BoA, Taeyeon "getting bullets" because of GOT the beat, controversial because the lyrics are degrading to women

The audience and experts believe that the song "Step Back" by the girl group GOT the beat has outdated lyrics, heavy gender stereotypes and demeaning women.

On January 3, girl group GOT the beat officially released the single "Step Back". GOT the beat is the first subgroup to debut from SM Entertainment's Girls On Top (GOT) project. Through the project, members of various girl groups managed by SM Entertainment have the opportunity to collaborate to release music products.

The combination of 7 female stars who are rated as "key idols" at SM - solo singers BoA, Taeyeon and Hyoyeon ( SNSD), Seul Gi and Wendy ( Red Velvet), Karina and Winter (aespa) - more increasing fans' expectations for the group. GOT the beat was dubbed by the audience as "one of the most special and talented girl groups in Kpop".

On January 1, GOT the beat had its first performance in the New Year's concert SMTOWN Live 2022: SMCU Express @ Kwangya organized by SM. GOT the beat's music, performance, and vocal skills received rave reviews, but the lyrics of "Step Back" became the subject of fierce controversy.

Outdated lyrics, demeaning women

The song Step Back is written from a woman's point of view, with lyrics accusing a girl of trying to woo her boyfriend, warning all other women to "stay back".

"I'm sure you were flirting a little on purpose," the lyrics explain why the boyfriend had a crush on another girl in the past. Some other controversial lyrics in Step Back include "my man is on another level", "you are like poison to good boys", "all boys are the same, every light is the same". All eyes were on me when I appeared."

The lyrics of Step Back made many fans confused, especially when the song was introduced as "a song praising a woman who is always proud and full of confidence".

"In the song about confident women, I can't even count how many times they mention men from start to finish," Korea JoongAng Daily quoted a supportive comment on one page. online forum.

In fact, Step Back's tune has garnered rave reviews, with the members performing impressive high notes throughout the track. Some fans lamented that "everything about Step Back is perfect, except for the lyrics".

"I don't understand why Step Back is promoted as a music product that celebrates the power of women," the audience commented.

Chung, a longtime fan of idols at SM Entertainment, shared with Korea JoongAng Daily, "With a lineup of quality singers and epic music like this, it's impossible to stay away from my man. What's the best song they can think of?".

Chung said that in her initial imagination, she thought "Step Back" was a song about showing off the members' talents and beauty. However, throughout the song, they repeatedly mention attracting attention from men to prove their confidence.

"The way the woman in the song expresses her point of view gives the impression that she is actually lacking in confidence in a relationship, and the lyrics are outdated," Chung commented.

Misjudgement of women

Not only expressing disappointment, the audience even accused the song of showing sexist psychology stemming from gender stereotypes that are so deeply ingrained in society, culture, living environment, and the way people are treated. raised and grown up. A good example is the lyrics that attack another woman, accusing her of being the first to flirt first, intervening in the middle of the relationship in Step Back.

Opponents of the song argue that the old saying "women are women's worst enemies" used by Step Back was originally designed to assert that women are incapable of forging genuine relationships. together in society, or actually support each other.

Critic Kim analyzed, "Sometimes, the style an idol group pursues and the way they express it in reality don't match. They (GOT the beat) want to portray a female image. independence and confidence - common themes these days".

However, according to Kim, female fans won't love Step Back, arguing that it's a confidence song simply because the track "includes a picture of a woman confidently warning that the woman Others need to step back."

As female stories have become mainstream in Korean pop culture in recent years, critic Kim hopes small-scale controversies and discussions on similar topics can continue. continue to take place.

"There will be songs, movies and series that try to keep up with trends, but don't fully understand the real female perspective. Small differences and context are important. If Content producers don't properly understand the development in women's perspective, they will make false judgments like this," Kim shared.

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