Is Stage-Hwa the Snake in the Skin MV? - Theory
Before I begin, I should clarify: When I say Stage-Hwa, what am I referring to?
Sometimes, when Seonghwa is performing(this isn’t true for everytime that Seonghwa performs), he seems to get into a certain headspace (please see this post about halahwa/stage-hwa spooking people backstage) which results in him being named as part of Ateez’s demon line.
A common motif of Stage-Hwa is the use of dramatic facial expressions, think eyes and tongue/mouth, and exaggerated movements.
(examples of stage-hwa)
While we see Seonghwa dance in the Skin MV, we don’t get this side of him until he learns to coexist with the snake (and gets ‘taken over’ by the snake at one point)
A connection I’ve made is one that is unlikely to be true but I would like to try and make the connection anyways just in case:
If you have been an atiny for ANY amount of time, YOU KNOW SEONGHWA’S EXTENSIVE USAGE OF HIS TONGUE WHENEVER HE IS PERFORMING.
To that I say: What if that’s part of the reason Seonghwa uses the imagery of a snake to represent this side of himself?
Seonghwa has expressed how personal the music video is to him and that the snake is representative of something deeply connected to him.
The lyrics of the song also reflect navigating coexisting with different sides of yourself (see this post for a breakdown)
At the end of the day, it makes me to happy to see Seonghwa feel comfortable enough to express his journey of self discovery and self acceptance through performance, music, and visual art.
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