In South Korea, the feminism movement is gaining more traction day by day. In a male-dominated society, women are standing up for themselves against the idea that women are less than men. Now, even the South Korean government aims to ensure gender equality in society by securing equal rights for both men and women and offering both genders the same opportunities. However, many old-fashion people still consider feminism as something negative. Nevertheless, there are numerous idols who proudly show off their feminist beliefs. Here are six female idols who are proud feminists.
1. Red Velvet's Joy
A month ago, Red Velvet's Joy made headlines when she posted a photo of her wearing a shirt that says "WE SHOULD ALL BE FEMINISTS" onto her Instagram account. Though that's the post that caused fans to realize the idol was in fact a feminist, it is not the first time she used her Instagram to promote the movement. Previously, she used her account to 'like' a post that criticizes the patriarchal system of the country, which was posted by South Korean columnist and broadcaster Kwang Jung Eun. Though both times Joy did not explicitly say she is a feminist, it's hard to deny.
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2: HA:TFELT/ Yeeun (former Wonder Girls)
In an interview with Korean media outlets back in April 2020, HA:TFELT proudly expressed her feminist beliefs. "I don't think I should be cautious, or that I should hide myself and be humiliated just because I am a feminist," she said in the interview. She had also taken a screenshot of a YouTube video and posted it to her Instagram Story with her own comment. There, she criticized the YouTuber for her anti-feminist stance.
3. Girls' Generation's Tiffany
In 2016, students from Ewha Women's University sang Girls' Generations debut song, "Into the New World", at the Peace Demonstration Site. Their performance went viral in South Korea. In an interview with W Korea for her 10th debut anniversary, Tiffany mentioned the performance. "It was a proud moment as a member of Girls' Generation,," she said. "This is the age of feminists, and it is time in which we need more messages to empower other women. I am glad that our song was played for that role."
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4. Red Velvet's Irene
In 2018, Irene was under fire by male fans for reading a feminist book. During a fan sign, a fan had asked her what book she is reading these days. She replied that she was reading "Kim Ji Young, Born 1982", a book that was highly criticized for being feminist as it addresses the patriarchal nature of South Korean society. After male fans heard this, they started burning their Irene merchandise, including photo cards. International and female fans immediately came to her defense, however, and noted how female idols have to go above and beyond to please their male fans.
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5. Girls' Generation's Sooyoung
Following Irene's feminism "scandal", some people started pointing the finger at Sooyoung, who was former labelmates with Irene and a member of the senior group Girls' Generation. They claimed that Sooyoung had "corrupted Irene's innocent mind". How did they come to that conclusion? Sooyoung at the time had recently launched a reality series called "Choi Sooyoung, Born 1990", which was inspired by the feminist novel Irene had read. Sooyoung said that she too had read the book, and it caused her to realize how unfairly women were treated just for being women. Some people have speculated Sooyoung had "spread" her beliefs with Irene, though it is unconfirmed if she ever did so.
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6. Sulli
Sulli may have been the most vocal about her feminism stance, proudly saying "Sexism and racism are the things I hate the most" during her time on "The Night of Hate Comments". The idol was also seen wearing numerous shirts with feminist statements, such as "GIRLS SUPPORTING GIRLS". Sulli had an unapologetic habit of going braless on public and on social media. Though hated for it, Sulli continued to do so, as she had hoped people would soon discard their prejudices. When South Korea overturned its abortion ban, Sulli publically supported it and announced that she was pro-choice. When Sulli released her music video for "Goblin", she once again showed a feminist side to her, using imagery of sisterhood with a diverse cast of women.
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Know any other idols who are feminists? Leave them in the comments below!
