Of biases and swag check

a kdrama fan beginner’s guide to kpop

by hallyuholicmom

KPOP is a TRAP. 

Yes, you heard me right. I was trapped.

In my world that is populated by “normal” people, my hallyu lifestyle is so alien that even a Cheon-Song-Yi-loving-a-Do-Min-Joon-like person, cannot, in their wildest dreams comprehend. (oh snap, I forgot my husband and daughter were very supportive of my “craziness”!) So, the only place for me to rally my hallyu lifestyle would only be the worldwideweb. 

I learned the ABCs of kdramaland and kpop through different sites and forums. Dramabeans became my school, while twitter and mydramalist my playground.

A long time ago, I was ONLY a kdrama fan. And now a kpop kyaa girl too- thanks to the Korean wave (Hanryu or  Hallyu), I now embraced anything South Korean. If you’re new to kpop fangirling, well, I’ll give you a couple of months or if you’re diligent enough, a few weeks to familiarize this whole new world that is KPOP. Uhm… this was solely based from my experience. Honestly, I find it harder to be a part of the kpop community than of kdramaland. For one, most of the kpopers (or kpop fans) were youngsters and I’m almost crossing over the United Nation’s definition of “youth.”

There are few things a kdrama-fan-turned-kpop-fan, like me, should know about kpop fangirling. Here’s a few…


Annyeong, Oppars and Unnirs!

There are dozens and dozens of idols and idol groups in KPOP. I bet, even if you have all the time in the world, you wouldn't get to know them all. For the basic, try to find one in one of the giants- SM, YG and JYP (or FNC and Cube). As for me, I got to know kpop because of the drama OSTs and these idols-turned- actors. I stalked them and then voila!

This ahjumma is more into k-hiphop. And who else in kpop is more hiphop than YG! So there, (insert bias teehee), I belong to the YG family. I started with 2NE1 because of Dara but fell in love with Bigbang. But there are other big names in the idol world, some of which were Super Junior, Shinee, JYJ, CN Blue, DBSK, Girls Generation, BAP, FT Island, 2PM, Beast, EXO, Winner, T-ARA, MBLAQ, BTOB, Miss A, After School and a hundred others.

Of fandoms and multifandoms…what?!

A kpoper is not a kpoper if one does not belong to a FANDOM- may it be official or unofficial one. Every kpop artist or groups has a fandom (even trainers, trainees and managers have fandom, if you’re familiar with Who is Next Team B or YG trainer’s Hwangssabu or 2NE1’s manager Jjangmae ). Officially, a fandom is an organized group of people supporting a certain group/artist. But unofficially, if one is saying she belongs to a fandom can also mean that she is only referring to herself as a fan thus belonging to this group of people who loves this certain group or artist. 

As for me, I am not officially enlisted as VIP (Bigbang’s fandom) or Blackjack (2NE1’s fandom) but I consider myself as one. I just prefer it that way because I am too busy with my life right that I don’t have much time to do extra activities (outside home with wifely and motherly obligations + working my @$$ off more than 40 hours a week), so SNS will do just for now.

Multifandom or belonging to different fandoms is also quite normal in the kpop community. You can like as many artists as you want- for there’s a whole bunch of them, I tell you! But most kpopers, even though belonging to many fandoms, has their ultimate bias/es (which in layman’s term, the most favourite amongst the favourites). I can say I belong to the multifandom variety coz I have few favourite kpop groups i.e. 2NE1, CNBlue, BTOB and my ultimate favourite Bigbang!

Here are some list of kpop fandoms:

1. Bigbang’s VIP (aka Very Important Person) – derived from their second single La La La, referring to Bigbang as V.I.P.

2. 2NE1’s BLACKJACK – derived from a card game. Blackjack is also known as 21. And 21 is the highest number a player can achieve while playing a blackjack.

Amongst the fandoms, 2NE1 is one of the few groups that has individual fandoms:

Lee Chae-rin (CL) (leader) -- CLassifieds
Park Bom -- BOMbshells
Sandara Park (Dara) -- DARAlings
Gong Min-ji (Minzy) (maknae) -- MINJas

3. Dong Bang Shin Ki’s (DBSK/TVXQ/Tohoshinki) CASSIOPEIA – the star constellation is made up of five stars and so as DBSK. A fandom member usually calls herself a Cassie.

4. 2PM’s HOTTEST – because 2PM is the hottest time of the day.

5. Super Junior’s ELF – it stands for everlasting friends.

6. So Nyeo Shi Dae’s (SNSD/SoShi/Girl’s Generation) S♥NE – pronounced as “so one” which means that SNSD and their fans are one. Each member also has its own fandoms but I’m not writing it here because that would be a lot (they are a 9-member group, ya know).

7. CNBlue’s BOICE – it is the combination of BLUE + voice.

BIAS a.k.a. the (al)most overused word in kpoptionary

Oh well, Oppa (or Kawaii for Jpop fans) is actually the most overused word. But you will certainly encounter this word in most forums or media channels.

Here’s the definition from urban dictionary:

In Kpop, the member of an idol group that is your favorite. A person may have one ultimate bias, and many other biases from other idol groups, or only have one ultimate bias. This term is derived from "having a bias towards a particular person."

G-Dragon is my ultimate bias, but Key is my SHINee bias.

I’m happy with this definition because my ultimate bias G Dragon is given as example. Teehee!

Michi Go! Get your cray on, get your fandom wars on!

Fandom war is so common in kpop. It is when a certain fandom argues with another fandom over whose better or even who’s the best. To be honest, it is the my-oppa-is-better-than-your-oppa thingy that I hate the most in kpop. Can’t anyone just be happy and content with their oppars’ and unnirs’ divine talent?

But don’t be disgruntled already; as much as there were fandom wars, there are also fandom alliances (I only label it as such). You know, fandoms being friends with other fandoms. This may or may not be a product of fans having multifandom.

The ship has sailed: some of kpop key terms

Ship—means endorsing a romantic relationship for your bias/es. The “shipping” trend in kpop today has evolved. Commonly, one may ship her bias with artists of opposite sex but now anyone can ship their idols with anybody (even amongst their same sex group members). For example, I ship G Dragon with fellow member TOP- so my ship is called GTOP. Or I ship G Dragon with Sandara Park- that makes my ship Daragon and I am called an Appler.

Fanfic—originally fanfictions are stories written by fans of a particular movie or drama. But in kpop, their “couple” or “ships” were the subjects of these fanfics. The most popular fanfiction I know is Fifty Shades of Grey. It was developed from a Twilight fanfiction series titled Master of the Universe. And in kpop, Daragon or Nyongdal fanfics are popular.

OTP— means ONE TRUE PAIRING. It is used in kpop as one’s favourite pairing in the fandom.

Stan—stands for STALKER + FAN. But in kpop, it is loosely used (I don’t mean negatively) as a “die hard” fan of a certain idol group or an entertainment company were one’s idols belong to. It may sound negative, but for a kpop fan, being a “stan” means showing their loyalty to the idols they adore.

Sasaeng—sasaeng is kpop’s version of “stan” in the west. 

As urban dictionary put it:

Sasaeng is a bitch that live in this beautiful earth only for ruined biases' life. They stalk, they made our bias' life suffered. They should not live in this world. Universe must be agree.

"Sasaeng fans shouldnt have the word fans, we should just see them as sasaengs." -Heechul

credits: thanks to the owners of these pictures!

http://blog.ningin.com/2011/09/20/12-most-recognizable-male-faces-of-kpop-groups/
http://www.fanpop.com/clubs/kpop/images/31792709/title/which-one-fanart
http://hiannyeong.files.wordpress.com/2012/06/cassiopeiadbsk_byuttchan.jpg
http://25.media.tumblr.com/af53d0ce7848fce6b773df5c23c6e503/tumblr_mo97eyQ1fV1rfnvu1o1_500.png
http://25.media.tumblr.com/50cf240f0f9f1c13775b2be876a0ced8/tumblr_mtssmuzF2x1sjdphro1_500.png
http://imgdf-a.akamaihd.net/st/news/images/dramafever_fandom_hug.jpg
http://sd.keepcalm-o-matic.co.uk/i/keep-calm-and-love-daragon.png
http://i954.photobucket.com/albums/ae28/porplatakrom/107332377_.jpg
http://24.media.tumblr.com/b0765802ba2ac11292a11cc4178a6192/tumblr_mtwpyittwO1sadjjeo1_500.png
http://a.wattpad.com/cover/3504716-256-k312549.jpg
http://seoulbeats.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/20120807_seoulbeats_fans_cover-e1344345095720.jpeg

I'm a pedonoona, but it's okay!

by hallyuholicmom


original article I'm a Pedonoona, but it's okay! - MyDramaList.com

posted May 8, 2013

By today’s standard of fangirling, I might be considered a late-bloomer. I started my 3-hour sleep at night, lurking around sites, and daydreaming over Jerry Yan or Gong Yoo when I was in my early 20s. But that was more than a decade ago when the Taiwanese dramas or the Korean wave had just recently arrived at our shores. It was the old days--a time when I watched the entire 2 seasons and special of Meteor Garden or Jewel in the Palace by literally carrying home 2 bags full of CDs. Internet access to dramas in my country was not popular at that time, so we relied mostly on CDs.

I started my drama addiction with Taiwanese dramas thanks to F4 and Meteor Garden. They were phenomenal! I also tried some Hindi movies and jdorama, but ultimately, I fell in love with kdrama. I guess most of us were not immune to the virus that is hallyu. 

Unknowingly, I was sucked-in by it that everything I do or think now is related to anything Korean--from drama or films, to fashion and cuisine, or the whole South Korean culture itself!

I know. Almost all of us can relate to my story, because I’ve read a few blogs with stories and *horrors* of drama addicts (…err fans), their addiction levels and such. I was like a Seong-Siwon-screaming-her-heart-out-for-Tony-oppa kind of a fan girl. I even have custom-made pillows with Gong Yoo’s face printed on them. Not to mention my folders and folders of stalker files saved on my computer.

Back then, my peers and family found it to be kinda normal. They thought it was just a girl thing and that it would eventually pass. Today, more than a decade later, and having a family of my own now (omo! an ahjumma?), boy, they were all wrong! I was a Siwon-like fan girl before and a Siwon-like fangirl still, and more. (Believe me I have Bigbang posters in our room that even my daughter can recite all of their names!) My ovaries do not explode over Korean actors anymore but idols as well! And they are getting younger and younger by the minute. (The types of BTOB, ya know?)

So it dawned on me. Have I become a “pedonoona”, as we in dramaland or hallyu have coined it?

If some of you are not quite familiar with the term, first, here’s the definition from urban dictionary.

          Pedonoona:

A combination of the word pedophile and noona (a Korean word referring to an older girl), a
                    pedonoona is an older woman or girl who is interested in a young male idol in an inappropriate and sexual way.

I don’t know if you’ll agree with me or not, but I prefer to take out the word “inappropriate” in this definition. (*Calling all the pedonoonas out there! Please help me out and rally for our interests!*) I am swooning, alright, but in an appropriate and (well) in a sorta sexual way. I can correlate this monumental (errr…) part of my life to my kpop addiction. Like most of us here, I am kdrama fan first and eventually a kpoper now thanks to OSTs and the idols-turned-actors phenomenon.

Have you ever heard this statement? I've encountered this maybe once or twice in a Kdrama and even on variety shows,

I do not find somebody a man if he's older than, or the same age, with me.

Or I say, this I heard from the goddess herself, Sandara Park. (Dara-ya you are one pedonoona! LOL) My thoughts are exactly the same as this. With exemptions of Gong Yoo or Hyun Bin, I spazz more on younger actors or idols. I personally prefer the flower boy type. I literally squeal to those almost non-existent muscles, fully made-up, cross-dresser man-boys in kdrama and kpop. And I mean, I do not see them with dongsaeng kind of fondness (you know what I mean, right?).

Honestly, one of the major factors for me choosing a drama are those young eye candies. I endured some of the dramas I’ve watched in the past even though the plot or direction or their acting was killing me. Take Heartstrings (Jung Yong Hwa!), Me Too Flower (because it’s Yoon Shi Yoon, period) and Personal Taste (no one can resist the Lee Min HOT!) as examples. I am blunt in saying that unlike some of the drama fans, I am one of those non-techies (read: one who doesn’t care much for drama technicalities). I seldom deconstruct a drama/movie only when I feel like it.

To elaborate my point, here are some random instances of my pedonoonaness.

Instance #1

When my fellow pedonoona co-worker and I saw a shirtless scene of Joong Ki from Nice Guy, our office’s floor almost collapsed from us jumping and giggling (and oogling)!

Instance #2

My heart melted when Jung Ilhoon (a member of BTOB) sang his version of the 'gwiyomi' song. I can’t even count how many times I’ve watched this--- cuteness overload! As a proud pedonoona, I showed this video to my co-workers. And what did I get? Blank faces -_-

Instance #3

My jaw dropped on Yoo Seung Hoo’s hotness  as the Jade Emperor in Arang. Trust me, in every episode, the scenes with the Jade Emperor was the one I was looking forward to the most. Can I be that goat? Or the flower, maybe?

Instance #4

From the moment I set my eyes on Yoon Shi Yoon in King of Baking, I said to myself, this one is my ultimate flower boy (so far)! Oh those eyes, pretty please! Ahjumma is melting!

Instance #5

Oh how I love these men-boys to death...

                                                     

...and G-Dragon baby! my forever unrequited love. (Lol More for me, please!) 

It was around October 2012 when my fellow pedonoona friend and I watched Bigbangs’s Alive Galaxy Tour concert. We bought tickets one month prior to the concert, and felt a once in a lifetime kind of experience. As we arrived to the venue, we were greeted by a flock of VIPs--most of them in their teen years! We only saw a handful of “older” women, and some of them were chaperoning minors. My friend and I whispered to each other, “Omo! We are indeed pedonoonas. How do we handle this situation with pride?” So, we acted with indifference.

Inside the concert venue, some of the younger VIPs looked at us with somewhat awe, but then they were instantly friendly when we said that we were also VIPs. We chatted on some know-hows about the boys (I know all their stories and I can even phonetically sing almost all of their songs!). The great challenge was after the concert had ended. What did we do? We pretended that we hadn’t gone to the concert, and were just fetching our nieces who watched the concert. Being a pedonoona sometimes makes you silly… but happy.

  

I am relatively a newbie on kpop fangirling. It started in late 2011, around the same time I re-ignited my kdrama life from an almost 2 year hiatus. A random search for OSTs on youtube led me to discover kpop idols and groups. Before, I honestly didn’t care about the singers or idols, and idol groups who sang my favorite drama OSTs. The only groups/idols or artists I know before were Super Junior, SNSD, Wonder Girls, Se7en and Rain. But these men-boys have opened the door to a new me--the pedonoona me.

This article is my attempt to create a positive view on pedonoonas. I’ve read some negative connotations about people with pedonoona tendencies--social stigma that is (I just wanted to sound serious… heee), so I thought I might as well make a coming-out article to inspire fellow pedonoonas out there. I know where these reactions (or denials of those with pedonoona tendencies) come from. The term pedophilia, where "pedo-" was derived, is a psychiatric disorder--and a serious one at that. But as a language is a social construct, we--the users within this language-game (that is hallyu)--can make this a positive term, right? After all, language evolves constantly with culture as its primary vehicle.

There is not much literature or articles available about being a pedonoona. Oh well, it is a relatively new word and only us in kdramaland or hallyu can relate to. What is only apparent is this:

                      1. You are a noona.

                      2. You are crazy over younger guys (i.e. actors or idols)

All the other manifestations of pedonoonaness--it’s gravity and extent--will be depending on us pedonoonas. But for me, I put a limit to the age of idols or actors I spazz on… errr oogle on. As long as they are not minors then I don’t feel guilty about being a real pedo.

I’m a proud pedonoona. For one, it gave my somewhat-monotonous life a twist. Four years ago, I took a leave from dramaland when I had my family. My life only revolves around work and family. But rediscovering Kdramaland and embracing the kpop culture makes a big difference in my life. As I went crazy over younger actors and idols, I also think and feel younger. 

In a course of a few months of fangirling, my personality literally changed as if I am again in my early twenties as my-fangirling-self. I feel excited everyday. Being a pedonoona has made my output in life fresh again. Even my family and co-workers have noticed how my personality has changed.  Not bad being a pedo and a noona, right?

And lastly, it makes me feel happy everyday. After a long and tiring day of office work and taking care of my family, my fangirling moments are what I look forward to the most. I am also happy because I know I am not the only one here. (This ahjumma fan is not a weirdo after all!) This is a worldwide phenomenon. There may be tens of thousands of fangirls out there who are similar to me, so there is nothing to be ashamed of.

… So I leave this to all the closet pedonoonas out there… and I’m sending this pedonoona love to you. Be proud and be loud! Pedonoonas of the world, hwaiting!

credits to the rightful owners of the photos and memes.

http://donnapie.tumblr.com/page/72

http://sjandlove.blogfa.com/author/kopoly

http://hypnotikdreamland.wordpress.com/2012/05/22/bounce-bounce-bounce-4/

http://adventuretime.wikia.com/wiki/File:Keep-calm-and-love-g-dragon-23.png

http://kavenyou.com/big-bang-made-the-crowd-alive-high-high-despite-the-rain-during-bigbang-alive-galaxy-tour-2012-in-malaysia/

http://www.pinterest.com/pin/408420259928767193/

http://immaalwaysbeontopofonewsboner.tumblr.com/

http://kpopselca.com/forum/kpop-photos/that-s-nice-zelo-real-nice-t9477/

http://weheartit.com/entry/53934642

http://k-designer.deviantart.com/art/Proud-Pedonoona-352680990

http://fyeahkpopmeme.tumblr.com/post/18793271005/inspired-by-this-article-yoon-jong-shin-wants-to

http://donnapie.tumblr.com/page/137