[ARTICLE] Moonbyul does everything that she likes, even though it might not match the style of a girl group.
MAMAMOO members each have their own charms. With the difference in their looks and styles. On stage, they look like 4 soloist divas performing on one stage.
Moonbyul is MAMAMOO’s main rapper. With all the 4 members each having their own charms, Moonbyul has her own solid stand of her charms. Moonbyul’s charms includes coolness. She likes to hear praises about her being cool more than her being pretty.
On a program, she was known to have a greasy character. This terms is used for both genders to express their cringiness. Moonbyul perfectly suit the ‘greasy’ gestures as well as ments, often gaining laughters from her members.
This is not usually seen in femininity, her character is also a rare one amongst female artists especially in idols. Moonbyul’s character attracts her female fans. Whether is her being cool or greasy, she doesn’t hide that charm of hers.
Many international fans often used the word ‘Androgyne’ to describe her. It’s not a word that many knows about in Korea. Androgyne is a non-binary gender identity associated with androgyny, it has a gender which is simultaneously feminine and masculine, Moonbyul have never declared her identity, it should be only seen as a persona of her character as an idol.
There’s a consistency to her coolness and that’s doing things that she likes. Her recent solo release 'Eclipse’ is a hip hop song infused with future sounds. It’s a genre similar to male idols like TVXQ. The dance is matched with urban dance steps that she usually likes.
She mentioned in an interview with MMTG on youtube saying “I don’t want a line dividing masculine and feminine in music. It’s not a problem when women do it as well.”
KPOP is an industry that involves lots of capital. During plannings, they usually go for 'safe’ choices to reduce risk (of losing money). For a long time, female groups are made according to “male gaze”. As the history of KPOP goes by, the patriarchal gender stereotypes have further strengthen. This criticism is often heard in KPOP.
There are, of course people who are not afraid to attack. When the timing and luck are right, the turning point of industry begins mainly with these people. In the end, a singer who is being buried in the 'scene’ is the one creating a new trend. The reason why KPOP is really interesting is because you can see the differences at the media level.
Moonbyul does what she likes and does well in it, regardless of whether it fits or does not fit the classic girl group’s standards. Looking at that, I’ve released that KPOP is indeed interesting.