In a past article, SONEs were frustrated after a Korean journalist ridiculed Girls' Generation's age. It didn't stop there as the media also linked the group to the declining birthrate in South Korea.
On March 22, the OP took to Instiz to post an article that appeared to be age-shaming the girl group and criticized them for not having a married member yet.
As a result, Korean netizens especially SONEs (SNSD fandom) belatedly expressed their anger at the journalist for blatantly blaming the declining birthrate on the group.
K-Media Links SNSD to South Korea's Declining Birthrate
In an article released in February last year, the media outlet Insight wrote an article featuring Girls' Generation and emphasized how the girl group remained loyal in their main job by choosing to be active as idols rather than getting married in their 30s.
While it seemed like it was praising the "Nation's Girl Group" by highlighting their previous achievement since they debuted in 2007 and unrelenting reign in the music industry for the past decade, the journalist suddenly emphasized the age of the members, writing:
"Because they have a long-running career, they are already in their mid-30s now. The leader Taeyeon, Sunny, Tiffany, and Hyoyeon who were born in 1989 turned 35 in Korean age this year, while Sooyoung, born in February 1990, and Yoona, born in May 1990 turned 34. The youngest, Seohyun, also turned 33 this year."
The media then compared SNSD to its rival Wonder Girls, whose members were already getting married, instead of announcing their comeback and idol activities.
It was tolerable up until here, but what didn't sit well with fans the most was when the media linked SNSD to the declining birthrate in South Korea, saying:
"Fans reacted to this by saying, 'I hope they will remain as my idol forever,' while also sending endless support for their future. However, some people are responding by saying, 'Just looking at this proves that the birth rate is declining."
SONEs Criticized Media Following Article, Points Out SNSD Doesn't Have to Get Married If They Don't Want To
When the article resurfaced, K-netz felt angry especially SONEs for asking "too much" from Girls' Generation. Although they might not help with elevating the birthrate, SNSD contributed a lot to the nation's growth and wealth during their heyday, up until now.
The web commenters also highlighted the double standard between female and male idols, wherein the latter didn't receive the same criticism despite not getting married in their 30s as well.
Here are some of the comments:
- "Wow, are you kidding me by saving male idols who don’t get married even after they get older?"
- "Getting married isn't necessary."
- "They are still popular now, but if you think back to when the Girls' Generation was at the height of their overseas expansion, their income at that time had already contributed a lot to the country's economy and the Hallyu Wave. That's enough, now they're hitting it off with marriage. I understand very well how men view girl groups and women."
- "A society where Girls' Generation is also told to get married lol."
- "There must have been some male idols who debuted at the time but didn't get married lol."
- "But the reaction to the low birth rate is really ridiculous. In the world of idols who get criticized for dating rumors, there should be no dating rumors and they should not get married, but now we're talking about a low birth rate, ugh."
For more K-Pop news and updates, keep your tabs open here at KpopStarz.
KpopStarz owns this article.
Written by Eunice Dela Cruz
