If you’re a tambay in Youtube like me, chances are you’ve probably seen videos with titles of “How to Marry a Korean”, “How to Get a Korean Man to Like You”, “VLOG with my Korean boyfriend/girlfriend”, “What Korean Guys Think of Filipina Celebrities”, “What it’s like Dating a Korean”. I find it weird that a specific ethnic prefix is somewhat adjuncted to solicit more views from a specific niche of Youtube viewers.
If you’re from the Philippines like me who hear people say “Oppa” to refer to someone who’s attractive, then there are chances that you’ve found yourself correcting them because “oppa” has a completely different meaning for Koreans themselves.
I am not quite sure if these are all but curious wonders or a coincidence of some sort, but doing such runs the risk of racial fetishization of Koreans and everything Korean.
The influence of the Hallyu wave, as manifested in Korean pop culture and in Korean dramas, have more or less affected how some Filipinos view Koreans and everything related to them. The infamous 10-step Korean skincare routine has also seeped through our day and night traditions. Distinct Korean fashion styles have also made its way to the closets of most young teenagers. See-through bangs and the long 4/6 bangs have also become a trend. The finger heart has filled the “wacky” sections of most group photos. Hungry and curious mouths have flocked to many Korean restaurants offering unlimited samgyupsal. Some have become masters of the Hangeul in a short period of time. Hanbok has been donned by inquisitive travellers as well.
The same interest in K-pop music and Korean idols turned into obsession. Cases of stalking by sasaeng fans were documented. Sasaeng fans are obsessive fans who stalk their artists or engage in behaviours that may invade the privacy of artists. There have been accounts online telling of such events where these sasaeng fans sneak into the houses and private cars of the artists. Some proceed to doing lewd conduct like following these artists naked or sleeping next to their hotel rooms to somehow monitor their activities.
There is nothing wrong with exploring the cultures of other races. There is nothing wrong in immersing ourselves to understand other people’s heritage. But there is a difference between appreciating one’s culture and fetishizing them.
Videos like those mentioned beforehand may prey on the self-esteem of the viewers, not that it is completely wrong to find love from other races apart from our own. However, specific races should not be put into a pedestal and placed in stereotypical categories. This thinking also promotes twisted beauty ideals—white, fair skin is more beautiful, slim body structure is always more preferable, or that having angular jawlines fish more compliments. On other hand, “oppa” (오빠) literally means an older brother as spoken by a younger female. The usage of this word does not limit sibling-to-sibling relationships but to any older-younger relationship.
Korean men/women are glorified too much in this current generation to the point that these individual people are stripped off of their individualities. In this way, the differences among Korean people are reduced to the perception that they are somewhat on par with the qualities that they identify from their biases (or Korean ‘idols’ they idolize). Or at least, the qualities that these fans set themselves to justify the actions or words of their biases. In this manner too, there is also a risk of sexualizing or objectifying Korean people.
With all these potentials, we should continuously check ourselves—did we encroach any boundaries? As there is a faint line between admiration and fetishization, we should be mindful of our thoughts and actions.
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