We need your help! Some Chinese E.L.F want to boycott Super Junior M and also Super Junior if Zhoumi and Sungmin come back to the group. The international ELFs do not want a repeat of what happened a few years ago, because due to pressure from some fans Sungmin was kicked out of Super Junior for getting married and "not telling the fans before" about his engagement. And with Zhoumi and Henry, when they were active as members of Super Junior M, fans hated them on social media and at the same concerts they turned away to not see their performances and even turned off their lightsticks.
To this day, Zhoumi still feels a bit uncomfortable when he is on stage with Super Junior due to the rejection he experienced in those years (and unfortunately still lives today). Here is an example of how in this return of Zhoumi in the Super Show 9 Encore in Seoul Hyukjae notices his insecurity and gives him confidence to take a final photo with them saying "We are all Super junior" and putting him closer at him.
If you don't agree with this situation please join this petition and if possible by supporting zhoumi and Sungmin's new comeback we will being thankfully.
Attached video of Super Show 5 in Singapore (2013) where Hyukjae takes the time to return to the stage and tell the fans that he is aware of the bad behavior that some elfs are having and how disappointed he is, in addition to reaffirm his support to Zhoumi and Henry:
I’m curious about your thoughts and maybe knowledge (since you seem more familiar with the BL industry than me, but that could be incorrect) on the change in how MA sort of publicly acknowledge/present themselves? I’m not sure how to word it properly but the basic gist of the whole “private,not secret” thing, and how it’s shifted from a few months ago when the show was airing. Not from a personal perspective, bc we’ll never know and it’s not our business, but from a public and business perspective. Is it because the show is over, and was so successful, or they’ve aligned themselves with some supportive seeming brands? Or are they really just pushing the boundaries of the industry? Or have they honestly been the same the whole time and we (me) just didn’t notice? I’m just curious as to why they might have started be more, I dunno how to put it but basically not subtle (#loud and proud era). Sorry this is so wordy. Ignore it if it’s not your jam.
Hi! Sure, I'll bite.
I'm flattered you think I'm knowledgeable about the [drama] BL industry specifically... but fundamentally the ent/film industry functions similarly between countries and genres in that it's about executives trying to maximize profits related to producing a piece of media while at the same time mitigating risk.
Fundamentally, having queer entertainers (whether it's actors, musicians, miscellanous category of media personalities that include even youtubers) presents a risk not only because of imbued societal homophobia/queerphobia, but because it presents a problem in the perception of availability.
What do I mean by perception of availability? Well, check out this hilariously unhinged open letter to Chris Evans that got ratio'd to death on twitter today (I'm embedding it in case twitter ever dies because it's hilarious..ly stupid).
So is there a category of fans who think they will actually get together with their idol? Sure. But a greater number of fans prefer the fantasy of the possibility that it may happen. That's why many kpop fans often demand their idols remain "single" literally up until they get married. (Also aside for kpoppies... Lee Sungmin literally got pushed out of Super Junior for getting married is how unhinged that level of entitlement is.)
This doesn't have to intersect with homophobia... both Chris Evans and Lee Sungmin's partners are female. But you can see why an entertainer being queer violates the perception of availability for a group of fans (even if their queerness is gender agnostic or inclusive in preferences...! but that circles back around to queerphobia), which for the executives introduces an "unnecessary" level of risk they usually do not want to take with their assets.
As for the change in how Mile and Apo's behavior towards each other publicly, I don't think it's a professional decision at all. Everyone is ultimately a whole person before they are a professional. The brands have to follow where they will go, or the brands can pull their sponsorship. I'm sure that affects about how they think about their decisions in the context of their career, but so does getting to live authentically and comfortably in the way you want.
First, we have to take into consideration that they are both of a rare class of people who prior to casting already understood that privacy is hard to to claw back once it's given away. Because they both had fans/fan clubs already. The level of interest and intense scrutiny upon them was just not on the scale it's at now. They posted stuff and were way more open before KPTS aired, but with the sudden massive influx of interest, of course they closed up.
Second, they're in another rare class of entertainers with contracts who basically have a lot autonomy over how they choose to act towards each other despite being in a BL, because of Filmania falling through on the original project. A lot of what we saw of them during the airing of KPTS was in a more formalized professional context for interviews, and they acted accordingly.
Mile and Apo have said they don't do "much" fan service. What does that little amount they do look like? Well, this. It's cute. I'm charmed! But not in the context of how they act towards each other anymore. It was clear after Filmania collapsed and BOC picked up the pieces that they were free to make the decision that they didn't want to do fan service in the context of their relationship.
Then, what inspired the change between during airing and now? -- Well, what's the difference between this video and this one...? Again it's about their level of comfort... and not getting to say goodbye the way you want to because fans are watching might be worse than the fact that you know fans are going to watch how you act when you say goodbye.
To be honest, it's pretty clear to me that "no fan service" meant not acting a certain way for the sake of pleasing the fans, but there's also a level of comfort that comes from not censoring how they want to act towards each other naturally. Homophobic comments about his body language and feeling pressured to change/subdue his natural instincts is what made Apo miserable enough to quit acting in the first place. So getting to act how you want authentically, regardless of what fans say/think is just as important. Including the class of fans who live in the fantasy of availability. Or the fantasy of their relationship, as entertainment.
It's a only professional decision because it affects how they act towards each other in a professional context, but it's a mutually made decision for their whole comfort as individuals, not for the sake of their moving their careers one way or another. And it's why they can look so joyful and carefree in their events together, with one less thing to worry about. (Though the fan support definitely helps them know they're loved because/regardless 😊)
hi! my name's iina, i was born in 1997, and i use she/her pronouns.
you can ask or message me about anything you want
if you want to request i gif something, you can, but i'm not promising i'll actually do it haha
you can leave as many tags in my posts as you please, and they can be about anything, i don't mind
i also don't mind if you go through my blog and like or reblog a thousand posts, it'd actually make me quite happy 😊
ult groups: super junior, stray kids
bias lists per group:
notes: bold means ultimate bias in the group. i do not have an overall ultimate bias in all of kpop. italics means the member isn't active in the group anymore for one reason or another!