Benjamin M Han’s article “Transpacific Talent” explored American Orientalism and the idea of the Asian as the “perpetual foreigner” in America, through the study of the Kim Sisters’ rise to fame in tne West. For me, this article evoked a phenomenon in a more recent past: Psy’s “Gangnam Style”. We all watched this song and choreography shoot to virality in 2012, and, for many of us, it was the first instance of Asian visibility on a scale this massive, thanks to digital media and the Internet. However, many aspects of Psy’s brilliant fame in the United States seem reminiscent of that of the Kim Sisters.
For one, both acts were seen as more of a fascinating phenomenon than serious musical artists. Psy’s appearance on Ellen reduced him to nothing more than a surprise dance teacher for Britney Spears; at one point he even asks, “Can I introduce myself? Not just dancing?”. The basis of the American media’s fascination in Gangnam Style was in its cheesy dance and catchy chorus. Parodies of the arose rapidly across the Internet. At its core, the mainstream American media’s fascination with Psy and his viral song revolved around how eclectic, how “other” it was. It reflected a brand of “Asian” humor that purely seems humorous due to its novelty. Pikotaro’s PPAP (Pen Pineapple Apple Pen) saw a surge in popularity in America for seemingly similar reasons. In many of his public appearances in America, Psy was depicted as a funny man who does a funny dance. His artistry is completely overshadowed by how much of a novelty he is. In fact, during his Reddit “Ask Me Anything” session, Psy was asked what one thing he wished more people knew about him was. His answer was, “I compose all my music myself”.
In Han’s article, he mentioned how the Kim Sisters perpetuated a stereotype about submissive, sexy Asian women to an audience white men, especially soldiers. In the 21st century, the way American media presented Psy perpetuated a stereotype about Asian “otherness”. The fact that these performers are Asian was played up, then and now; it becomes frustrating how shallow Asian representation can be. And after America began to move on from “Gangnam Style”, the American media hasn’t followed Psy since, solidifying the fact that he was seen as nothing but a temporary novelty. However, the tides of Asian representation in America are turning. Asian artists such as 88rising, and especially BTS, are beginning to break into the American mainstream, demanding the respect that other artists are given, and staying for good. There is no viral song or dance, but rather consistently rising sales and growing fanbases that pique the interest of the American public. Although their Asianness is visible, it is not blinding anymore.
The Politics of K-Pop 
I really liked your blog post, Chloe! I feel like the reception of Korean music in the West becomes, of course, very gendered. For artists like Psy and Pikotaro, they are sensationalized and asexual, becoming the butt of the joke despite their temporary yet massive success in the West. For girl groups, as well as male idol groups that utilize soft masculinity like BTS, there exists fetishization of the members (by both men and women). The common thread, however, it a complete misunderstanding on the part of non K-Pop fans as to why these groups are popular. From my personal observation, I saw K-Pop fans at my high school (4-6 years ago now) be publicly shamed through false enthusiasm during their K-Pop dance performances at school assemblies. When I was in middle school, I remember kids trying to sing along to the Korean lyrics in “Gee” by Girls Generation because it was super catchy, but they actually didn’t genuinely like the song or appreciate it as an artistic expression (a similar thing happened with Psy and “Gangnam Style” I think). Even now when I talk to non K-Pop fans, they declare that all K-Pop fans, especially fans of BTS, are “weird.” Overall, like you’re saying in your blog post, there is a lack of respect for both the “other” and now for those who are fans of the “other” — there is a process of othering both the performer and the fan because they fail to see the complexity of the music and the reasoning behind liking the music as a (usually white) Western fan.
LikeLike
I felt like this post captured my feelings perfectly regarding the increased presence of Asians in American Media. Similar to PSY, other Asians who are portrayed in other forms of American Media, such as television, play limited roles. For example, in Two Broke Girls, Ken Jeong plays the limited role of being a form of gag-type comedic relief and doesn’t really get character development. This type of representation isn’t new in American Media, as our Asian identity has been used as a gag. An example of this would be the role that Mr. Yunioshi plays in Breakfast at Tiffany’s where his stereotypically “Asian” accent is used as a joke. Additionally, it is important to note the Mr. Yunioshi is not even played by a Japanese actor, nor an Asian one, but was played by Mickey Rooney. The spectacle of Asians in American Media is, unfortunately, ingrained into the industry as a whole, but, as mentioned in the reading, the tide is turning. In addition to artists like BTS and 88rising, there have been releases of Asian-led media by the traditional giants in America’s media industry like Warner Bros (Crazy Rich Asians) and ABC (Fresh Off the Boat) which have made strides to represent a facet of the Asian American experience. Although this recent shift raises my hope in a decent portrayal of Asians in the US, these strides still could turn out to be mere fads in American Media.
LikeLike