K-Pop and Koreaboo: a feminist analysis of the racial and sexual politics of the transnational media fandom

Min Joo Lee, Lily Chu, Inhye Irene Han and Ji Sun Jeon

Chapter 16 in Research Handbook on Feminist Political Thought, 2024, pp 350-366 from Edward Elgar Publishing

Abstract: Korean popular culture is experiencing popularity around the world. Some zealous fans of it are nicknamed “Koreaboos.” They love Korean culture and people to the extent that some express their desires to become Korean. This chapter examines the social media discourse surrounding these Koreaboos. We utilize feminist theories on eroticism and feminist media theories to critically analyze social media posts uploaded by them and about them. We argue that Koreaboos’ affection for Korean culture and people represent the duality of Korean popular culture fandom. On the one hand, Koreaboos effectively mobilize their erotic desires for Korean culture and people to critique problematic gender norms in their home countries. On the other hand, they reconstruct the problematic binary between the East and the West through their essentialist erotic desires for Korean culture and people. Our research contributes to feminist scholarship and praxis by examining the nuanced meaning of women’s erotic power.

Keywords: Development Studies; Economics and Finance; Politics and Public Policy Sociology and Social Policy (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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