on the other hand though, i find i-stans interesting bc i feel like as an east asian girl i fall somewhere in between, being aware of both international and asian culture. like for yunjin of le sserafim (I AM NOT EXCUSING HER OTHER CONTROVERSIAL BEHAVIOUR IN THIS POST. I'M SIMPLY USING HER AS AN EXAMPLE FOR ONE SPECIFIC SITUATION) being heavily criticised for doing the 'bare minimum' when she wanted to change the idol industry, i agree that from a western perspective, saying things like 'happy pride' or promoting feminism are literally the bare minimum, but these actions have triple the effect in the conservativity of east asian culture. for context, whilst living in japan and travelling in korea, i did not see a single pride flag, nor did i hear a single discussion about being queer. these cultures are a lot further behind than we realise or like to believe, and so speaking up on these things is often considered very controversial. for us, yes, it doesn't seem deep, but it is a much bigger deal in east asia.