In the past few years, Korean pop, widely known as K-pop, has emerged as a global phenomenon, captivating audiences worldwide. Especially during lockdown, you must have watched at least one kdrama and stanned your favourite singers and idols. With its catchy music, synchronized choreography, and carefully crafted idols, K-pop has become a cultural force that has found a loyal fan base even in countries as culturally distinct as India. Indian fans love the music, dance, fashion, and culture that come with it. While its popularity continues to rise, K-pop’s influence also highlights the cruel reality, particularly about beauty standards, one’s identity, and self-consciousness among young fans.
The Rise of K-pop in India
K-pop first started becoming popular in India around the early 2010s. At that time, only a small number of people knew about it. Most fans watched videos on YouTube and shared their favourite songs and dance covers in small online groups. But over the years, especially during the COVID-19 lockdown, K-pop became a big hit in India. Now, millions of Indian fans follow K-pop groups like BTS, BLACKPINK, EXO, and TWICE. These fans are often called "K-pop stans" and they are very active. They organize dance events, post fan art, celebrate idol birthdays, and buy K-pop merchandise. Some cities in India now also have K-pop-themed cafes, Korean food outlets that serve ramen, tteokbokki, etc, and even have Korean language classes!
Why Indians Love K-pop?
- Peppy music and creative sets, backdrops: K-pop songs are fun, emotional, catchy, and very well-produced. The dance moves are energetic and creative. The concept and backdrop will blow your mind.
- Inspiring Idols: K-pop idols go through years of training to become singers and performers. They also have training institutes to train them in music and dance to eventually become a K-pop idol. Their hard work and success inspire many young fans.
- Fashion and Styling: The idols wear stylish clothes, have glass-like glowing skin, and set new fashion trends. Fans enjoy following these styles.
- Connect: K-pop makes fans feel connected to a global community. Indian fans talk to fans from other countries and feel like they are part of something big.
- Unique Culture: K-pop has introduced fans to Korean food, language, and traditions. Many fans start learning Korean or try Korean skincare routines to achieve flawless skin.
Unrealistic Beauty Standards
While K-pop is exciting and enjoyable, it also shows a very specific and narrow image of beauty. Most K-pop idols have very fair skin, thin bodies, big eyes(often with double eyelids), and small faces with sharp jawlines. These features are not natural for everyone. Many idols even go through cosmetic surgery or follow strict diets to look a certain way. Sadly, this image of “perfect beauty” is shown again and again in K-pop videos, photos, and performances. Many times, the K-pop idols starve themselves to maintain their zero-size figure and have also fainted a couple of times due to low food intake. To be a K-pop idol, one must possess all the features mentioned above.
How does this affect Indian Fans?
It’s important to distinguish between cultural appreciation and cultural pressure. Loving K-pop music, learning Korean, or enjoying Korean skincare are forms of appreciation. However, feeling the need to drastically alter one’s appearance to resemble Korean idols crosses into the realm of pressure. Many young Indian fans look up to K-pop idols and want to look like them. This creates pressure to have lighter skin, lose weight ( even if it's unhealthy), use Korean skincare and makeup products to look like them, and many feel unhappy with their natural appearance and which makes them want to undergo various harmful treatments. Colorism is already a major problem in India. Fair skin is often seen as better than dark skin. In many rural parts of India dark dark-skinned people (especially girls) are looked down upon. K-pop adds to this issue by making pale skin look like the standard of beauty. This can make many Indian fans feel bad about themselves for not matching that look.
Seeing idols with perfect looks on social media all the time makes fans feel insecure. Some young people might start comparing themselves too much and thinking: “I’m not beautiful enough”, “I need to lose weight to look like my favourite idol”, “My skin is not good enough.” These thoughts can lead to low self-esteem, anxiety, and even eating disorders. It’s important to remember that idols often follow strict routines, have personal trainers, makeup artists, and photo editors to help them look that way. What we see is not always real!!
Love K-pop Without Losing Yourself
There is nothing wrong with enjoying K-pop. It’s okay to dance to your favorite songs, wear trendy clothes, or learn Korean. But it’s important to draw the line. Now, K-pop idols like Hwasa (from MAMAMOO) and Jessi have also spoken out against traditional beauty standards. They are proud of their unique looks and tell fans to love themselves. In India, too, more influencers and fans are sharing messages of body positivity and mental health awareness. If K-pop makes you happy, that’s great! But don’t let it make you feel like you’re not good enough. Beauty is different in every culture, and everyone is unique in their own way.
India is a country rich in diversity and beauty in all forms. While K-pop adds value to our pop culture, we must remember that beauty is not one-size-fits-all. Instead of copying Korean beauty standards, Indian fans should take pride in their own identity and appearance. True influence comes not from copying, but from being inspired and still staying authentic. Let’s celebrate K-pop while also honouring what makes us unique. Always remember that beauty is what comes from within, and no one is perfect, so learn to accept yourself just the way you are, as no one can make you feel bad about yourself unless you let them!
Lastly, let K-pop inspire you, but let your true self shine through. Stay happy, Stay Positive.