Author
Clara
T-ara's "Like the First Time": Sexual Objectification leading to Negative Perception of Body Image in Viewers
In recent years, Korean pop culture has been largely consumed on the video-viewing platform “Youtube”. Several entertainment companies have taken advantage of the social media site to market their artists through teasers, music videos and “behind-the-scenes” reels, allowing viewers to gain unprecedented access to various aspects of idol life. Music videos continue to garner a large majority of views, placing emphasis on the importance of visuals alongside musicality within the K-Pop industry. The use of visual elements from the music video of T-ara’s “Like the First Time” reduce group members to sexual objects, thereby appeasing the pleasures of a male audience while negatively affecting female viewers’ perception of their own body image.
The novelty of K-pop is its visual based experience, as “listeners are stimulated to amplify their visual senses more than their aural senses” (Jungwon 2018: 338). Music videos are littered with flashing close-up shots of each group member, drawing audiences in while maintaining a sense of intimacy. Several scenes depict the lengths that Hyomin goes in order to prepare for her date with the male introduced at the start of the music video. She is shown struggling in heels and exercising on a stationary bicycle. Although the focus of this music video is on the transformation of Hyomin, the other members of the group are included through assisting Hyomin in her transformation as well as in the dance sequences. During those dance cuts, their similar haircuts and scantily clad black outfits give them a sense of uniformity, as if they are one unit in pursuit of attaining the attention of the featured male in the music video.
The widespread distribution of music videos similar to “Like the First Time” can have a strong influence on how audience perceive themselves. Technology use has already been shown “to have detrimental effects on body image” (Zeeni et al 2018: 304), and with this video, in particular, the message that the members of T-ara are sending allude to the extent a woman must go in order to prepare herself physically for a date. Hyomin is giddy with excitement at the small number on the measuring tape that appears following her workout on the stationary bike while groupmate Eunjung cheers her on. This is a direct example of how “media content often portrays an ideal body as being thin and associates being overweight with negative connotations” (Lawrie et al 2006: 355). By emphasizing the importance of being thin, it prompts female viewers to question their own body image, and may even motivate them to start extreme diets to attain the “ideal body”.
Throughout the video, T-ara members are framed with “male gaze”, where the camerawork focuses mainly on sexual body parts, reducing members to merely sexual objects. In live performances, T-ara members wear black gloves with an eye-catching flower attached to it, drawing viewers to their hands as they glide across their body, replacing the use of sexual framing in the music video. One study had viewers primed with sexually objectifying imagery and results confirmed that they looked at the body of women more than their faces after the priming (Karsay et al 2018: 27). The use of “male gaze” suggests a largely male-dominated audience, and with the priming found in the study mentioned, may cause them to focus more on the body parts of women in subsequent music videos.
In closing, the actions of T-ara members in “Like the First Time” coupled with the directorial decisions accentuating the female body portray them as sexual objects for male audience members while prompting female audience members to question their personal body image. Despite the adverse effects music videos of this style may produce on viewers, it is of industry norm for girl groups to be depicted this way. More light should be shed on this issue to urge producers and entertainment companies to turn away from the physical appearance and focus on other aspects of talent in female performers.
The novelty of K-pop is its visual based experience, as “listeners are stimulated to amplify their visual senses more than their aural senses” (Jungwon 2018: 338). Music videos are littered with flashing close-up shots of each group member, drawing audiences in while maintaining a sense of intimacy. Several scenes depict the lengths that Hyomin goes in order to prepare for her date with the male introduced at the start of the music video. She is shown struggling in heels and exercising on a stationary bicycle. Although the focus of this music video is on the transformation of Hyomin, the other members of the group are included through assisting Hyomin in her transformation as well as in the dance sequences. During those dance cuts, their similar haircuts and scantily clad black outfits give them a sense of uniformity, as if they are one unit in pursuit of attaining the attention of the featured male in the music video.
The widespread distribution of music videos similar to “Like the First Time” can have a strong influence on how audience perceive themselves. Technology use has already been shown “to have detrimental effects on body image” (Zeeni et al 2018: 304), and with this video, in particular, the message that the members of T-ara are sending allude to the extent a woman must go in order to prepare herself physically for a date. Hyomin is giddy with excitement at the small number on the measuring tape that appears following her workout on the stationary bike while groupmate Eunjung cheers her on. This is a direct example of how “media content often portrays an ideal body as being thin and associates being overweight with negative connotations” (Lawrie et al 2006: 355). By emphasizing the importance of being thin, it prompts female viewers to question their own body image, and may even motivate them to start extreme diets to attain the “ideal body”.
Throughout the video, T-ara members are framed with “male gaze”, where the camerawork focuses mainly on sexual body parts, reducing members to merely sexual objects. In live performances, T-ara members wear black gloves with an eye-catching flower attached to it, drawing viewers to their hands as they glide across their body, replacing the use of sexual framing in the music video. One study had viewers primed with sexually objectifying imagery and results confirmed that they looked at the body of women more than their faces after the priming (Karsay et al 2018: 27). The use of “male gaze” suggests a largely male-dominated audience, and with the priming found in the study mentioned, may cause them to focus more on the body parts of women in subsequent music videos.
In closing, the actions of T-ara members in “Like the First Time” coupled with the directorial decisions accentuating the female body portray them as sexual objects for male audience members while prompting female audience members to question their personal body image. Despite the adverse effects music videos of this style may produce on viewers, it is of industry norm for girl groups to be depicted this way. More light should be shed on this issue to urge producers and entertainment companies to turn away from the physical appearance and focus on other aspects of talent in female performers.
Reference
Karsay, Kathrin, Jorg Matthes, Phillip Platzer, and Myrna Plinke. “Adopting the Objectifying Gaze: Exposure to Sexually Objectifying Music Videos and Subsequent Gazing Behaviour.” Media Psychology 21, no. 1 (2018): 27-49.
Kim, Jungwon. “K-Popping: Korean Women, K-pop, and Fandom.” PhD diss., University of California, Riverside, 2018.
Lawrie, Z., E. A. Sullivan, P. S. W. Davies, and R. J. Hill. “Media Influence on the Body Image of Children and Adolescents.” Eating Disorders: The Journal of Treatment & Prevention 14, no. 5 (2006): 355-364
Zeeni, N., R. Doumit, J. Abi Kharma, and MJ Sanchez-Ruiz. “Media, Technology Use, and Attidudes: Associations with Physical and Mental Well-Being in Youth with Implications for Evidence-Based Practice.” Worldview on Evidence-Based Nursing 15, no. 4 (2018): 304-12.
1theK (원더케이). “[MV] T-ARA(티아라) _ Like the First Time (처음처럼).” YouTube Video. Posted November 16, 2013. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EWSTtFoD0Ms
Kim, Jungwon. “K-Popping: Korean Women, K-pop, and Fandom.” PhD diss., University of California, Riverside, 2018.
Lawrie, Z., E. A. Sullivan, P. S. W. Davies, and R. J. Hill. “Media Influence on the Body Image of Children and Adolescents.” Eating Disorders: The Journal of Treatment & Prevention 14, no. 5 (2006): 355-364
Zeeni, N., R. Doumit, J. Abi Kharma, and MJ Sanchez-Ruiz. “Media, Technology Use, and Attidudes: Associations with Physical and Mental Well-Being in Youth with Implications for Evidence-Based Practice.” Worldview on Evidence-Based Nursing 15, no. 4 (2018): 304-12.
1theK (원더케이). “[MV] T-ARA(티아라) _ Like the First Time (처음처럼).” YouTube Video. Posted November 16, 2013. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EWSTtFoD0Ms