From cdinkorea, who brought this up on Dave's ESL Cafe:
I like sexy women dancing sexily, but at the risk of coming off as prudish, I don't think this kind of ad is appropriate for viewing in subway stations, ie public transportation.
The way she's dressed, dancing, and the camera angle reminds me of the first minute or so of a strip show. I know sex sells in Canada as well, but I don't think a video like this would fly there if it was played in public places. Also, does anyone know if Koreans are upset about this (like they were about that Calvin Klein ad in Myeong-dong)?
That's Uee of the group "After School"---Korea's Pussycat Dolls---a woman with the nickname "honey thighs."
Regarding the Myeongdong ad, here's what a few respondents said in a Korea Times piece a few days before the ad was taken down.
Female Chu Ja-hye, 19: "At first, I felt embarrassed but, seeing it so often, I feel nothing out of the ordinary."
Male Jang Ji-woo, 19: "I take it as an advertisement concept. They cover what they have to, so I say it's OK."
Kwon Sun-mi, aged in her 20s: "It's sensational but I disregard it because it's an advertisement."
Female Han So-r, 20: "Nowadays, there are no borders that can't be crossed as far as advertisements go. Not bad."
Female Lee Mi-sun, 20: "It's too sensational by Korean standards. It's too provocative."
Chang Un-yong, in her 30s: "It is one of many overly sexualized advertisements. I feel it burdensome."
Han Bok-ja, in her late 40s: "It's overly sexual. I feel too embarrassed to look at it. The line should be drawn somewhere."
I haven't found a bigger photograph of that advertisement yet, and never saw it in person. From that picture it does look pretty in your face, but not necessarily out of place in Korea. Perhaps the difference is that ad is supposed to be alluring, while the soju ad and all the other "sexydances" you see are considered to merely be playing at being sexy? Sexual versus 섹시. I looked a little more at "sexydances"---certainly not sexy dances, for more than one reason---in this post, and though I'm certainly not a prude, I wonder why it's necessary to break out into sexydance so regularly. In the soju ad above, she displays some of the hallmarks of a bad Korean sexydance, such as running her hand through her hair and attempting to back it up when there's nothing to back up, moves you'll see in music videos, at the town fair, and at your middle school festival.
14 comments:
I can't say I'm very surprised to see the video (and I've seen it quite a few times while waiting for the train)... It is dancing, though, not soft-core porn or as suggestive as the picture was...
People are so desensitized to everything anyway... Especially if it's an ad - how many ads get thrown in front of us during our daily commute?
The soju advert in question is not at all 'sexy'. It's just some girl dancing, and not particularly well. It's more embarrassing than sexual. Anyway, the fact that the advert is for soju immediately purges any image of any degree of prurience it might otherwise contain, for the very concept of soju (and in particular the smell that it causes drunken office workers to exude on the subway) is about as far away from sensual pleasure as it is possible for a substance to be. Honestly, anyone who would be rendered uncomfortably aroused by this advert needs to take themselves off to a monastery.
I gotta say that this ad isn't so bad to be playing on the subway. Looking at it from a more Korean point of view, it's basically a single girl version of all of those musical performance shows all over Korean TV channels. In fact, this is quite tame compared to some of those TV performances I've seen.
Then again, maybe I am a little biased, I mean what better way to pass the time in a subway than by looking at a beautiful woman?
The question of whether those images are 'too sexy' is a fair one, but also a bit misleading.
I almost agree with Stevie Bee where it was said:
"It's just some girl dancing, and not particularly well. It's more embarrassing than sexual."
I agree that it is 'some girl' dancing, but I would hesitate to say 'just' some girl. *Any* person who gets their image accorded so much attention becomes a part of the social consciousness, and, as witnessed by the number of comments indicating people were shocked at first but just 'got used to it' or as Chris says 'desensitized,' the actions and/or portrayal of that person - that image - *obviously* have an effect on viewers of some sort. (That some viewers choose not to analyze or critique that image perhaps just makes it all the more powerful in effect.)
I'm really sick of seeing images of women on TV (and Korean TV in particular) which depict women in ways where they are reduced to either the sexual or the stupid, or, in this case, ambiguously either (and probably both).
I haven't owned a stupid bloody TV for years, and this is one of the prime reasons. And personally, I'm completely pissed off that my school has seen fit not to adjust our wages to inflation, but rather to invest in flat-screen TVs at every major junction on the ground floor of *every* building on campus, and then to top it off with a huge two-story monitor at the first major - and most dangerous - intersection, upon entering the grounds.
... And what's the main advertisement on high-rotate repeat-play? Images of a foreign teacher joining in with rebellious albeit fun-loving students, throwing away books and papers and dancing in the halls.
Now, I enjoy dancing a lot. I was jumping around to the sound of music just the other day actually. It was a lot of fun and I'm sure I looked quite silly to any poor unfortunates within visual range. But my image was not recorded and published or broadcast nor used to promote anything else.
... But in both situations above, we're looking at people who are either lower in real and perceived status - traditionally - in our shared culture in this land (women), or, an obvious minority (foreigners).
So... does that make a difference? Or is it all just good fun?
I would guess it does make a difference. Why not have an older ajusshi dancing and obviously having fun for either the soju ad or the school commercial with the students? ... Okay, no, I don't really *want* to see that either... but still, they are the main target audience in the former, and, given adequate creative vision and production values it could have been made to work in either scenario.I'd need someone else to comment as to whether they think most images of women and minorities on Korean TV do depict them in demeaning ways - I gave up on watching that shit years ago, here or back in my original home - and how do images of women, for example, compare with those of men on TV?
Presuming that most images of women and minorities are derogatory in some way, I want to ask:
what effects have this abundance of bland commercials bereft of any sense of dignity for female and minority images had on our shared culture here?
Firstly, I reckon somewhat of a feedback loop has started, seeing a rapid increase of such images, whether in advertising, TV shows, or news commentary.
Secondly, whatever the causes, and whether or not media images are a part of it, the situation for women in Korea continues to be a dangerous mess. What images do you guys see of women on TV? All I remember seeing is either of air-brushed 'super-mother' images pouting and posing over a washing machine or dish-washing machine, or doing some absurdest dance moves for the sake of any other random product.
Today I had two more intelligent, well-educated, higher-level university students tell me they both aspired to being flight attendants. Why not CEOs of their own companies? Why not bank managers, or pilots? Why sexual assault against females seemingly on a rapid increase? Why is suicide still the biggest killer for those of us in our twenties in this country, and why does Korea still top the suicide list in the OECD?
I first lived here in 2000, and don't at all remember anywhere near the number nor regularity of news stories portraying foreigners negatively. In a practical sense I wonder if this is at least a contributing reason for the descent in quality of motivation of students in class since 2001. I'm interested in the opinions of other 'lifers' and long-timers here on this one.
Im confused. where was the too sexy part? I'm all about girls dancing. I'm all about guys dancing. In fact, I think they should do it together. Come on people now, smile on your brother, everybody get together, try to love one another right now, on the subway.
For realzies, I have not seen this on the subway, but the contrast between this girl shaking her money-taker and 20-40 somethings sleeping on their way home from/to work... it's almost too delicious.
How about an ad with someone making spontaneous choices about their life's direction? now that would be provocative.
I know this is a sudden rant and I've made jumps in logic and painted a general picture with a wide brush. Being here for a while now though, just recently I've seen too much of an impact on a lot of students - both male and female - whom I feel lucky to teach, work with, and with whom I share life in this culture.
But, dDes anyone here talk about media analysis of images with students, even in simple ways, with younger students? Lord knows, it seems some of their older brother and sisters, aunts and uncles making the commercials could use a greater variety of creative ideas for their commercials, and ways of relating to themselves and each other.
So, 'too sexy for the subway?' - Within the context of today's social climate, not at all.
Is today's social climate a completely destructive mess? - In some ways, and for some people more than others, yes, completely.
Are media images and their makers responsible for this, or are they just reflecting society? - ... Hmm. Now *there's* a discussion topic...!
As someone who used to work in the CG broadcast industry in Australia, creating adverts for the Australian and Asian markets, all I can say is that art draws from life and life draws from art, it's a full circle. Now replace the word "art" with "advertising" and you might have your answer.
I think you might be going a bit too far with the whole"narrow minded advertisement subjects" thing. I see just as many adverts in all kinds of mediums that portray the "friendly, well meaning ajushi", the "caring nurturing ajuma", the "excited supportive girlfriend", the "protective and sweet boyfriend", etc...
It's like blue elephants. When you start to think about them, you begin to see them everywhere. I don't think Korea has an overabundance of sexually orientated advertising. In fact, I'd go as far as saying that it's pretty on par with other western countries.
And about your comments about the female students wanting to be flight attendants, that profession is quite well regarded in Korea. It's a type of job where women benefits and protections are very good. Being a flight attendant offers great maternity leave, the chance to travel and see other cultures, etc. It's by no means worse than I'd say 90% of the other types of jobs out there. Plus as a flight attendant, those women are often held in high regard in terms of beauty too, something Koreans place high on their priorities.
Art and life may move in a circle, Ryan, but with advertising, it is most certainly the case that the one is leading the other. Art is motivated by the desire for reflection, whereas advertising is motivated by the desire for directed consumption. It has a pronounced ideological effect on society via its effects on individual identity.
I haven't really the time to get into this now, but I will make the following points:
- interesting comments, Julian.
- I have never seen any nation with such strongly gendered advertising as Korea, and nor have I seen any nation that has 'modernized' towards maintaining such strongly gendered social roles.
- unfortunately, most of these roles are restrictive, negative and directed towards the interests of the male and towards the interests of authority (which isn't to say that only portrayals of females are negative).
- I find most of Korea's advertising and media output profoundly 'unsexy' for this reason. It's like there's something fundamentally awry, something fundamentally missing. It's the equivalent of trying to create a prurient image using only root vegetables.
Anyways, I'm in a hurry, so if anyone so desires, I shall pick this up later.
I'd just like to say...and maybe this is because I'm a guy I LOVE THIS COMMERCIAL
Soju however? I wouldn't use it to clean my toilet.
This possibly shows women are becoming more confident in their sexuality doesn't it?
On another note what would the reaction be to the Calvin Clien commercial if the woman was Korean and the guy was a foreigner?
Oh the plot thinkens!
I was in Myeong Dong yesterday and that ad is in the subway station still.
Is it "provocative?" No. Absolutely not. It is an underwear ad. It looks just like every other underwear ad I've ever seen.
The only reason I looked twice is because I thought that guy was Ashton Kutcher.
Not having a tv, I'm no authority on Korean advertisements in general, so I don't really know where the line is.
That being said, I've seen another version of this commercial every single time I've logged into my yahoo mail account for like the last month or two and I never batted an eye. I thought it was just a silly go-go dance thing and nothing more. I guess I don't really see what the fuss is aobut. On the other hand, some of my Korean co-teachers have been playfully teasing me about watching 야동, so maybe the fact that this kind of commercial is constantly on my computer screen when others are around is sending the wrong signals to people about my interests...
notdeadyetblog - It's understandable that you don't see what the fuss is about, precisely because there IS nothing to make a fuss about.
The advert is not remotely 'over-sexy'. The only reason that any of us are having this discussion is because some spastic on Dave's thought it was, and as we all know, opinions stated on Dave's should not really be considered opinions at all.
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