A constant claim that girl group fans have to tolerate is that girl groups are manufactured to cater to male fans only and that girl group music are just meaningless love songs. First of all, it is important to note that one music taste is not superior to another, and just because you may feel that your favorite group is better does not mean it’s right to put down another group’s hard work. All K-Pop fans know that being an idol is nothing easy, and even if that group may not be the best in terms of popularity, that does not erase their years of training and undergoing the tough competition in order to debut.
The fact that many K-Pop fans feel the need to denounce a girl group for only being able to do “cute” or “sexy” concepts is a bit ridiculous, especially since concepts in K-Pop for any group are never so one dimensional. Groups like Red Velvet, SNSD, LOONA, After School, F(x) and so many more groups have proven to be concept queens with their ability to challenge themselves with varying music genres and story lines.
(From left to right) LOONA, Red Velvet, Twice, After School, SNSD/ Girls’ Generation, Blackpink.
As a community of people who all enjoy listening to K-Pop, we all should know by now that just because a group does not write or produce their musi, does not mean they are untalented or lack a love or dedication for music. Blackpink, Red Velvet, EXID, Mamamoo, SNSD, Idle, Pristin, Twice, etc. have all contributed in some way with the creation of their music, whether it be composing, producing, or even input into the story line of their next concept. Many of these girl groups continue to be looked down on by stans. It’s okay to have an opinion on these girl groups, but to imply that girl groups do not deserve recognition if they don’t write their music is hypocritical considering more than half of the music we hear on the radio is not self-composed or self-produced. Stop with the unfounded rumor that girl groups are not capable of creating meaningful music. Not every song needs to be emotional, sometimes us fans just want to jam along to Rookie, Banana Allergy Monkey, or Signal without being told our music taste is childish.
I get it. Hating on girl groups is considered edgy, and many may feel the need to downplay a girl group’s success based on their concept or the gender of their fans. But whether or not a girl group does “cute” concepts or “sexy” ones, these amazing female artists do not deserve the constant slander by stans who have nothing better to do on social media then make unpopular opinion threads filled with hurtful insults. No one is forcing fans to stan a girl group in order to prove they have nothing against them, but do no be a user who actively puts down girl groups or downplays them for attention. Whether you stan girl groups, boy groups, soloists, or all, let’s be fans that hype up our favorite artists without puttig others down.
