Why is it still controversial to be a kpop fan outside Asia?

its even controversial in Asia too, people here think kpop is for 6-13 year olds

oh yeah since kpop music is influenced by western music it will be looked down on

Do people really care? Coworkers at my workplace know I listen to kpop, no one bats an eye. As long as you don't go the crazy, brainwashed, obsessive stan route, you'll be fine.

Quote from zimzalabim

i think kpop lacks for not being viewed as realistic

like some successful lana del rey/lorde acclaimed and self written

but i guess it's just culture. the perfection of kpop is not appealing to most westerns, everyone I know criticizes the KPOP industry as cookie cutter songs and choreography

The problem lies in the very manufactured nature of kpop. To a lot of people, kpop is seen as a product, not as music. And they're not totally wrong. Of course there's also the stigma that it caters to young girls. But this criticism is mostly addressed towards boy groups; yet girl groups suffer the same prejudice so it's not the main reason. People don't like it because it looks fake to them, simple as that.

Quote from Alex_Murphy

Do people really care? Coworkers at my workplace know I listen to kpop, no one bats an eye. As long as you don't go the crazy, brainwashed, obsessive stan route, you'll be fine.

Same. The only thing they asking is the basic “Why are you listening a song which language you don’t understand?”. Couple of them was asking me to show them something and they noted that it’s not bad, not what they expected. lmao I don’t know what they expected. Personally I think it’s better then some of the trash the radio plays.

Yeah Kpop innocence is tricky to share with others. Having gown up on Rock-n-Roll, where Hip Hop is not well liked. Kpop is not this same type of hip hop. It has cultural pinning that grounds a realness. Its not fake.

I think this has changed a lot from, let’s say, 2 or 3 years ago, and it has better reception now. I think it’s similar to what happens to Justin Bieber and how he is like some streaming force now.

I think kpop is a lot more mainstream now but... not saying this is the case every time, but I do think racist prejudices and attitudes is definitely a factor.

I think it's because it's sung in another language, and when English audiences listen to something that isn't English, they usually get confused. It's probably the same in most countries too, but people do think it's normal to listen to English music in non-English speaking countries.

well firstly, most ordinary people dont care

they do, however, see it as a children's plaything

which is fine to me by all means

there are so many adults still going gaga over harry potter which doesnt make sense to me, but to each their own

secondly, a lot of people, mostly the conceited ones, have this mental image of a very stereotypical incel kpop fan ( which kpop fans are to blame for somewhat ) and those pathetic people like to make fun of everyone to make themselves feel better

you know, the average "confident" man whose confidence is carefully curated upon looking down on others and acting all "cool" and emotionless in public

see even i resorted to a stereotype

regardless, you get the point

People are too quick judge it. They think it's "overproduced" and "cookie cutter" because they made a judgement based on a few songs. When in reality, there's some really good music within kpop , much better than shit played on the radio. There's also a stereotype that only teenage girls like it. I understand why people say that but is there anything wrong with teenage girls liking it? No. It all comes down to misogyny. Just like how male american football fans can get away with burning down stuff and punching each other, though somehow teenage girls liking anime/kpop are the big problem.

As long as someone isn't a obsessively toxic stan who acts delusional, it should not be controversial to like kpop. Or really anything for that matter.

Quote from jinaland

its even controversial in Asia too, people here think kpop is for 6-13 year olds

oh yeah since kpop music is influenced by western music it will be looked down on

WAIT JINA YOU'RE BACK

If people judge you for what you like (as long as what you like is not actively hurting anyone) then their opinions should be dismissed. They don't matter to your enjoyment. Just let them enjoy what they like and enjoy what you like.

Don't let yourself be defined by what others think of you.

Most people I know would judge others for liking Kpop, pretty sure it's the racism on their part

I think it depends on norms and mindset. People with a limited worldview tend to look at things in a very limiting way (i.e. based on what is familiar) not knowing there's a spectrum of sounds within K-Pop; d0pe music exists even in South Korea.

omg when I was a big stan at 15-16 everyone would make the biggest deal out of it in a negative way..

Now that I'm quieter and chill about liking it, suddenly they're the ones asking for recommendations

and at uni people think it's surprising and unique when they find I like it, it's a good conversation starter

It was fine back in 2015 when nobody knew what kpop was. Now i definitely would not tell anyone i listen to kpop.

Thats why im annoyed that kpop is as big as it is now. With lame songs like dynamite getting popular, people think every kpop song is like this. Same thing happened with Gangnam style but that did die down eventually.