Lisa took off on the Crazy Horse show, setting the girl group back ten years?

From September 28 to 30, Lisa, a member of South Korea's top girl group BLACKPINK, performed striptease on the French Crazy Horse show, accompanied by Zhang Jiani and other domestic stars to watch the public criticism with Xu Jiao, and public opinion continued to ferment and form two factions: supporting women's free display of their bodies and opposing whitewashing male condensation in the name of "freedom". This public opinion storm is the result of the instant cooperation between Lisa, who urgently needs transformation, and Crazy Horse, who wants to open up the Asian market, and is a grand marketing that uses women's freedom to cover the male condensation essence of the Crazy Horse show, and also exposes the male condensation essence common to the strip industry under the glamorous appearance of K-POP girl groups.

Author | Nanatsuki (Author of Cultural Industry Review / Research Fellow, Mikawahui Cultural Tourism Research Institute)

Editorial | time

Edit | peninsula

Source | Cultural Industry Review

If a month ago, someone said that a top actress went to striptease in order to transform, most people would have thought it was a headline party act played up by the media. However, this has become a firm fact - from September 28 to 30, 2023, Lisa, a popular member of the Korean girl group BLACKPINK, performed 5 consecutive performances on the French Crazy Horse show, and tickets were sold out, although photography was banned in the venue, but there were still countless spectator repos leaked like a flood, and related topics sparked a series of debates: Is Lisa's striptease a display of women's freedom, or is it an act of backstabbing all women?

△ Lisa officially announced her appearance in the Crazy Horse show on social media

A storm sweeps: from K-POP to domestic entertainment

For Lisa's performance on the Crazy Horse show, the first to be affected was the K-POP (K-pop) fan base at home and abroad, especially fans in China and South Korea. Most Korean entertainment fans believe that Lisa's performance on the Crazy Horse show, one of the K-POP icons, will make the outside world equate Korean girl groups with striptease, so most people have been critical of this since the official announcement. After the photos behind the stage were leaked, Korean entertainment fans found that only Lisa was wearing a bikini top, and ordinary dancers could only cover their chests with their arms, which caused anger: If Lisa really sees the Crazy Horse show as art, why not be completely naked like other girls, but have exclusive privileges? Under the privilege, is there room to talk about so-called freedom?

△ Backstage at the Crazy Horse show, only Lisa is wearing a top

And with the actress of domestic entertainment joining this whirlpool of public opinion, even passers-by who do not pay attention to Korean entertainment have been swept into this public opinion storm. On September 30, some netizens watching the Crazy Horse show met Zhang Jiani and AB at the door after the show, and related videos spread rapidly on the Internet; On the same day, Xu Jiao publicly criticized one of Lisa's songs on Weibo, commenting: "I only see sexualized professional women." The controversy suffered by Zhang Jiani and AB and the attack on Xu Jiao by Lisa fans have further fermented the public opinion of the Crazy Horse Show in China, and gradually formed two opposing camps: one side believes that Lisa's appearance in the Crazy Horse Show is a demonstration of female power; One side believes that whether it is Lisa's appearance or the viewing of other actresses, it is a backstab to all women.

△ Zhang Jiani watching the show VS Xu Jiao Weibo voice

On October 5, after several days of public opinion, Crazy Horse officially clarified that AB was not present to watch Lisa's performance. However, some netizens found that in the previously exposed video, the ticket held by the AB assistant could be seen. So, is AB just here at the door of the Crazy Horse show? Why did you choose to clarify the negative public opinion of Crazy Horse after the controversy fermented for many days? Why not take the initiative to clarify, and let the Crazy Horse show official come forward to clarify? I am afraid that the various doubts in this will become the difficult Rashomon in this farce.

△ Crazy Horse Show clarified that Yang Ying was not present

On the same day, Lisa posted a set of photos of the Crazy Horse show on foreign social media, with the text "Call me whenever you need to fill a vacancy", expressing her enjoyment of the show. Then, she released behind-the-scenes photos without exhaustion. Lisa's Crazy Horse show seems to have come to an end, but the butterfly effect it triggered continues: after being suspected of watching the show, netizens who oppose the Crazy Horse show also set their sights on stars and Internet celebrities who liked Lisa's photos. However, encircling Lisa or anyone who watches the show and likes it will only make netizens fall into mutual attacks, and let the Crazy Horse show escape the center of the storm while earning enough heat. Now, let's turn back the clock and see what really happened.

△Lisa released stage photos of the Crazy Horse show

One-star transformation: from sweet Barbie to rebellious girl

As early as mid-September, when the news of Lisa's official announcement of cooperation with the Crazy Horse Show broke, it caused some small controversy in K-POP fandom, because it was in contrast to Lisa's consistent image. However, fans who are more concerned about BLACKPINK may find that Lisa's urgency for the transition has already been hinted.

△ Lisa incorporates Thai elements in the solo song "Lalisa"

BLACKPINK is a group belonging to Lisa, which was launched on August 8, 2016 by YG Entertainment, one of the three major entertainment companies in South Korea. This group has a total of four members, based on the "Girl Crush" style, that is, abandoning the pure and sweet style of traditional girl groups and creating a strong and cool image, which has made many female fans also fall for it. BLACKPINK'S MUSICAL WORKS ARE FULL OF AGGRESSIVE RAP PASSAGES AND POWERFUL DANCE DESIGNS, WHICH ARE DIFFERENT FROM THE "SUGAR WATER" STYLE COMMON TO GIRL GROUPS IN THE PAST.

△ BLACKPINK often shows a strong posture as a representative of "girl crush"

However, as the "busy" (i.e., youngest member) in BLACKPINK, in stark contrast to the strong image shown in the music, YG's private image for Lisa is more inclined to "sweet Barbie": she has excellent body proportions, thick bangs and long hair, and creates the atmosphere of a Russian mixed-race doll through makeup; Her "little sweet bean" personality, which complements her appearance, and her dedicated image of never paddling on stage, also left a deep impression on Korean entertainment fans.

△ Lisa, who is called "Barbie on Earth" by fans

Unlike the image the company has packaged, Lisa's own ambitions may be beyond anyone's imagination. As a Thai artist, Lisa's popularity has always been slightly inferior to her teammates, but she has long maintained an advantage in overseas popularity. Therefore, as the age rises and the contract with YG is about to expire, it is a wise transformation strategy to break the label of BLACKPINK and move closer to the European and American winds.

△Compared with her teammates, Lisa's appearance is not favored by the Korean market

Lisa has long buried threads for her image transformation: when she got the solo opportunity in 2021, her title track "Lalisa" was directly named after her real name, and the chorus "Money" expressed the desire for wealth and power more directly; Since then, her makeup and hair style has gradually changed, abandoning the long-term iron bangs, trying to show the shape of her forehead, and being more courageous to show her sexy side in clothing; During the tour, she also rumored of a romance with Frederick, the "third son" of the LVMH group, breaking the taboo that idols cannot be in love publicly. All indications are that Lisa is tired of YG's image of "rebellious on stage, well-behaved in private" and trying to transform into a complete rebel, just as Miley Cyrus transitioned from "Disney Princess" to "Mad Girl" - only she chose a controversial stage as a start.

△ Lisa who abandons bangs and sweet wind

Marketing of a show: Can female viewers exonerate men?

Unlike Miley, who transformed through her own musical work, Lisa tried to use the occasion of the Crazy Horse Show to perform her rebellion; At the same time, whether she knew it or not, Lisa in fact became a sharp blade used by Crazy Horse to create feminist topics for marketing, fiercely opening up popularity among the younger generation for this dying old era product.

△ Crazy Horse show façade

Crazy Horse is a showy nightclub founded in France in 1951 by Frenchman Alain Bernardine to attract an upper-class elite audience. Since there were already two major nightclubs in Paris, the Moulin Rouge and the Lido, Alain Bernardine took a different approach: instead of wrapping the dancers' bodies with colorful feathers and ornate decorations, he went to the other extreme, showing the dancers' perfect body lines through psychedelic lighting and stage sets. Since its inception, the Crazy Horse Show has been characterized by a combination of nudity, lighting, stage sets, and choreography, with dancers performing completely or nearly nude.

△ Crazy Horse show "Upside Down"

The objectification of women by the Crazy Horse Show is reflected in each of its links: first of all, in the selection of actors, the standards required by the Crazy Horse Show include that the distance between the two breasts must be only 21 cm, the length from the navel to the pubic bone must be 13 cm, and the female body is regarded as a shell that only carries visual beauty and has no soul; Secondly, during the performance, the action of "undressing" runs through all the repertoire, accompanied by cages, high heels, leather and other binding props, until the dancers gradually approach full nudity, wearing only lights; In addition, in the arrangement of the repertoire, as Xu Jiao said, whether it is a nun or a strong woman in Wall Street finance, women of various professions have become the projection of male desires on the stage; Even in terms of the decoration of the venue, the urinals in the Crazy Horse men's restroom are designed in the shape of red lips, which exposes the obscene fantasies of men.

△ The urinals in the Crazy Horse show, postmodern art or lust?

No matter how elaborate the disguise used to present the delicate songs and dances, or the patronage of celebrities as blessings, Crazy Horse has always relentlessly used women's bodies as bait to attract the attention of men, and this original intention has never changed. The use of artistry as packaging is just to raise the bar, so that those middle- and upper-class men can pay for the ultimate gaze on the female body without thinking about face.

△ Before Lisa, the Crazy Horse Show invited Tita who was known as the "most expensive stripper" to perform

In order to whitewash the essence of male condensation, the Crazy Horse Show not only invited Lisa, a top female with countless young female fans, to participate, but also invited well-known actresses from all over the world to watch the show: all members of BLACKPINK attended the scene to cheer for their teammates, and Zheng Haoyan, who became popular in Europe and the United States because of "Squid Game", also appeared to watch; Although AB was excluded by official clarification, Zhang Jiani, who was watching live with a real hammer, is also an actress with a certain influence in the Chinese market. Through the promotion of Lisa fans and the invitation of actresses to watch, the Crazy Horse show has been able to spread the popularity on the one hand, and on the other hand, it has conveyed the message that not only men who watch the Crazy Horse show, but also women can appreciate women's carcasses.

△Lisa took a group photo with BLACKPINK members Rose and Jisoo who watched the show

This is similar to the argument of "my daughter and me" on the domestic Internet in recent years. On major live broadcast and short video platforms, you can see a group of "edge-rubbing" bloggers, posting sexy clothes and "casual" nudity in the name of dancing, photo and other forms. Although most of its audience is male, it is not difficult to find a similar statement in the comment section: "Don't blame men, I love to watch women too". Perhaps women do have a different perspective from the opposite sex when they appreciate same-sex bodies, but it does not change the fact that these contents present women as objects under male condensation. Therefore, the "my daughter and me" argument only helps the male power to cover up, and encourages them to advance on the road of disciplining women.

△The picture comes from the Douban ID "Bright Moon Majestic"

A bubble in a circle: Why do women's groups hit a wall when they talk about women's rights?

"Lisa starred in the Crazy Horse show, and took off the clothes that the girl group had been wearing hard to wear since the second and third generations."

Putting aside their previous prejudices against each other, Korean entertainment fans in China and South Korea reached a surprising agreement on Lisa's appearance on the Crazy Horse show, because they knew that the girl group had a difficult journey along the way.

△ Korean net fans commented on Lisa's participation in the Crazy Horse show

Since 1997, the girl singing and dancing group represented by SES has created the first generation of Korean girl groups; Since 2007, the second-generation girl group represented by Girls' Generation and Wonder Girls has opened up international popularity and opened the peak era of the Korean Wave. However, between 2011 and 2015, a wave of sexiness swept in, and many girl group members were forced to transform. AOA's Kusa-e and T-ara's Hyo-min both showed upper body nudity in the return trailer, and they later rushed to clarify that this was only creating the illusion of nudity through costumes, camera lenses, and post-production, apparently not of their own will.

△AOA "heart attack" Cao'e single trailer

For the less well-known girl group, this trend is even more of a disaster. The girl group Stellar was forced to transform due to the poor management of the brokerage company, the members were forced to wear cheongsam slit to the waist, used milk as a sexually suggestive prop in the MV, and even some underage members were tricked by the company to leave a psychological shadow, until after the disbandment, the captain revealed all this in an interview.

△ Former captain Stellar who was interviewed to expose the company's behavior

Ironically, however, these girl groups forced to go sexy only achieved a momentary false prosperity. While male fans draw visual pleasure from it, they are still more willing to spend real money for pure wind girl groups: A pink, the light of three generations of girl groups, and GFriend, the earliest rising of four generations, both started with pure wind, making pure and sweet style popular in the girl group industry for a while. It was not until the introduction of new concepts such as "girl crush" that the girl group got out of the endless cycle between "excessive sexiness" and "ultimate purity", became more diverse in style, and emphasized the singing and dancing strength of members.

△ ITZY, the "Power Dance Troupe" known for its strength in the fourth generation of girl groups

However, if you want to think that Lisa single-handedly regressed Korean Entertainment, I am afraid that Lisa only revealed the disguise of the girl group industry. In fact, this is not the first time in recent years that K-POP has been caught up in controversy related to "nudity". In 2019, Cui Xueli, a former member of the girl group f(x), caused controversy for posting "no bra" photos on social networking sites. Then she stated her opinion on the variety show "Bad Comment Night": wearing underwear may be harmful to health, because there are underwires in underwear, and she chose not to wear underwear just to make her body feel more comfortable.

△ Cui Xueli who explained the "no bra" behavior on the variety show

Compared with arguing about "whether to wear more or less" around the male gaze, Cui Xueli's approach really jumped out of the patriarchal perspective and made a dressing choice from the comfort of women themselves. However, due to the fact that in the girl group industry, the bold behavior of "No Bra" and the pure image established by the company before have been greatly separated, Cui Xueli has long suffered bad comments from netizens, and finally died of depression with this controversy.

△Comfort and convenience should be the purpose of dressing

In 2022, the song "Nxde" released by the girl group (G)I-DLE, which is famous for its independent creation, became a hit, the song was based on Monroe, boldly advocated the innocence of nudity itself through MV and lyrics, and satirized the lewd gaze of men on "naked", which played a positive role in online communication: the song was called a metamorphosis of the English word "nude", so on major search engines and social media, "(G)I-DLE's "Nxde" This keyword replaces all kinds of unsightly terms related to nudity.

△ The metaphor and irony of male condensation in the MV of "Nxde"

However, after appearing on the stage of major songs, the members wore dancer-style corset skirts, accompanied by the action of unzipping the chest in the chorus and the support of male fans in the audience, forming a grotesque and ironic picture: the song tried to satirize male condensation, but the girls' performance on the stage more vividly satisfied the visual pleasure of men than other girl group works of the same period. With members who can act as music producers, (G)I-DLE is one of the few girl groups that can sit at the negotiating table with the company and has been actively trying to express their views with their own works. But even the power of the works they present is not immune to being weakened by the K-POP industrial environment.

△ Without the blockade of the screen, "Nxde" seems to have become the object of its irony

It can be seen that the women's group, as a commodity created by capital, has never really escaped the male condensation: capital allows the members of the female group to wear shackles on the stage and shout painless slogans, as long as their figures and dress still do not deviate from the standards of male condensation; However, when they fought for real rights as individuals offstage, they became targets of witch hunting carnivals. Style labels such as "girl crush" only broaden the female market for K-POP girl groups through "anti-patriarchal narratives", so that they can gain fame and fortune, but they do not shake the control of the girl group industry over women's appearance and even personalities.

epilogue

To sum up, although Korean entertainment fans tried to cut Lisa off from K-POP after she appeared on the Crazy Horse show, it could not hide the same male condensation essence implied by the different manifestations of the two: the objectification of women in the Crazy Horse Show has never stopped because of anyone's arrival, whether it is Lisa's appearance or the viewing of actresses from various countries, they are all part of the grand marketing of Crazy Horse and complete the mission of expanding popularity in the Asian market; At the same time, Lisa did not set the K-POP girl group backwards, but only punctured the reality that the girl group was still a commodity to be stared at under the "girl crush" package. In the K-POP utopia, idols appear as a commodity rather than themselves, and once they touch the real feminist issue, they will hit the rocks and sink ships.

△How long does it take to go from spectator to insider?

Lisa is to the Crazy Horse show, just as concepts such as "girl crush" are to girl groups, expanding the female market for male coagulation products, so that at the moment when women are gradually awakening, they cover up naked exploitation with free sugar coating, and constantly instill this concept to female audiences: because the audience is not only men, male condensation no longer exists, and some are only women's active choices. Whether it is "freedom to strip" or "me and me", emphasizing that women have agency, voluntarily choosing to be the object of the gaze or gaze at other women, is a new trap that men use to obtain the right to free their gaze. So, under the pervasive siege of male condensation, how should female artists in the entertainment industry use their influence? As a female audience, how can we distinguish between self-choice and commercial value discipline, and break free from the shackles in the name of "freedom"? Although Lisa's performance has ended, the above questions will continue to torture us on and off the screen.