What's the difference between 'most/top popular girl' and 'it girl'?

    Something I've been wondering about for a while now. Isn't an 'it girl' simply the 'most popular girl' or 1 of the most popular girls at a given time?

    And if not, what's the difference?

    What IS an 'it girl' for that matter?


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    Aside from many references to 'it girl' meaning girls working in the IT branche, this is 1 of the definitions I found for 'It Girl':


    Quote

    a young woman with sex appeal and a magnetic personality. an extremely popular and attractive young socialite or celebrity.

    and

    Quote

    An "it girl" is an attractive young woman, who is perceived to have both sex appeal and a personality that is especially engaging...

    ... In the earlier usage, a woman was especially perceived as an it girl if she had achieved a high level of popularity without flaunting her sexuality. Today, the term is used more to apply simply to fame and beauty. The Oxford English Dictionary distinguishes between the chiefly American usage of "a glamorous, vivacious, or sexually attractive actress, model, etc.", and the chiefly British usage of "a young, rich woman who has achieved celebrity because of her socialite lifestyle"


    Interesting, but is this is how the term 'It Girl' is used in K-pop, and if not, what IS an 'It Girl' in K-pop?

    Is it simply the most popular girl/woman of all the Korean idols and celebs, or is it the one most rising in popularity, the hottest trending new upcoming girl (or woman)?

    And can there be more 'It Girls' at the same time, or can there be only one at any given time?

    Or are the 'It Girls' simply the top most popular girl idols and celebs?


    Thoughts?

  • AllKill VIP

    I once asked the same question on twitter and found out that the term "it girl" applies to an idol who has influences like sold out products or trending, is usually the most popular, but receives an incredibly large amount of hatred for no reason. it is a person who gets first-hand attention and doesn't have to do much. in any case, this term is overused and makes no sense.

  • AllKill VIP

    obviously popularity is a requirement but i think there is more to it. i think the person also has to be attractive and trendy and people try to replicate their style. like i don't think everyone fits the term it girl or it boy even if they have great popularity. For example Psy would never be considered an it boy despite his massive popularity. i think the person also has to be young. are there any old it boys/girls?

    as the quotes op posted suggest - IT girl is a woman with a magnetic personality, an extremely popular person who is setting trends, someone which everyone is following and looking up to as a role model and an inspiration regardless of the age


    great examples for true IT girls are Suzy, IU, Jennie and Irene. everything they do becomes a trend and everything they wear or promote gets sold out in minutes, not only because of their fans but because the general public follows along too

    Quote from itiswhatitisss

    I wonder this too actually. Because if we're really talking about IT Girls, IU would be #1 on everyone's list yet some people don't include her and\or don't consider her to be an IT Girl. It makes you wonder

    "It" is supposed to be highly transient, ever moving to younger and newer girls, but when someone persists for decade as highly popular trendsetter, people have trouble relating.

    Quote from icyruios

    Most Popular girl is something we cannot accurately measure because there isn't a fixed criteria given to measure popularity.


    IT girl is just a term used by fans to flex their faves or to downplay other female idols


    :pepe-use-head::pepe-use-head:

    Gallup was actually a very good method to measure popularity objectively, at least for in South Korea. Until last year or so Gallup listed the most popular people in South Korea, but they don't do it anymore like that.


    But when it comes to popularity, I guess google trends and the monthly brand rankings may be (mis)used as a popularity indicator.


    Quote from Srina

    I once asked the same question on twitter and found out that the term "it girl" applies to an idol who has influences like sold out products or trending, is usually the most popular, but receives an incredibly large amount of hatred for no reason. it is a person who gets first-hand attention and doesn't have to do much. in any case, this term is overused and makes no sense.

    True, people often seemed to use the term however suits them best, to either include and push their own faves as some 'It Girl' or to exclude those idols and celebs they dislike or don't care about.


    Quote from Cold_Wave

    obviously popularity is a requirement but i think there is more to it. i think the person also has to be attractive and trendy and people try to replicate their style. like i don't think everyone fits the term it girl or it boy even if they have great popularity. For example Psy would never be considered an it boy despite his massive popularity. i think the person also has to be young. are there any old it boys/girls?

    Tbh, I've never really seen the term used to describe 'It Boys' even when it could be used for it. Maybe because 'It Girl' has been more of a thing throughout the decades? I think that age and visuals also play a role, like the official description states.

    If I read the wiki definitions correctly how the term's used outside of K-pop, it's about someone who's hot, trending and the talk of the town, figuratively speaking.


    Quote from komandos895

    as the quotes op posted suggest - IT girl is a woman with a magnetic personality, an extremely popular person who is setting trends, someone which everyone is following and looking up to as a role model and an inspiration regardless of the age


    great examples for true IT girls are Suzy, IU, Jennie and Irene. everything they do becomes a trend and everything they wear or promote gets sold out in minutes, not only because of their fans but because the general public follows along too

    Funny thing is, I've seen some of them like IU and Irene be dismissed and even refused by K-pop fans as being 'It Girls', often by the same people who overuse the whole 'It Girl' thing to promote their own biases with it.


    I think it's the vagueness of the term, at least how it's used in K-pop, that causes people to have their own subjective interpretation of it, also often to, like Icy already mentioned, to flex their faves and downplay other idols.


    But regardless however some K-pop stans might abuse the term 'It Girl' to fit their biases, that doesn't mean there aren't 'It Girls' - even if they aren't called like that outside of the K-pop scene and even if (some) K-pop fans might disagree whom Koreans themselves find an 'It Girl'.


    Personally I regard the 'It Girl' term as nothing but a short, quick way to describe those idols and celebs who're currently popular or trending. But that's me and my own personal, subjective interpretation :-)8)

    Quote from icyruios

    Most Popular girl is something we cannot accurately measure because there isn't a fixed criteria given to measure popularity.


    IT girl is just a term used by fans to flex their faves or to downplay other female idols


    :pepe-use-head::pepe-use-head:

    I have my measure, they should be selected to model for a Soju brand.

    Larger the brand, longer the contract - greater the "it"-ness.

    Problem as usual is everyone having their own, often very vague definition of what makes an IT girl.


    I'd agree with IT girl being mostly a transient term and mainly used for hot/trendy upcoming girls/women before moving on the the next trending girl after a short period of time.


    Quote from icyruios

    Most Popular girl is something we cannot accurately measure because there isn't a fixed criteria given to measure popularity.


    IT girl is just a term used by fans to flex their faves or to downplay other female idols


    :pepe-use-head::pepe-use-head:

    Well, figuring out who's the most popular is easy when IU exists. Its everyone else besides her thats harder to rank the popularity of.


    Quote from bbgc

    I have my measure, they should be selected to model for a Soju brand.

    Larger the brand, longer the contract - greater the "it"-ness.

    Not sure using only that is a good indicator, but by that criteria and looking at the two dominating brands, its quite a short list (and excludes quite a few of what most usually considers to be/have been 'IT' girls):


    1. IU (Chamisul 7 years ongoing)

    2. Lee Hyori, Suzy (Chum-churum 5 years)

    4. Shin Min Ah (Chum-churum 4 years)

    5. LeeMin-Jung, Moon Chae-won (chamisul 2 years), Jennie (Chum-Churum 2 years ongoing)

    8. Sung Yu-ri, Nam Sang-mi, Kim Ah-joong, Ha Ji-won, Lee Yu-bi, Gong Hyo-Jin, Irene (Chamisul 1 year), Hyuna, Goo hara, Hyorin (Cum-churum 1 year)


    Chamisul (Hite jinro) - Biggest soju producer and also the best selling spirit brand in the world

    2005 Sung Yu-ri

    2006 Nam Sang-mi

    2007 Kim Ah-joong

    2008 Kim Min-jung

    2009 Ha Ji-won

    2010-2011 LeeMin-Jung (2 years)

    2012 Psy

    2012-2013 Moon Chae-won (2 years)

    2013 Kim Young-kwang, Lee Yu-bi, Ivy, Yoo-Ah-in

    2014 Gong Hyo-jin

    2015-2018 IU (4 years*)

    2018 Park Seo-joon

    2019 Irene

    2020-? IU (3 years ongoing, total of 7 years)


    Only three models have been with Chamisul for more than one year, and only IU more than two, currently on her seventh year.


    Chum-Churum (Lotte Liquor) - Second largest soju producer in the world

    2007-2012 Lee Hyori (5 years)

    2012 Hyuna, Goo Hara, Hyorin (only for a few months until Shin Min Ah signed)

    2013-2016 Shin Min Ah (4 years)

    2016-2020 Suzy (5 years)

    2021-? Jennie (2 years ongoing)


    On average they keep their models for longer than Chamisul. With that, Jennie is likely to do 4 years at least.

    --

    For a more complete list, models for the bigger beer brands hould probably be included as well (Kim Yuna, Seolhyun etc among others who never did soju cfs)

    Agreed everybody has a arbitrary measure. Mine as well.


    My reasoning is, in a society with drinking culture, being a model for Soju is indeed emphatic and only a very short list can make it, actresses or idols.


    IU is impressive even in that very short list, Chamiseul is the market leader and until her, they rarely retained anyone for more than an year or two and even more, they brought her back.


    I don't limit it to dominant brands, Apink's Naeun should be included, though Chungha became a model, because of her name, than the 'it' factor

    Arin recently became one for a new Soju brand. And she definitely is an It girl.


    I am not very familiar with the beer market, but the think is beer does not have as much significance as Soju for Koreans.

    Edited once, last by bbgc ().

    I've heard about Soju endorsements as an indicator for popularity (or 'it girl' ness) before.

    It makes me wonder if there are other brands or types of brands that can serve equally (or almost equally) as well as a hot trending/it girl popularity indicator.


    Also Soju's more South Korea related, what would be similar brand indicators on an international, global scale?


    Quote from sweettaylor

    hwasa was an it-girl too. At one point everything she touched sold out, even the food she ate.

    She def has a magnetic personality and therefore fits the discription of a traditional itgirls.

    I'd say she had the biggest peak of an it girl among 3rd gen female idols.

    You say 'was', but isn't she still 1 of the 'it girls'?


    Regardless on which definition is used for 'it girl', Hwasa's still 1 of the more popular girl idols around.

    i think the difference is their status while they are inactive?


    an it girl/boy could do nothing for years & still be considered top dog/ranking #1 on brand lists etc,

    while the most popular girl/boy is the person who has the attention at the moment for the activities they are doing. like, they have the current hype, but it could pass?


    for kpop i would say jennie and jimin are it girl/boy even when they have had no individual activities (for years) however, it seems that the girl from Ive is the popular girl now due to her recent debut and attention from gp. also freezia, before the scandal, was the popular girl imo

    I guess we will never know the real definition, but based on a pattern we have seen for many years ( Yoona, Suzy) it would be a Korean female celebrity that has a massive popularity that happen to have many endorsements given their huge popularity and continuously trends everywhere, basically a female celebrity that everyone aspire to be and everyone knows.


    a good example of an it girl would be Jennie

    I think they are just synonyms, but IT girl does come with the connotation of being a trend setter (which most #1 popular female celebrities would be)

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