When is an idol too young to debut?
“I worry that this trend will slowly push me out of the fandom, or at least stop me from stanning any new groups in the future”.
HYBE Entertainment found themselves under fire for the young debut ages (ranging from 14-18) of their girl group NewJeans. Image: NewJeans Official Twitter.
The K-pop industry is known for debuting a considerable amount of young artists in their groups in comparison to many western girl and boy bands. Years ago it was considered shocking that SM Entertainment were allowing Lee Taemin to join SHINee at the age of only 14 years old and BoA to debut at just 13. More recently, this trend has become even more prominent with multiple young idols such as ENHYPEN’s Ni-ki and NewJeans’ Hyein debuting at the age of just 14.
Considering how harsh the industry is, is it dangerous to be allowing these children to be open to scrutiny and will it push fans out of the genre? After speaking to K-pop fans Mollie, Hermione, Eliza, and Charlotte, it’s clear that there’s some pushback against this.
Images: (L-R) Mollie, 23, London; Hermione, 20, York; Eliza, 32, Cambridge; Charlotte, 22, Manchester.
Detrimental diets?
All fans know that most idols are put onto extremely restrictive diets in order to maintain the ideal body type in East Asia. However, these diets can be incredibly bad for a young person’s development.
Fan Mollie details how unhealthy these standards can be for children: “An industry where you’re going to be expected to diet and get plastic surgery to be a perfect idol is no place for a 14-year-old. This is not healthy for growing and developing teenagers, it’ll make them even more vulnerable and pressured, especially at a time where they are still physically and mentally developing”.
Seasoned idol BoA has been open about the effects that extreme diets had on her health, explaining that her growth was stunted by not eating enough. Placing these extreme beauty standards on such young children is clearly damaging, not only to their body but also their mind.
Eliza expressed concerns for the health of young idols: “The younger idols are deprived of having a carefree childhood, but also, are deprived of psychological growth and maturity. I think it’s quite detrimental to a young person’s mind, body, and soul.”
No place for a child
There’s no doubt that the K-pop industry is a fast-paced and often grueling place to be. Alongside their school work, young idols are expected to attend dance, vocal, language, and acting lessons as part of their training. Being able to balance this kind of work is difficult for an adult, and with the added stress of puberty, it’s unimaginable to think of the pressure and worry that these children are under.
Hermione believes that young children will not fully understand the possible consequences of following this dream: “Ultimately, all anyone can draw on is their own personal experience and when I was 14, I [didn’t have] a clue about how the implications of what I could pursue could end with negative consequences”.
With an average age of just 15.6 years and two members aged 14, NCT Dream raised eyebrows at the time of their 2016 debut but have gone on to worldwide success. Image: Wikimedia Commons.
More recently, concerning images of older men attending the fansigns of underage female idols have been circling the internet.
Charlotte highlights the worry that has surfaced because of these images: “Although fan meets are part of the job, forcing young idols, some as young as 14, to interact with older men and act cute in front of them seems disturbing to say the least”.
Not only is debuting children opening them up to endless criticism but also makes them vulnerable to sexualisation. This concern and the presence of younger idols in groups has also led to a lot of older fans feeling isolated or pushed out of the genre. Mollie, alongside many other adult fans, expressed that she feels uncomfortable listening to and supporting new groups that contain minors. Whole generations of fans could end up being phased out if this trend continues.
The military argument
Many may argue that it’s better for male idols to debut at an earlier age due to mandatory military duty. Introducing a group into the industry when they are younger allows them to build a strong fan base and experience the height of stardom before they have to step away for a few years.
However, Charlotte uses BTS’ Jin, who debuted as an adult, as an example of an older idol that has been able to maintain popularity: “When looking at idols like BTS’s Jin, who didn’t start his military service until the age of 30, [he] was active in BTS for 10 years prior and has had one of the most significant careers in K-pop history. He debuted at the age of 20, an appropriate age for debuting, and still had an impressive and lengthy career [before entering the military], one that will most likely continue once he returns from the army.”
Mollie also presents the counter-argument that the average length of a group’s contract is seven years, meaning that if they debut at 20, the idol would still be able to fulfill their company contract before enlisting. SHINee are a group that have been able to maintain their huge overall popularity whilst their members complete their enlistment. Solo and unit comebacks are able to keep fans interested in the group and make the military argument redundant.
Ageism in K-pop
Most fans know that ageism is a huge issue within K-pop. The youthful concept (school life themes, story lines about first loves and friendship) seems to be hugely popular among both the industry and fans as Hermione explains: “Idols can accomplish ‘youth-like’ themes a lot better when they are younger. Selling the teenage dream is a concept that will never dry up because for most in the world it’s a fantasy so close to reality that people can live vicariously through it”.
Girl group Cignature took on the youthful concept and donned school uniform for their nostalgic track “Smooth Sailing”. Image: J9 Entertainment via Helix Publicity.
The youthful concept guarantees companies success and, therefore, groups need young idols that can easily represent its themes and a fresh kind of beauty. This resonates with the generally younger demographic of K-pop fans, seeming to make it an understandable choice. However, this concept not only alienates older idols but many older fans that no longer relate to high school stories.
Charlotte is highly aware of the strict beauty standards that idols are held up to and how this alienates older artists: “The K-pop industry is so heavily focused on beauty and youthfulness that when idols reach an age where not only do they not look young and childlike anymore, but wish for their work to be more mature, many K-pop fans no longer enjoy it”. It seems unfair for idols to have a shelf life after working so hard to make it in such a tough industry.
Whilst this is a problem for all idols, women are arguably treated more harshly, with many noting the ‘expiry date’ of 30 for female celebrities in Korea. To counter this, companies continually dress their older female idols in school uniforms to make them look younger, and employ plastic surgery and makeup techniques to maintain a teen-like face. K-pop staff and fans alike seem to forget that the age of 30 is by no means old and that this can still be considered the start of someone’s working career!
Owing to all of the factors explored here, the trend of debuting young children as idols seems worrying to say the least. A combination of extreme diets and the pressure to fit beauty standards seem to create an environment that is not suitable for children. However, with the popularity of the youthful concept and idols’ careers petering off after they reach 30 years old, this trend does not appear to be going away any time soon.
Do you think this trend is harmful or is it necessary for companies to debut younger idols in their groups? Let us know in the comments below.
Edited by Gabii Rayner.
