Yup, that is right! This ahjumma finds guys who wear makeup super sexy. If you had told me that 10 years ago, I would have laughed in your face and rolled my eyes. Now I find it fascinating how watching a Asian tv shows could literally shift my personal tastes and ideas on beauty so much. So just for fun I decided to make a list of things that I find attractive after 5 years of a kdrama obsession. Can you relate with any of these examples? Did I miss one? Be sure to leave a comment if you think my list is incomplete.
1. Makeup
When I was growing up (Eeeek really dating myself) this was what we thought of when makeup/men/and music was combined. Regardless of my enjoyment in 80's hairband music, I admit that I did not find this particular combo of style sexy.
Did you ever think that a guy in traditional garb, which is similar to a dress, would be sexy? I remember rolling my eyes when I watched my first Sageuk. It is hard to really feel attracted to someone wearing something that Western culture considers feminine. But it only took half a drama before I was completely swooning at the ornate garments and the sexy men wearing them. Now I actually look forward to discussing the different styling of the Hanbok's with other kdrama fans and debating who is sexiest. Here are several of my favorite Sageuk hotties.
One of the funnest things about kpop is the constant changing of idol hairstyles. They go from long to short, braids, mohawks, and also can be found in every color imaginable. There is something just so entertaining to see a different color and style with every new comeback. It is almost more important than the music at times. Who knew that pink could be so sexy on a guy?
So many clothes in every print and style imaginable. Some are super sexy while others completely miss the mark but they are almost always discussion worthy. No matter what they wear, a kdrama character/actor/or idol is judged by their outfits. I had never imagined that such excessive wardrobes existed. Not to mention the extreme importance of outerwear since no outfit is complete without a stylish jacket.
This is another aspect of the entertainment industry that I never thought i would be interested in. In my day the airwaves were overflowing with boy groups. Nsync, BackStreet Boys, 98%, etc... tons of options that all kind of sounded and looked the same. There were no drastic style changes other than natural aging, and the music ranged from so so to super annoying after hearing the same song on the radio a thousand times in a week. So when I became obsessed with kdramas I did not really pay attention to the whole kpop aspect of kentertainment. It was almost a year before I started tiptoeing my way into the kpop world, mostly through seeing actor-idols and then searching for their music on youtube. Slowly but surely, kpop sneaked its way onto my playlists and now I am a firm fan of plethora of various idol groups. And while I don't think they always have the best music, they do make me happy, and that means a lot nowadays.
Getting used to the makeup on the guys took some time, but now I only notice when I'm showing a kpop mv to some one and they're giving me what-the- heck is this look the whole time.The only thing that seems odd know is the really obvious pink lipstick they have on sometimes.
ReplyDeleteIt's only in recent American history that men feel they must be entirely unadorned and wear dreary clothes in order to be manly. Go back a couple of hundred years, and you find Beau Brummels in England dressing as extravagantly as anything we see in kdrama and kpop.
ReplyDeleteOh K-drama. I completely identify with the things you mentioned. There is just so much to love that outsiders might find weird or strange. I find that when I am introducing someone to something K-related, that is when I realize how all these things are normal for me now. And I think that's a good thing. And I am totally into guyliner. Man, it really brings a man's eyes out. I am thinking of Vampire Prosecutor, or anything VIXX related. I really think that many western men (well Europeans already do this a lot) took better care of their skin and hair, and dressed as well as Korean men do. And I do see that here in Korea. While it has its downsides to people being overly concerned with outward appearances, dang it, people look good. So I wholeheartedly embrace the K-addict I am, and unashamedly groove to my K-pop. ^^
ReplyDeletethis Vixx boys know how to rock the guyliner.
DeleteThey most certainly do, that's for sure.
DeleteI was in college during the entire GlamRock period (go check out Velvet Goldmine if in doubt about what THAT was). Those bands – well, even Led Zeppelin got glammed up (Jimmy Page I SWEAR used guyliner, & Robert wore frilly girls’ shirts while looking totally hot & hunky). My problems w/80s hairbands didn’t usually include their looks (although some – KISS – went way overboard). I totally loved the goth guys :D So of course my love of the KPop idols (& JRock/Visual Kei before them) just continues that trend.
ReplyDeleteNow, the historicals. Well I’ve been a history nut all my life. Saturdays for me (from preteen on) were Sword & Sandal sagas w/hot guys in short skirts – or just their underwear (Hercules Unchained LOL). I went to Glasgow University (men in kilts = hot) & joined the SCA (medieval recreation). Plus I’ve been watching Asian films (starting w/KungFu Theatre of course) since my teens so had SEEN so many of these styles before.
I am NOT a fan of Korean Josean scholar/magistrate fashion. But the manes of glory hair styles (warrior get-up) & those guard uniforms? OMG yes.
Boy bands. Well, I STILL can’t stand so many of the Western boybands. Because they aren’t very GOOD! The music is boring & the dancing is so-so. I DID get into the most famous boyband EVER in the WORLD. That would be the Beatles…. And I loved (still do) MoTown which is what KPop most forcibly reminds me of.
So – no – I find that my entire Korean entertainment addiction is a logical progression leading from my preferences from an early age LOL
love the mane's of glory style the best as well. Give me a hot assassin any day.
DeleteI basically grew up with K-pop and K-dramas (at least much of my teenhood and now early 20s) so my tastes are greatly dictated by them. Which is hard. I mean, if you have someone like Jo In-sung prancing around on your screen, it's hard to not judge the less than stellar real men out there. The guyliner can still be weird though, especially when it's on thick. I know that a lot of them wear it just to highlight their eyes, the same way that girls do, but when it looks unnatural, it can be off putting. This applies mostly for actors though, since guyliner is K-pop idols.
ReplyDeleteBut another thing I find sexy is mustache and beard! This applies to most men for me, if they can pull it off. But when an actor is going to wear mustache and beard, I get excited. And so far, I haven't seen anyone look terrible in it, even though it's clearly fake. Maybe that's just my taste in men in general.