving from international fans. So I focused on examining what could elicit such divergent reactions from local and global audiences. While I may not know Min personally, I’m convinced that as dedicated as she is to her job she’s not the type to build success off the mishap/misery of others. She wants the best for the industry.
More people should read this article. You've laid out a lot of useful insights to not only give light to what really is happening beyond the limitations of what an ordinary fan has access to but to provide an understanding in the conflicts in culture and points of view that underlies how people perceive this debacle.
I am a NewJeans fan and I am very much aware of how much MHJ's creative vision and ideals are tightly intertwined in NewJeans' brand and identity. Losing her in this unfair bombardment of lies and power play means losing half of NewJeans' soul.
Thank you so much tokki! Your words mean a lot to me as I try my best to highlight aspects that elude most people whenever I write. I also hope that Min will not be ousted from HYBE as it would spell disaster for NewJeans. It’s a pity how all this drama started because of an injured ego (assuming that Min is indeed innocent).
I thought I had been going crazy, because I get all my kpop news from Reddit and everyone disagrees with me there! I always wondered why, but your post provides a good explanation of that.
As an Asian american, my experiences are slightly different than those of western Reddit users lol. Even MHJ’s comment roughly saying “minji was prettier when she was younger” seems normal…my mom says variations of that to me all the time (e.g. why can’t you be in kindergarten again, you were cuter then. When did your face get so long, go back to being round. Look at that baby *points to random child*, you were once cute like that, etc etc). Even my boss (he’s a gen X Korean) said I was adorable when I was first hired and now I look tired and depressed (oh gee I wonder who’s fault that is), yeah it’s not polite but Asian people can be blunt.
Reddit doesn’t understand bc as Taylor swift says, “you wouldn’t last an hour in the asylum where they raised me”.
Thank you Nick/The Bias List for reading and your support! I agree that within Asian communities it’s not unusual to hear parents/adults casually say that so-and-so was prettier when (s)he was young. The term “prettier” shouldn’t be understood at face value. It’s actually referring more to the innocence and energy that little kids have rather than a certain set of looks. But most Westerners aren’t too familiar with such a context and would think it rude to tell someone that they looked better before. As Min emphasized throughout her press conference, context is so important—don’t take things out of context!
Excellent article! This sums it up very nicely. I'm totally team ADOR/Min Hee-jin. In my opinion, Min Hee-jin is as much a part of NewJeans as the other members are, - in fact, she's the most important member - and it would be criminal of HYBE to force her out. I used to love HYBE, and am a long-time fan of BTS, but a male CEO bullying a highly-competent woman is infuriating. But also, all too typical in the corporate world. BTW, I'm an American middle-aged male, and I was riveted by Min Hee-jin's press conference, and totally support her. I'm mystified that other non-Koreans were less convinced.
NewJeans have been my favorite group since they debuted. It's very sad to think this could be coming to an end, because of a toxic workplace environment lead by an egomaniacal, micromanaging CEO who wants his fingers in everything. Clearly Bang can't stand it if someone else gets any credit for NewJeans. Worse, ADOR beat him, as he apparently sees it - first with Le Sserafim - and when that doesn't work, debut a new group. I know nothing about him, but it's very Trump-like. BTW, ILLIT might be a rip-off, but it's substandard, NewJeans-lite. This is why I love NewJeans - they might be often imitated, but no one's cracked the secret sauce.
Thank you Mike for your support and joining the conversation! I was actually a bit nervous before posting as my forays through several online forums didn’t give me much hope that there would be Min supporters outside Korea. I’m relieved that there are global fans like you who understand that Min is an integral part of NewJeans. Take her out and NewJeans is no more. Regarding HYBE, I’m disappointed by the lack of principle that pervades the company. If anything, this whole event has revealed how HYBE’s c-suite aren’t as competent as investors and the general public previously thought them to be. And perhaps ruled by ego more than reason. It still blows my mind that a holding company would act the way that HYBE did to its third best performing label days before a scheduled comeback.
I want to express my appreciation for this article. Thank you for providing such an insightful perspective on this complex cultural issue. Based on what I've seen in Mandarin discussions, one reason for some people changing their attitudes toward Minheejin is the awareness of misogyny; some of the speculations about Min are too ridiculous and steeped in misogyny
Thank you Amber for your kind words! I’m pretty sure that part of the hate directed towards Min originates from misogynistic beliefs. I was shocked by how vigorously HYBE was trying to vilify Min through a PR-based witch hunt. The narrative that Min allowed pride to get to her head and scheme to take over ADOR, underlines, to an extent, how society isn’t fully comfortable with women openly celebrating talent and success. Perhaps Korea is more sensitive towards this as humbleness is a desired trait all across the board
Thank you for writing this. It offers a useful perspective on how international fans react so differently from the locals. Before reading this, it seemed to me that international fans who criticize Minheejin are just some ignorant and annoying people. After reading, I gave them the benefit of the doubt, but they are still annoying xD
Thanks Angeli for the support! I was surprised by the amount of negativity Min was receiving from international fans. So I focused on examining what could elicit such divergent reactions from local and global audiences. While I may not know Min personally, I’m convinced that as dedicated as she is to her job she’s not the type to build success off the mishap/misery of others. She wants the best for the industry.
More people should read this article. You've laid out a lot of useful insights to not only give light to what really is happening beyond the limitations of what an ordinary fan has access to but to provide an understanding in the conflicts in culture and points of view that underlies how people perceive this debacle.
I am a NewJeans fan and I am very much aware of how much MHJ's creative vision and ideals are tightly intertwined in NewJeans' brand and identity. Losing her in this unfair bombardment of lies and power play means losing half of NewJeans' soul.
Thank you for writing this.
Thank you so much tokki! Your words mean a lot to me as I try my best to highlight aspects that elude most people whenever I write. I also hope that Min will not be ousted from HYBE as it would spell disaster for NewJeans. It’s a pity how all this drama started because of an injured ego (assuming that Min is indeed innocent).
I thought I had been going crazy, because I get all my kpop news from Reddit and everyone disagrees with me there! I always wondered why, but your post provides a good explanation of that.
As an Asian american, my experiences are slightly different than those of western Reddit users lol. Even MHJ’s comment roughly saying “minji was prettier when she was younger” seems normal…my mom says variations of that to me all the time (e.g. why can’t you be in kindergarten again, you were cuter then. When did your face get so long, go back to being round. Look at that baby *points to random child*, you were once cute like that, etc etc). Even my boss (he’s a gen X Korean) said I was adorable when I was first hired and now I look tired and depressed (oh gee I wonder who’s fault that is), yeah it’s not polite but Asian people can be blunt.
Reddit doesn’t understand bc as Taylor swift says, “you wouldn’t last an hour in the asylum where they raised me”.
Thank you for writing this!
Thank you Nick/The Bias List for reading and your support! I agree that within Asian communities it’s not unusual to hear parents/adults casually say that so-and-so was prettier when (s)he was young. The term “prettier” shouldn’t be understood at face value. It’s actually referring more to the innocence and energy that little kids have rather than a certain set of looks. But most Westerners aren’t too familiar with such a context and would think it rude to tell someone that they looked better before. As Min emphasized throughout her press conference, context is so important—don’t take things out of context!
Excellent article! This sums it up very nicely. I'm totally team ADOR/Min Hee-jin. In my opinion, Min Hee-jin is as much a part of NewJeans as the other members are, - in fact, she's the most important member - and it would be criminal of HYBE to force her out. I used to love HYBE, and am a long-time fan of BTS, but a male CEO bullying a highly-competent woman is infuriating. But also, all too typical in the corporate world. BTW, I'm an American middle-aged male, and I was riveted by Min Hee-jin's press conference, and totally support her. I'm mystified that other non-Koreans were less convinced.
NewJeans have been my favorite group since they debuted. It's very sad to think this could be coming to an end, because of a toxic workplace environment lead by an egomaniacal, micromanaging CEO who wants his fingers in everything. Clearly Bang can't stand it if someone else gets any credit for NewJeans. Worse, ADOR beat him, as he apparently sees it - first with Le Sserafim - and when that doesn't work, debut a new group. I know nothing about him, but it's very Trump-like. BTW, ILLIT might be a rip-off, but it's substandard, NewJeans-lite. This is why I love NewJeans - they might be often imitated, but no one's cracked the secret sauce.
Thank you Mike for your support and joining the conversation! I was actually a bit nervous before posting as my forays through several online forums didn’t give me much hope that there would be Min supporters outside Korea. I’m relieved that there are global fans like you who understand that Min is an integral part of NewJeans. Take her out and NewJeans is no more. Regarding HYBE, I’m disappointed by the lack of principle that pervades the company. If anything, this whole event has revealed how HYBE’s c-suite aren’t as competent as investors and the general public previously thought them to be. And perhaps ruled by ego more than reason. It still blows my mind that a holding company would act the way that HYBE did to its third best performing label days before a scheduled comeback.