#Well let's start by saying that I wasn't too big of a EXO fan back when I started liking kpop. They were too popular for me xD

[reflections-in-a-critical-eye]

Hi BMT!

Can I just say that I miss how old dance practices were filmed ? Like pre-debut and a little after; the boys used to goof around while dancing and it was really entertaining to watch them (for example the ‘bapsae’ dance practice). I still enjoy watching newer ones don’t get me wrong, and we did get old footage for this years festa too but I feel like now; not just BTS but other groups in general, focus more on big camera movements, and making sure everything is shipshape, and don’t get me started on the clothes they wear as well. I look back at old practice videos from Shinee, debut BTS, EXO, SNSD and they’re all just wearing comfy outfits, now it all just feels too polished to me. I hope what I said makes a little sense 💀 I’m sorry for rambling on your blog!

Have a nice day ☺️

There's two things I want to talk about here. First is the appeal of dance practice videos and second, the reason why they changed and how that affects our response to it. There's a really interesting article on it which I recommed reading if you want do dig a little deeper, it's called ''Cinderella in Reverse: Eroticizing Bodily Labor of Sympathetic Men in K-Pop Dance Practice Video''.

We need to establish why dance practice videos have become such a staple in K-Pop content. They have been around for quite sometime and although idols from first generations have put out some of it, the first group to film a practice video with the explicit purpose of releasing it for their fans was SHINee for Replay. It was after that release that it became a trend and it still works to this day, albeit differently than in the early 2010s. In the article that I mentioned, the author makes the argument that the reason why fans enjoy watching such content is because watching the bodily labor of men turns into an erotic and intimate sensation. Why does that happen? Well, the bodies of K-Pop idols are catered to fans, in order to be consumed. When they are practicing, watching them much more up close that let's say during a concert, the movements take a sexual connotation because of the heavy breathing and the sweating. This is one major aspect and the author sees it as reverse of gender power dynamics and female fans are apparently in control because they are the subject and the men become the object to be gazed at. The question would be how much in control female fans are actually, if the content is created specifically for them to feel that way, among other purposes?

Another reason, which brings us closer to your observations about the way dance practice videos changed, is that, along with the erotic nature of such content, the fans also feel simpathy for the idols they watch. The old videos, and it's easy to think of BTS here, were filmed in small rooms, that had other objects there, the guys were wearing everyday clothes. It wasn't something glamourous at all. So that image became representative of their lack of social and economic capital. Which only further contributed to the fans wanting their favorite group to succeed. They somehow saw a low class group of men struggling to make it big and they the fans were alongside them in that ride. So of course there is a sense of satisfaction as well when they watch the videos. The hardworking ''poor babies'' are putting in so much effort, they deserve everything they want and perhaps they will upgrade at some point. Which is exactly what happened.

Now, my opinion is that there are multiple reasons why we see a change in the production of practice videos. One, the idols can no longer be seen as having no social and economic capital once they became successful. The room got bigger, fancier, they have more space, the clothes, even when they are casual wear, probably cost much more money that the ones they used to wear years ago. So it reflects not only their new social status, but also the economic capital of the company. Another reason would be that we can't expect early 2010s media content to look the same today. The industry evolved along with the digital content they put out. The videos need to be more polished, to look more professional, in order to survive in the mass content that is out there. That's why the idols can look more put together in the videos, the camera work is more complex. There's nothing amateurish left there.

And now we're left with other questions. How do fans measure the work ethic of their idols, if they are no longer offered the image of low class struggling artists? Which was the main narrative of BTS and contributed massively to their success story. Does a well put together practice video is still able to invoke erotic connotations, as it now lack the intimacy of the previous model of production?

#bmt asks #bts #bts dance practice videos #k-pop dance practice videos #kpop #k-pop content changes #k-pop fan behavior