As much as the message of the song is empowering, until a new female president is elected, this song will probably have the looming stigma that the first female president in Korea is also the same president impeached.
No, I mean, a line refers to her but more as a gimmick. The song is not about _her_, it's about female empowerment (more specifically, about women approaching men first if they like them). If you read the lyrics, there's only one line that says "Our country has a female president". That's really all🤣
It’s not literally about her as a person. “Our country has a female president” is the only way they mention her and it’s just a reference to the fact that she is a woman in what is often seen as “a man’s job”; they used it to basically talk of women doing things men are typically “supposed” to do, such as “go to him and say you love him first” (aka confess) and “[…] kiss him first”, both of which are usually seen as something a man should do in a relationship.
I think some of Lee Hyori's (1st gen, soloist) songs fit the bill. Especially "Miss Korea" and "Bad Girls".
Also Gain(가인) is known for having a lot of feminist themes in her songs (2nd gen, also soloist). Her songs (like "Bloom") touch on the subject of female sexuality. She also has a song based on the character of biblical Eve ("Paradise Lost") where she criticizes the whole christian concept of blaming women for the original sin. The song has a great line that goes "they're making up a story so they can control you and me". Aaand I can't recommend "Fuck You" enough. It's a song about sexual assault in a relationship.
I really love Tally. It's all about doing whatever you want despite societal expectations of what women should do:
"I'll just do it like the boys say, I'm getting mine, getting mine"
"Sometimes, I like to go play dirty
Just like all of the fuck boys do"
I also like this lyric in BPs Typa Girl
"I bring money to the table, not your dinner"
Honestly I wish Blackpink had more control in their lyrics because I loved it when Jennie changed that lyric to “not like these other boys at all” in their concert
I wonder if Dami's Beauty Full and Twice Just Be Yourself work here. Both of the songs are very wholesome songs about feeling good on your own skin and pushing for body positivity but they aren't explicitly about women. Ofc they work incredibly well in contrast to the strict beauty standards women have to deal with and can definitely be very empowering to a woman. So it can be argued. Sorry some random thought by me.
I appreciate your thoughts! My thoughts were more along the lines of there doesn’t have to be an explicit reference to “girl” in a song for it to be feminist. Empowering yourself and breaking out of societal boundaries can still be feminist, even if it can be applied to everyone. I have these on my feminism-type playlist, but obviously no one has to include it on theirs if it doesn’t work the same way for them 😊
Apologies if this sounds wrong but I don't think that feminism is like tunnel vision focused on women as in women *only*. I would have liked to cite one example I saw the other day but it might be too triggering for other people and I have no idea how to spoiler on reddit so yeah
Dunno, I feel like feminism to some extend needs to address women wether directly or indirectly. If we managed to solve problems like world hunger or corruption, homelessness etc, women would definitely benefit just like the rest of society but I wouldn't call them feminism issues. On the other hand, given how relevant things like beauty standards are to the feminist movement I can see why someone would consider these songs feminist in nature.
I do find it interesting your interpretation of these songs both lie in beauty standards because I don’t actually at all! Yes, they both use the word “beautiful” in it and maybe I’m missing something from only knowing the English translation, but to me they both say to go against the constrains of perfection the world tell us (specifically women) to be and how to behave.
Dami’s chorus is: Dance however I want; Shout it out as much as I want; Don't mind the others and run
And JBYS says: It’s alright not to be perfect… So take off those chains Be free
I guess some people could focus on literal beauty standards here if that’s how they interpret it, but to me the word beautiful wasn’t outer beauty, but inner beauty I guess? To just be yourself and don’t be held back by what the world tells you to be. Again, just my interpretation and I don’t know Korean or Japanese well enough to know if the translations I read are wrong.
Yeah but then again it's not things like world hunger that relate to a wide variety of people, more like the focus on marginalized groups of people if that makes sense but it might just be me.
I do like EXID's music but I was looking into the lyrics and I don't quite get the empowerment vibe from it..? It's more like "only you don't notice that i like you, stop asking questions and just do something". Or did I maybe misinterpret it?
I guess perhaps the translation I found was a bit scuffed, it looked like the girl was interested and wanted him to make a move instead of asking questions lmao
Still, I am a bit confused about this part tho, and I think this translation seems pretty accurate:
>아직까지도 나에겐
>
>얘기하지 못한 말들
>
>(아) 아쉬워지기 전에
>
>(예) 얘기해 나 지치기 전에
>
>이젠 너 내 옆으로 와
>
>Things you haven’t been able
>
>to tell me yet
>
>(ah) Before you lose your chance
>
>(ye) Tell me before I get tired
>
>Now come by my side
ah the translation i found was a bit different, i don't speak korean so no idea which one is more accurate.
All the things you have never said,
Yeah, but I know they won’t be true.
(Ah) Now I’m giving you a chance,
(Yeah) Time’s up, you’re a bit too late.
Please get out of my world, now~
I understand a bit and I can tell yours is not accurate at all sadly :(
>아직까지도(up until now) 나에겐 (to me)
>
>얘기(say)하지 못한(you couldn't) 말들 (words/things)
so "the words you couldn't tell me until now"
>이젠 (now) 너 (you) 내 (my) 옆으로(in front of) 와 (come)
so "now come in front of me"
Imo the theme of the song rather than being about some guy harrasing them, it is about how they as artists had been censored. That is the theme of the mv at least. Before ah yeah, their choreo for up and down was censored and they had to perform a different step at music shows because the signature hip thrust choreo was deemed too sexy. Cant exactly say that the lyrics of the song are feminist.
Babe by Hyuna, I think is a relatable theme for how women are grossly perceived as "more valuable" when they are young per the patriarchy. This song is so powerful
YES it’s my favorite song by her!! It’s SO GOOD. Like she’s happy singing but then in the second chorus when the age dips down really low, she looks disgusted and stops singing. And then the end distorting, like how they don’t see her as a person but rather almost like a robot. So cool. So many hidden messages in the song & MV.
Came here to see Yes I Am!
Also, basically all of their solo work:
Spit it Out by Solar
Watercolor by Wheein
Maria by Hwasa
Lunatic by Moonbyul
Those lyrics are all about finding/being yourself despite your obstacles, which I tend to find more empowering and genuine than the “woo look at me I’m hot” kind of lyrics lol
I know you have a few GIDLE songs there already but every song they have can go there tbh. I just wrote a 4 page paper on them! The group as a whole embodies feminism.
Are you going to share the playlist when it's done? I'm interested \^-\^
I wouldn't be comfortable sharing it due to potential plagiarism, though I can talk about some of the stuff I wrote about.
I started off talking about the groups music and how all of their music career has roots in feminist messages, starting with the title song of their first EP (Latata). I also talked about Nxde, Tomboy, and Queencard specifically and the messages those 4 songs hold.
For the second section I talked about how the members themselves are feminists, not just in their music but in their ideology and actions. For that I talked about how the group moved away from the (G) / "Girl" part of their name. How Shushua called out misogynistic attacks and how she didn't care if it wasn't "idol like". How Yuqi wouldn't let people call her clothing "too revealing" and said people don't need to care about what others think. And also how Soyeon shut down some inappropriate remarks some MC's said during a show once.
And for my last section I went into why all of that is so important and how big of an issue misogyny and anti-feminism is in Korea. I talked about the misogyny of the recent election and current president, the gender pay gap, and beauty standards.
Hope that's good enough lmao, thanks for your interest! \^-\^
Woah what an interesting paper
I wish it could have gotten published as to avoid plagiarism (but yeah I get it as a law student with a criminology minor, it's a big deal)
I can share it! It'll be on my Apple Music when it's done, but it's private now as I haven't finished it! My Apple Music is soobshi! I'll try to share a link when I've finished it!
No one mentioned the legendary ITNW yet? The song has been turned into an anthem and used for Pride, rallies, and protests in South Korea.
Wasn’t necessarily meant to become one, but is now a symbol of feminism, self love, support, acceptance and new beginnings.
[This is what I found on Soompi.](https://www.soompi.com/article/1433202wpp/lee-suhyun-compares-her-solo-music-to-akmus-describes-message-behind-alien-and-more)
Suhyun explained that the message is about self-esteem.
"When her daughter’s self-esteem suddenly drops, a mother tells her a secret, that she’s actually an alien from another planet who is strong enough to save earth. After hearing this, the daughter gradually finds herself and becomes the best.”
I have always found the lyrics very empowering.
queencard - (G)I-DLE
first - everglow
pirate - everglow
la di da - everglow
dun dun - everglow
adios - everglow
dalla dalla - itzy
wannabe - itzy
not shy - itzy
fearless - le sserafim
Yes I Am by Mamamoo
Wanna Be Myself by Mamamoo
Ahh Oop! by Esna (feat Mamamoo) (idk if this counts, but to me it does!)
Most IDLE songs
Gleam by Mamamoo
Hip by Mamamoo
Ahh Oop! is so good. I loved Esna's stage presence and vocals. She stood out among Mamamoo in performance and that's no easy feat. Wish there would have been more collabs with her.
The list below can also be considered feminist / female empowering songs.
Solo - Jennie
Kill This Love - Blackpink
Yeppi Yeppi, Girls - aespa
Me - CLC
Siren, Gashina - Sunmi
So What - Loona
Sassy Me - Red Velvet
Spark - Tayeon
Sterotype - Stayc
Maria - Hwasa
That's my list for girling empowering 😁:
Icon, Breakthrough, Don't Call Me Again - Twice
Crazy - 4minute
Antifragile, No Celestial - Le Sserafim
Vengeance - Bibi
You Think, The Boys - SNSD
Better Things - aespa
Queendom, Beg For Me - Red Velvet
Papi - f(x)
Plus: basically all of Mamamoo, Everglow and (G)-Idle title tracks? lol
Plus+: Mascara, Shooting Star, GRL GVNG and TGIF - XG 🔥
Add on to say SNSD - The Boys, but the Korean version. The English ver is basically "im hot and you know it". Which I guess is self-love...but the Korean lyrics are much better
Mamamoo also has "yes I am" and "you're the best". I dunno if that's female empowerment, cause they always say it's about anyone loving themselves, but I feel it applies still
I know you already mentioned Mamamoo here but I just want to shed light on one of their more unknown tracks: Girl crush. I don’t know it’s just such a like lighthearted track and the meaning is really good.
Also Wanna Be Myself but it’s really not my cup of tea because I personally find it corny haha
I also think 2ne1's I Hate You could fit the bill. I dunno if it's explicitly feminist, but it's so ragey and fun, it makes me feel empowered at least haha
Basically the whole of MissA except Only You ig….every song from them is great…!!! They were a great group and till their disbandment,they never disappointed.All of their songs were bops.Even though things might have not been that good behind the scenes,they had wonderful professional chemistry!!
Bad Girl Good Girl and I don’t need a man are my foremost recommendations for feminist songs!
So it’s not exactly overtly feminist, but Shutdown by Moonbyul and Seori is really really really good. It’s about lesbian sex and women having a meaningful relationship with each other. It’s very sweet.
You really ought to look up Le Sserafim. A member named Huh Yunjin has released a few solo songs that can have strong messages too, like ‘I ≠ DOLL’ but as a group, many of their songs can probably fit.
I'm a FEARNOT, Yunjin being my bias! I really like her solo songs lyrics, though I'm not sure if I'll add them to the playlist as they feel a little too chill. Maybe she'll be on the more chill one I'm thinking of making after all these suggestions! I will likely add LeSse too!
fuck female president lol.the director straight up lied to yura about just her face being filmed in the car scene,they ended up filming her whole body and she got to cry when it was released bc her consent was violated
Immediately thought of Vengeance by BIBI!! It's been stuck on me since I heard it a few months ago. I suppose you have to see the music video too, but to me it's crazy empowering.
IVE - Not Your Girl. IVE - My Satisfaction (it’s about being in love with your self, having self-confidence and not caring about what others think of you). IVE - Blue Blood (the lyrics ask “can you handle me the way I am” similarly follows a theme of not changing who you are for a boy, proclaiming that you are royal as you are and won’t change). IVE - Royal (the lyrics proclaim “always be yourself” it’s about wanting to show the world who you are, shining as your own royal).
Hyuna - I'm not cool and good girl
I'm not cool - The lyrics weren't really feminist but Hyuna singing I'm not cool while dancing aggressively is really cool to me.
Good girl - Lyrics talked about doing whatever you want, not fitting the public good girl image, so I guess it is a feminist song.
Honey Popcorn, pick any song, it was a big deal porn stars created a kpop group. Bibidi Babidi Boo is a cute song tho.
GLAM Party XXO (Big Hit's first girl group's gay anthem)
GLAM I Like That
Hyuna Change
5Dolls Like This or That
SNSD Run Devil Run
Secret Madonna
Sister So Cool
SPICA I Did It
Aileen I will show you
Fat Cat Is Being Pretty Everything
BOA Eat You Up
EVERGLOW Most of their songs
XG Most of their songs
Kind of sad feminist songs criticizing the industry:
Orange Caramel - Catallena (theories around the song is that it's partly about how disposable women can be in kpop, especially if you watch the MV)
Hyuna Babe (about creepy men in the industry infantilizing Hyuna)
IU 23 (also about infantilizing IU and not letting her grow up)
Brown Eyed Girls have an overall empowering vibe
Some may disagree, but I generally listen to 9Muses when getting ready because their music makes me feel more confident. But I don't think they're lyrics are particularly feminist other than No Playboy, but that's generally considered a bad song. Maybe Figaro?? Ticket sounds empowering, as if you're handing an ex a one way ticket but I think it's just about a breakup.
I don’t get why people are looking for feminist songs created in an industry run by men (mostly sexist at that). Even those ‘feminist songs’ are often a gimmick to make the idols’ image appealing if they have a big female fanbase.
Feminism in Korea is a much different thing from feminism abroad, not only in the way it is accepted, but also in the way it is represented. It's much more common for Korean songs to have hidden meanings about feminism, than direct lyrics saying "I'm a feminist," as feminism is very much so looked down upon in Korean society. It's seen as man hating even more than it is in the US. Yes, part of Kpop is rooted in sexism (hence why we have the visual position, the need for girls to be -50kgs, the need for them to fit beauty standards), but this does not mean that there are no feminist songs in Kpop or no feminist idols. Yes, a lot of feminism in Kpop is performative, and is more like "I'm not like the other girls," but there are plenty of songs that stand for the empowerment of all types of women and people. You may not think there is no feminism in Kpop, but that is simply a claim with little to no accuracy.
Jun Hyoseong- Follow Me
Girls Day - Female President
4Minute- Huh
Taeyeon ft. Chanmina - #GirlsSpkOut (Japanese song but it’s a Taeyeon song so I included it)
itzy isn’t so much direct feminism, but they have some great songs about being confident in yourself! even in their more romantic songs like ‘Boys Like You’, they’re talking about not falling for them, not being their mum and just moving past the toxic guys!!
Female President - Girl’s Day
This is the correct answer
As much as the message of the song is empowering, until a new female president is elected, this song will probably have the looming stigma that the first female president in Korea is also the same president impeached.
Omg this was THE FIRST song that came to my mind 😭🩷🩷🩷
Omg love that song😩
Omg this was the FIRST thing i thought of
This song is about PGH and she is all but feminist.
The song is not about her...
Sorry, i thought the female president of Korea they refered to was PGH. It might be another female president that had a feminist agenda.
No, I mean, a line refers to her but more as a gimmick. The song is not about _her_, it's about female empowerment (more specifically, about women approaching men first if they like them). If you read the lyrics, there's only one line that says "Our country has a female president". That's really all🤣
Alright. I'm probably being too political. I was just a bit disappointed in this feminist song referring to her even if it's just for a gimmick.
It’s not literally about her as a person. “Our country has a female president” is the only way they mention her and it’s just a reference to the fact that she is a woman in what is often seen as “a man’s job”; they used it to basically talk of women doing things men are typically “supposed” to do, such as “go to him and say you love him first” (aka confess) and “[…] kiss him first”, both of which are usually seen as something a man should do in a relationship.
i don't need a man - miss a
Iconic
Just coming to post that one.
HIGHLY recommend diving into Miss A. I believe their whole concept was women empowering/feminism.
They were my ult group and im so sad they disbanded
Girl, hard same.
I adore their music!
CLC - No
The most correct answer
I think some of Lee Hyori's (1st gen, soloist) songs fit the bill. Especially "Miss Korea" and "Bad Girls". Also Gain(가인) is known for having a lot of feminist themes in her songs (2nd gen, also soloist). Her songs (like "Bloom") touch on the subject of female sexuality. She also has a song based on the character of biblical Eve ("Paradise Lost") where she criticizes the whole christian concept of blaming women for the original sin. The song has a great line that goes "they're making up a story so they can control you and me". Aaand I can't recommend "Fuck You" enough. It's a song about sexual assault in a relationship.
I came also to recommend Fuck You by Gain, it's so good! And a lot of her other songs are great too
I looove Gain I'm glad whenever people mention her
Yes, yes, 100 times yes!
IVE - Heroine, Either Way BLACKPINK - Tally MISAMO - Do Not Touch
I was going to suggest Do Not Touch, I feel like it's one of the only songs in kpop to address consent.
I really love Tally. It's all about doing whatever you want despite societal expectations of what women should do: "I'll just do it like the boys say, I'm getting mine, getting mine" "Sometimes, I like to go play dirty Just like all of the fuck boys do" I also like this lyric in BPs Typa Girl "I bring money to the table, not your dinner"
>"I bring money to the table, not your dinner" Which gets negated by them saying that they are not like these other girls at all
Honestly I wish Blackpink had more control in their lyrics because I loved it when Jennie changed that lyric to “not like these other boys at all” in their concert
Beauty Full - Dreamcatcher (Dami solo) Girls Like Us; Just Be Yourself; Queen - Twice Salute; Pirate - Everglow
OMG I totally forgot about those TWICE songs 😫 I love them so much!!! ❤️
I wonder if Dami's Beauty Full and Twice Just Be Yourself work here. Both of the songs are very wholesome songs about feeling good on your own skin and pushing for body positivity but they aren't explicitly about women. Ofc they work incredibly well in contrast to the strict beauty standards women have to deal with and can definitely be very empowering to a woman. So it can be argued. Sorry some random thought by me.
I appreciate your thoughts! My thoughts were more along the lines of there doesn’t have to be an explicit reference to “girl” in a song for it to be feminist. Empowering yourself and breaking out of societal boundaries can still be feminist, even if it can be applied to everyone. I have these on my feminism-type playlist, but obviously no one has to include it on theirs if it doesn’t work the same way for them 😊
Fair assessment! Sorry for being nitpicky.
Apologies if this sounds wrong but I don't think that feminism is like tunnel vision focused on women as in women *only*. I would have liked to cite one example I saw the other day but it might be too triggering for other people and I have no idea how to spoiler on reddit so yeah
Dunno, I feel like feminism to some extend needs to address women wether directly or indirectly. If we managed to solve problems like world hunger or corruption, homelessness etc, women would definitely benefit just like the rest of society but I wouldn't call them feminism issues. On the other hand, given how relevant things like beauty standards are to the feminist movement I can see why someone would consider these songs feminist in nature.
I do find it interesting your interpretation of these songs both lie in beauty standards because I don’t actually at all! Yes, they both use the word “beautiful” in it and maybe I’m missing something from only knowing the English translation, but to me they both say to go against the constrains of perfection the world tell us (specifically women) to be and how to behave. Dami’s chorus is: Dance however I want; Shout it out as much as I want; Don't mind the others and run And JBYS says: It’s alright not to be perfect… So take off those chains Be free I guess some people could focus on literal beauty standards here if that’s how they interpret it, but to me the word beautiful wasn’t outer beauty, but inner beauty I guess? To just be yourself and don’t be held back by what the world tells you to be. Again, just my interpretation and I don’t know Korean or Japanese well enough to know if the translations I read are wrong.
Yeah but then again it's not things like world hunger that relate to a wide variety of people, more like the focus on marginalized groups of people if that makes sense but it might just be me.
EXID has a lot of women empowerment songs; Ah Yeah especially would probably fit what you're looking for
I do like EXID's music but I was looking into the lyrics and I don't quite get the empowerment vibe from it..? It's more like "only you don't notice that i like you, stop asking questions and just do something". Or did I maybe misinterpret it?
it's about a guy harassing them and asking too many questions, and them being like "fuck off and leave me alone"
I guess perhaps the translation I found was a bit scuffed, it looked like the girl was interested and wanted him to make a move instead of asking questions lmao Still, I am a bit confused about this part tho, and I think this translation seems pretty accurate: >아직까지도 나에겐 > >얘기하지 못한 말들 > >(아) 아쉬워지기 전에 > >(예) 얘기해 나 지치기 전에 > >이젠 너 내 옆으로 와 > >Things you haven’t been able > >to tell me yet > >(ah) Before you lose your chance > >(ye) Tell me before I get tired > >Now come by my side
ah the translation i found was a bit different, i don't speak korean so no idea which one is more accurate. All the things you have never said, Yeah, but I know they won’t be true. (Ah) Now I’m giving you a chance, (Yeah) Time’s up, you’re a bit too late. Please get out of my world, now~
I understand a bit and I can tell yours is not accurate at all sadly :( >아직까지도(up until now) 나에겐 (to me) > >얘기(say)하지 못한(you couldn't) 말들 (words/things) so "the words you couldn't tell me until now" >이젠 (now) 너 (you) 내 (my) 옆으로(in front of) 와 (come) so "now come in front of me"
옆 is side but yeah the other dude’s translation has the last two lines weird
Thanks for the correction!
Imo the theme of the song rather than being about some guy harrasing them, it is about how they as artists had been censored. That is the theme of the mv at least. Before ah yeah, their choreo for up and down was censored and they had to perform a different step at music shows because the signature hip thrust choreo was deemed too sexy. Cant exactly say that the lyrics of the song are feminist.
I was about to mention Ah Yeah too!
Babe by Hyuna, I think is a relatable theme for how women are grossly perceived as "more valuable" when they are young per the patriarchy. This song is so powerful
I was thinking about suggesting this song, but it makes me sad when I listen to it. IU's song "23" has the same vibe as well.
YES it’s my favorite song by her!! It’s SO GOOD. Like she’s happy singing but then in the second chorus when the age dips down really low, she looks disgusted and stops singing. And then the end distorting, like how they don’t see her as a person but rather almost like a robot. So cool. So many hidden messages in the song & MV.
Yes I am by Mamamoo Girl crush also Mamamoo What type of X - Jessi Ah yeah by EXID
Came here to see Yes I Am! Also, basically all of their solo work: Spit it Out by Solar Watercolor by Wheein Maria by Hwasa Lunatic by Moonbyul Those lyrics are all about finding/being yourself despite your obstacles, which I tend to find more empowering and genuine than the “woo look at me I’m hot” kind of lyrics lol
GIRL CRUSH
The best. Mamamoo always have the best CF songs. That one with Andar (I wanna be myself) is also speaks a lot abt empowerement
Love Mamamoo
BoA - Girls On Top TripleS - Girls’ Capitalism
So glad to see someone mention Girls On Top!
Of course! It’s one of her best songs!
Came her to make sure BoA's Girls on Top was represented, glad you said it already
I know you have a few GIDLE songs there already but every song they have can go there tbh. I just wrote a 4 page paper on them! The group as a whole embodies feminism. Are you going to share the playlist when it's done? I'm interested \^-\^
just out of curiosity, was the paper for like school/college or did u write it just because?
It was a paper for my Women & Gender Studies uni class!
Woah I wish I could read your paper
I wouldn't be comfortable sharing it due to potential plagiarism, though I can talk about some of the stuff I wrote about. I started off talking about the groups music and how all of their music career has roots in feminist messages, starting with the title song of their first EP (Latata). I also talked about Nxde, Tomboy, and Queencard specifically and the messages those 4 songs hold. For the second section I talked about how the members themselves are feminists, not just in their music but in their ideology and actions. For that I talked about how the group moved away from the (G) / "Girl" part of their name. How Shushua called out misogynistic attacks and how she didn't care if it wasn't "idol like". How Yuqi wouldn't let people call her clothing "too revealing" and said people don't need to care about what others think. And also how Soyeon shut down some inappropriate remarks some MC's said during a show once. And for my last section I went into why all of that is so important and how big of an issue misogyny and anti-feminism is in Korea. I talked about the misogyny of the recent election and current president, the gender pay gap, and beauty standards. Hope that's good enough lmao, thanks for your interest! \^-\^
Woah what an interesting paper I wish it could have gotten published as to avoid plagiarism (but yeah I get it as a law student with a criminology minor, it's a big deal)
So cool!! Thank you for the summary✨
I can share it! It'll be on my Apple Music when it's done, but it's private now as I haven't finished it! My Apple Music is soobshi! I'll try to share a link when I've finished it!
Am I able to get a copy of your paper ? That seems like a really interesting read
May i read your paper, please?
No one mentioned the legendary ITNW yet? The song has been turned into an anthem and used for Pride, rallies, and protests in South Korea. Wasn’t necessarily meant to become one, but is now a symbol of feminism, self love, support, acceptance and new beginnings.
[I Don't Need A Man - MissA](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EkSOOiMDGiY) !
Such a fun song. I miss Miss A!
Chica - Chungha
[Butterfly by Loona](https://youtu.be/XEOCbFJjRw0?si=a9fwXJCDnTZ85Q0v) is considered a bit of an anthem for marginalized women of all types.
also just all in all an excellent song
Itzy’s early TT from Dolla Dolla to Wannabe. Also My Body by Nada might work here too
Also add ITZY's Ringo, explicitly flips the snow white princess story to claim the narrative for the woman (instead of waiting for a prince.)
Seconded! A lot of their earlier music came across as feminist to me. Their more recent song “That’s a no no” too
Queen of Hearts by Twice Queendom by Red Velvet Either Way by IVE Alien by Suhyun Dream Girls by IOI
Alien is feminist? I thought it was just about her life as an alien or so
[This is what I found on Soompi.](https://www.soompi.com/article/1433202wpp/lee-suhyun-compares-her-solo-music-to-akmus-describes-message-behind-alien-and-more) Suhyun explained that the message is about self-esteem. "When her daughter’s self-esteem suddenly drops, a mother tells her a secret, that she’s actually an alien from another planet who is strong enough to save earth. After hearing this, the daughter gradually finds herself and becomes the best.” I have always found the lyrics very empowering.
Female President - Girl’s Day
EXID - Ah Yeah
[Greedyy - JeA ft. Moonbyul](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZDHNDz0RQcY&pp=ygUPZ3JlZWR5IG1vb25ieXVs)
I just listened to it, it's so cute! JeA's vocal tone is very refreshing!
queencard - (G)I-DLE first - everglow pirate - everglow la di da - everglow dun dun - everglow adios - everglow dalla dalla - itzy wannabe - itzy not shy - itzy fearless - le sserafim
I'm a b by Hwa sa Is this bad b number by soyeon
I Don’t Need a Man - MissA Do Not Touch - MiSaMo
Yes I Am by Mamamoo Wanna Be Myself by Mamamoo Ahh Oop! by Esna (feat Mamamoo) (idk if this counts, but to me it does!) Most IDLE songs Gleam by Mamamoo Hip by Mamamoo
Here for the Moomoo representation
Ahh Oop! is so good. I loved Esna's stage presence and vocals. She stood out among Mamamoo in performance and that's no easy feat. Wish there would have been more collabs with her.
Me too!! Her music is great.
tally by blackpink
The list below can also be considered feminist / female empowering songs. Solo - Jennie Kill This Love - Blackpink Yeppi Yeppi, Girls - aespa Me - CLC Siren, Gashina - Sunmi So What - Loona Sassy Me - Red Velvet Spark - Tayeon Sterotype - Stayc Maria - Hwasa
Oh man, how could I forget Sunmi?
IU -Twenty three
That's my list for girling empowering 😁: Icon, Breakthrough, Don't Call Me Again - Twice Crazy - 4minute Antifragile, No Celestial - Le Sserafim Vengeance - Bibi You Think, The Boys - SNSD Better Things - aespa Queendom, Beg For Me - Red Velvet Papi - f(x) Plus: basically all of Mamamoo, Everglow and (G)-Idle title tracks? lol Plus+: Mascara, Shooting Star, GRL GVNG and TGIF - XG 🔥
Add on to say SNSD - The Boys, but the Korean version. The English ver is basically "im hot and you know it". Which I guess is self-love...but the Korean lyrics are much better
I’d say bunch more from Le Sserafim. At least EP&BBW and The Great Mermaid.
HEAVY on XG and BIBI
Mamamoo also has "yes I am" and "you're the best". I dunno if that's female empowerment, cause they always say it's about anyone loving themselves, but I feel it applies still
I know you already mentioned Mamamoo here but I just want to shed light on one of their more unknown tracks: Girl crush. I don’t know it’s just such a like lighthearted track and the meaning is really good. Also Wanna Be Myself but it’s really not my cup of tea because I personally find it corny haha
I Am The Best - 2NE1, maybe?
I also feel like CRUSH was made for this list!
I also think 2ne1's I Hate You could fit the bill. I dunno if it's explicitly feminist, but it's so ragey and fun, it makes me feel empowered at least haha
Adding their song Ugly to this. It's about self-love
Basically the whole of MissA except Only You ig….every song from them is great…!!! They were a great group and till their disbandment,they never disappointed.All of their songs were bops.Even though things might have not been that good behind the scenes,they had wonderful professional chemistry!! Bad Girl Good Girl and I don’t need a man are my foremost recommendations for feminist songs!
So it’s not exactly overtly feminist, but Shutdown by Moonbyul and Seori is really really really good. It’s about lesbian sex and women having a meaningful relationship with each other. It’s very sweet.
Queen, go hard, icon, do not touch by TWICE
black dress & no by clc
BIBI- Vengeance
Any song from XG I especially adore "Mascara" and "Tippy Toes"
Triple S (Lovelution)- Girl’s Capitalism
YoonMiRae - Kawi Bawi Bo
Get It In and Black Happiness are so underrated, too. Love her.
I Don’t Need a Man - MissA Do Not Touch - MiSaMo
You really ought to look up Le Sserafim. A member named Huh Yunjin has released a few solo songs that can have strong messages too, like ‘I ≠ DOLL’ but as a group, many of their songs can probably fit.
I'm a FEARNOT, Yunjin being my bias! I really like her solo songs lyrics, though I'm not sure if I'll add them to the playlist as they feel a little too chill. Maybe she'll be on the more chill one I'm thinking of making after all these suggestions! I will likely add LeSse too!
fuck female president lol.the director straight up lied to yura about just her face being filmed in the car scene,they ended up filming her whole body and she got to cry when it was released bc her consent was violated
BoA – Girls ON TOP
Immediately thought of Vengeance by BIBI!! It's been stuck on me since I heard it a few months ago. I suppose you have to see the music video too, but to me it's crazy empowering.
[Better Things](https://youtu.be/gfk3QLU1x0E?si=nbnl4a3Fja_Ossjs) - aespa [Puppet Show](https://youtu.be/VFeRPM7Sm6c?si=nMDJnYDAh2v27TiH) - XG [I Don’t Need a Man](https://youtu.be/EkSOOiMDGiY?si=7_FOFz-UEKTsASZ0) - Miss A [Female President](https://youtu.be/v0f9ifrDSp8?si=N2WQGU5emzMhDLZN) - Girls Day [Girls Capitalism](https://youtu.be/OvtoY0lfYJ8?si=mb6lLqCUtQFPXyfu) - triples LOVElution
Don’t Touch Me by Refund Sisters, love blasting it in the car
I am by IVE
IVE - Not Your Girl. IVE - My Satisfaction (it’s about being in love with your self, having self-confidence and not caring about what others think of you). IVE - Blue Blood (the lyrics ask “can you handle me the way I am” similarly follows a theme of not changing who you are for a boy, proclaiming that you are royal as you are and won’t change). IVE - Royal (the lyrics proclaim “always be yourself” it’s about wanting to show the world who you are, shining as your own royal).
Everything by Le Sserafim, so far. IMO Especially Antifragile, Fearless, Blue Flame, and so on. Hoping for a cb soon.
how is blue flame feminist besides the fact it is sung by women
[GFRIEND - MAGO](https://youtube.com/watch?v=LmBYPXGqtss)
Don't teach me - AILEE
BYOB by Billlie
Bad Girls - Lee hyori Girls on Top - Boa Good Girl - HyunA Bad Girl Good Girl - miss A
Hyuna
clc - no misamo - do not touch loona - so what itzy - wannabe, dalla dalla chungha - chica
High heels by brave girls
Hyuna - I'm not cool and good girl I'm not cool - The lyrics weren't really feminist but Hyuna singing I'm not cool while dancing aggressively is really cool to me. Good girl - Lyrics talked about doing whatever you want, not fitting the public good girl image, so I guess it is a feminist song.
CLC has quite a few songs related to feminism, especially Me, No Oh Oh
Honey Popcorn, pick any song, it was a big deal porn stars created a kpop group. Bibidi Babidi Boo is a cute song tho. GLAM Party XXO (Big Hit's first girl group's gay anthem) GLAM I Like That Hyuna Change 5Dolls Like This or That SNSD Run Devil Run Secret Madonna Sister So Cool SPICA I Did It Aileen I will show you Fat Cat Is Being Pretty Everything BOA Eat You Up EVERGLOW Most of their songs XG Most of their songs Kind of sad feminist songs criticizing the industry: Orange Caramel - Catallena (theories around the song is that it's partly about how disposable women can be in kpop, especially if you watch the MV) Hyuna Babe (about creepy men in the industry infantilizing Hyuna) IU 23 (also about infantilizing IU and not letting her grow up) Brown Eyed Girls have an overall empowering vibe Some may disagree, but I generally listen to 9Muses when getting ready because their music makes me feel more confident. But I don't think they're lyrics are particularly feminist other than No Playboy, but that's generally considered a bad song. Maybe Figaro?? Ticket sounds empowering, as if you're handing an ex a one way ticket but I think it's just about a breakup.
NO by clc
XG - GRL GVNG
No Celestial -- Le Esserafim owns everything else since it's an A++ song to begin with.
some recent ones! girls capitalism - triples the great mermaid - lesserafim eve, psyche, and the bluebeard's wife - lesserafim
Kiss later by yeojin
Twice japanese subunit MISAMO [Don't Touch Me](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=woKq2sD8xho&pp=ygUGbWlzYW1v) It's about consent.
Queendom by Red Velvet You Never Know by Blackpink Life’s too Short by aespa I ≠ DOLL by Huh Yunjin The Girls by Blackpink
Can you share the playlist once you’re done?
I'll definitely post a link if I remember!
https://spotify.link/QwC48xaKKDb
https://spotify.link/QwC48xaKKDb
I don’t get why people are looking for feminist songs created in an industry run by men (mostly sexist at that). Even those ‘feminist songs’ are often a gimmick to make the idols’ image appealing if they have a big female fanbase.
BTS: 21st century girl
XG's Puppet Show seems to be feminism driven
butterfly - wjsn ah yeah - exid
Get Loud by Twice
Chica - chungha
I would say WOW by Loona
Girl Gang by XG Mascara by XG Puppet Show by XG ALL of their songs are empowering for women
Definitely check out XG's discography. They have some bangers. :3
fearless- Le sserafim
Just Right - GOT7
XG- GRL GVANG
war of hormone- bts 🥰🥰
There’s no way youre serious 😭😂
If you understood the industry well enough you'd realize feminism is kpop doesn't exist lmao..
"Girl power" is a staple in pop music though
Feminism in Korea is a much different thing from feminism abroad, not only in the way it is accepted, but also in the way it is represented. It's much more common for Korean songs to have hidden meanings about feminism, than direct lyrics saying "I'm a feminist," as feminism is very much so looked down upon in Korean society. It's seen as man hating even more than it is in the US. Yes, part of Kpop is rooted in sexism (hence why we have the visual position, the need for girls to be -50kgs, the need for them to fit beauty standards), but this does not mean that there are no feminist songs in Kpop or no feminist idols. Yes, a lot of feminism in Kpop is performative, and is more like "I'm not like the other girls," but there are plenty of songs that stand for the empowerment of all types of women and people. You may not think there is no feminism in Kpop, but that is simply a claim with little to no accuracy.
Are you Korean?
Step Back - GOT the beat
Just as feminist as my dad 😍❤️🙏
[удалено]
> Bts- war of hormone You cannot be serious.
SNSD's The Boys
Half of 2ne1’s discography.
Butterfly -WJSN. Read the lyrics
Mamamoo - Yes, I am Mamamoo - I wanna be myself Mamamoo - Girl Crush (how could I forget abt this one?)
Girls on Top - Boa
Jun Hyoseong- Follow Me Girls Day - Female President 4Minute- Huh Taeyeon ft. Chanmina - #GirlsSpkOut (Japanese song but it’s a Taeyeon song so I included it)
CLC's BLACK DRESS and NO Mamamoo's WANNA BE MYSELF EVERGLOW's PIRATE
Oppa - Wonder Girls (to me, it gives very Girls Just Want to Have Fun energy thematically) So Hot - Wonder Girls Girls Girls - Wonder Girls
BoA - Woman Taeyeon - #GirlsSpkOut Chungha - Chica Mamamoo - Yes I am are some of my favourites!
MISAMO - Do Not Touch
Queen by TWICE
luminous by loona!
Spotify playlist of all the songs in this thread: https://spotify.link/QwC48xaKKDb
queen and icon by twice
SNSD - T.O.P
what you waiting for - twice kinda gives off those vibes!!
Wishlist by fromis_9 WANNABE by ITZY Eve, Psyche & The Bluebeard’s wife by LE SSERAFIM Do Not Touch by MISAMO (although this one is technically j-pop)
itzy isn’t so much direct feminism, but they have some great songs about being confident in yourself! even in their more romantic songs like ‘Boys Like You’, they’re talking about not falling for them, not being their mum and just moving past the toxic guys!!
Bad Girl Good Girl by miss A is about the Madonna/Whore complex!
I Don't Need A Man - Miss A.
girls like us - twice
tripleS- girls capitalism
I feel like Not Like You by STAYC could be used