“Loser”

The scene that stands out the most in “Loser” is when T.O.P clings to a half-naked girl. The reason? A woman is indoors yet she wears a white bikini and a white, one piece bathing suit/bodysuit while T.O.P, in comparison, wears two different outfits which are colorful and completely cover his body (e.g., he wears blazers, closed shirts, jeans/pants and gloves). The vast difference in these two’s wardrobes are obviously strange, and it makes one wonder, why? Why would these two be dressed so differently? Well, there is an answer and it is simple. Because the woman is a prop and a sexual object in the scene.

All the woman does in the scene with T.O.P is slither about, rub up against him and make out with him. She has no will or thoughts of her own, she never speaks nor is her face ever clearly seen and because she is wearing all white while standing against a completely white background, the woman not only becomes just one of the many objects in the room but she also serves as part of T.O.P’s backdrop. The woman is also physically treated as an object (and violently so) as there is an instance where T.O.P actually grabs the woman’s hand by the tip of his gloved fingers (in apparent disgust and disdain) and then grabs her by the throat. This scene of violence is later continued when T.O.P is shown wandering the streets with blood on his face, shirt and hands.

It is not completely clear why T.O.P is covered in blood, but it can only be assumed that this is meant to indicate that he had either beaten or killed the woman. This is not only disturbing, to say the least, but it also appears to be purposeful as there are lyrics that state:

     It’s a cycle of girls and mistakes

     Love them for one night

     And hate them when morning comes

     Can’t own up to it

     Because of my selfish pleasure

So based on these translated lyrics, it is to be believed that at least part of the reason that the woman is objectified and sexualized is because the director/creative director/band is trying to convey that this man only sees women as something to be used and that this objectification of and violent treatment towards women it what makes him a “loser.” This scene, nonetheless, is disappointing (if not downright insulting).

Big Bang’s attempt on making social commentary about the objectification of and violence towards women is odd, firstly, because this important and serious topic is completely out of place in the MV. The rest of the content in the MV, for example, is rather benign with Seungri being cheated on, Taeyang jumping rooftops and G-Dragon destroying an apartment. The only scene that comes close to the darkness of the domestic violence scene is when Daesung himself is a victim of violence and is beaten by a group of men. However, even as serious as Daesung’s scene is, there is still something about the domestic violence scene that makes it feel more frightening and “next level.” Perhaps this is because the woman is never seen being beaten so it can only be left to the imagination as to what has happened to her or perhaps it is because of how incredibly casually it is insinuated that she has been beaten/murdered.

Secondly, seeing domestic violence handled so flippantly is off-putting at best and disappointing, insulting and horrifying at worst. 35% of women worldwide, after all, experience or have experienced domestic violence.

Thirdly, Big Bang’s attempt at making social commentary on the objectification of and violence towards women is not only funny and ironic but is effectively negated as well.Why? Because when this video for “Loser” was released, “Bae Bae,” which blatantly sexualizes and objectifies women just for the sake of objectification (i.e., women aren’t sexualized and objectified in this song and MV because the band is trying to make social commentary), was also released.

“Bae Bae”

The first prominent scene where women are sexualized and objectified occurs in the opening of “Bae Bae.” In this first scene, G-Dragon runs around groping and rubbing up against lingerie clad, female mannequins while rapping:

      I’M IN LOVE

      I’m blind with love babe

      No pants on with a white shirt babe

      Are you a human or an angel?

      Oh Jesus babe

      You’re dazzling babe

      Sunglass babe

      My mind is so out of it

      I’m possessed by you

      Blood is rushing to that one place again

This unrealistic idealization and sexualization of women and comparison of women to plastic dolls sets the tone for the rest of the video. White women, for example, are toted around, used as props and sexualized throughout “Bae Bae” and this theme becomes especially noticeable (and problematic) around the minute mark of “Bae Bae” where the second most prominent scene of objectification occurs.

Around 1:00, T.O.P struts down a tunnel made of bright purple and yellow flowers (which have a faintly yonic vibe) and raps:

      Your eyes are pretty like a deer

      My princess

      When you laugh at me it’s so chic

      Are you crazy?

      You’re a natural beauty, so unique, so unique

      My perfect dear

      Be my muse

      We’re so comfortable together

      I’m gaining so much weight

      My body wraps around yours so perfectly

      You’re forever 25 to me

      Won’t ever change

At one point while rapping, T.O.P holds a syringe full of a milky white substance and squirts the liquid near a White woman’s face. The woman, in response to this, has a look of ecstasy and joy on her face, and she occasionally shoots a “come hither” look towards T.O.P as flowers burst all around her. And what do any of these factors (i.e., the syringe full of a milky white fluid, the woman’s orgasmic expressions and the exploding flowers) have to do with being “a natural beauty” and a “muse?” Nothing, really, except for the apparent fetishization and sexualization of a very narrowly defined concept of beauty.

The syringe scene is clearly a metaphorical cum scene. This, in itself, is strange since ejaculating on a woman’s face has absolutely nothing to do with what he is rapping about (unless the English translation of the Korean lyrics are extremely off) so it can only be assumed that this scene is meant to indicate that he is so aroused by the beauty of White women that he can’t help but to ejaculate on the very beauty that he covets. This is problematic on several levels.

Firstly, the cum scene is problematic, because when paired with the lyrics of the song and the fact that there are only thin, White women in the MV, it implies that thin, White women are the ultimate epitome of beauty. This depiction feeds into the idealization of White beauty and the stereotype that White women (from a Korean perspective) are hyper-sexual and that Asian woman are “pure,” non-sexual beings.

Secondly, while ejaculating on a woman’s face is not in itself “bad” per se, in this particular instance it is concerning as this extreme association between arousal and beauty indicates that women aren’t valuable in-and-of themselves (i.e., that women aren’t valuable based on the very fact that they do exist) or because of their abilities, but because of their beauty and the arousal that this can provoke in men (and, again, because this is done to a White woman, the stereotype that White women are hyper-sexual is reinforced). Additionally, the actual act of this simulation is important because it cements the woman’s status as a sexualized and idealized object. For example, because the woman literally never moves (while T.O.P, in comparison, walks up and down the tunnel); because every shot of her is a close-up of her face while she simulates having an orgasm (uh, exploding flowers anyone?); because the woman appears to be vapid and doesn’t have a single thought in her head (she might as well just be a doll); and because it is implied that the woman is just a part of the flower background (e.g., there is a close association between the woman and the flower tunnel as the woman is only ever seen with a close-up of her face against the backdrop of the flowers) this simulated ejaculation reinforces that the woman is a sexual object and an empty vessel which things are done to and who has no thoughts, feelings or desires of her own. Which, really, just matches the very tone that was first set when G-Dragon groped the mannequins at the beginning of the MV.

The K-pop world is riddled with problems when it comes to the depiction and sexualization of women and racial groups, and Big Bang has only added to this problem by depicting serious topics in a flippant manner; sexualizing and idealizing White women; and telling women that what is most important is that they look attractive and be sexually desirable to men in their MVs for “Loser” and “Bae Bae.” So here’s a message for Big Bang.

Big Bang, you have a lot of influence and you have more creative control than you have ever had before. If you want to create sexual content that’s all great and fine, but do so in such a way that stereotypes aren’t perpetuated and no one is objectified or exploited. It is possible. Trust me.

And one last thing. You are, by no means, under any obligation to combat objectification or sexualization, but if you’re not going to be part of the solution then sure as hell don’t be part of the problem.*

*This article has been heavily edited since its original publication.