Amber Liu is a singer, rapper, and songwriter. She initially started her music career as a member of a female Koren pop (K-pop) group named f(x). She stayed with f(x) for 10 years and over those year she occasionally released multiple singles and she finally decided to end her contract with SM entertainment and leave f(x) to become her own brand which started with her releasing album X in 2020. Amber released a music video for her song Other People in which she gives an official update to the world about her current boyfriend by including a scene in which she is kissing him in the video. I found this very interesting.
In general, a lot of musicians have scenes of them being intimate with other people and it’s considered completely normal and as something that was done for the video just like how professional actors will be intimate with their co-stars for the scenes in a movie. When I first saw the music video this is exactly what I thought. I didn’t think of it as Amber officially declaring that she is seeing someone. I only realised that this was her intention when I saw a video on her youtube channel which has her friends reacting to the kiss scene in her music video. In the video all her friends, a lot of whom have Korean background, have really intense reactions that really surprised me. It was very clear that this scene in her music video was a very big deal. All of this got me thinking about the differences in our ideologies and about the dating culture in Korea.
From what I read, dating is a huge thing in Korean culture. The work culture in Korea is very intense and people barely get any free time, so there’s not much time for people to spend with their significant other(s). However, to make up for this, people in relationships show their affection for each other by constantly staying in touch through social media not by sending any long texts but by sending simple good morning/afternoon/evening/night texts and sending cute emoticons to each other. There are also multiple milestones and holidays that couple celebrate to make sure that they’re spending time together. Unlike American culture where couples celebrate Valentine’s day and their anniversary, in Korea, couples celebrate their first month, second month, 100th day, 200th day etc. and there are also small holidays almost every month meant to be spent with their significant other(s)–holidays like, White Day (March 14th), Rose Day (May 14th), Yellow Day, Kiss Day (June 14th), Silver Day (July 14th), Wine Day (October 14th), Hug/Sock Day (December 14th). Couple also show their affection for one another by wearing couple themed clothes or matching clothes to tell the world that they’re together. Publicly showing that a couple is together is a huge thing in Korea. This is also why people in relationships upload a lot of pictures with their partner(s) onto social media to show their affection for each other on social media. While publicly showcasing your relationship is a big thing in Korean culture, funnily enough, beyond holding hand, public display of affection is a big no in Korea. Kissing or lingering hugs are though of as things that should be shared with your partner(s) in a private setting and are considered extremely inappropriate in public. After learning about all this, it makes sense why Amber releasing a music video in which she is kissing her partner is a big deal for her and her friends.
Side note: I got to go to Amber’s concert last week and I got to meet her and it was absolutely phenomenal–both her and her performance (attached ticket and picture with Amber)!
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