“I’m born nude, the pervert is you” – (G)I-DLE, Nxde
On October 17th, K-pop girl group (G)I-DLE (pronounced as Gee, Aydel in English) released a mini album titled “I Love” with the title track “Nxde.” Inspired by Marylin Monroe, the main producer and leader of the group, Jeon Soyeon, said in a show that the album’s concept is heavily based on Monroe’s image as a “blonde bombshell” and her intelligence that was purposefully shadowed by the media.
A group known for their self-producing skills, (G)I-DLE’s title tracks often try to push the boundaries of the highly restrictive K-pop industry with their provocative lyrics that promote female rights and discussions of social issues. Just like before, here are a few callouts they made with this extravagant, sophisticated comeback!
The Non-consensual Filming of Females
When the name of the title track “Nxde” was released, a storm of opinions (good and bad) flooded social media. One tweet praising the title track and its name stood out in particular:
“(G)I-DLE’s new album title track is called, ‘Nxde.’ I’m glad that now, when you search the word ‘nude,’ there will be more performance photos, broadcast photos, or information about their album, rather than revealing photos and videos.”
— @nenne_zZ/Twitter
A quick explanation:
When the groups’ name is read in Korean as Yeoja Aideul (여자아이들), it is synonymous with females (as Yeoja) and children (as Aideul). So, not only does searching up “nude” filter exposing photos of women in general, but it specifically helps to filter out exposing photos of minors.
Whether intentional or not, they helped solve a huge issue that many women in Korea have faced: the non-consensual filming of their bodies. Despite the victims’ sufferings, the government response is low, and it is hard to locate the perpetrators when images are constantly shared anonymously through different channels. By reducing the number of channels through which these images spread, (G)I-DLE’s promotions have blocked many from reaching those malicious channels in the first place.
The Sexualization of Idols
One portion of the song with the lyrics “I’m born nude, the pervert is you” has also started a TikTok trend which called out the sexualization of idols (especially underage idols). The sexualization and objectification of idols’ bodies has been a long going issue of the industry but has only gained traction in recent years.
“Nude” = erotic?
Aside from bringing light to two major issues women in Korea face, the title “Nxde” itself was also purposefully “misleading” for a deeper level of reflection.
‘Do they just want to look sexy?’ That’s what most people would think. I want to beat that kind of bias as well. It’s not that we want it to be erotic. I just want to change their perspectives.
Soyeon
Upon revealing the name of the title track, fans (including myself) automatically assumed that it would be a song about the female body and sexuality. However, the songs broke this assumption by centering the lyrics around being one’s authentic self. Soyeon directly references this with the lyrics:
“Excusez-moi, to all of you who are sitting here
If you were expecting some rated R show
Oh I’m sorry, but that’s not what we’re showing
For Refund, see that direction, whatever people say is not my interest
You’re welcome to throw those popcorns
Rating is just the inverse of bliss
But my climax, I feel sick of those prejudice made by themselves”
Shots were fired, and we were left wigless.
But of course, now that you know so much about this song already, you can’t leave without giving the music video a watch! So put your wig back on and hope it says intact (spoiler: it won’t).