#please dont ask how long i spent trying to edit this image im really bad at image bashing

[p-clodius-pulcher]

[vicerions]

rant

tl;dr: it's really sad to see that artists are reduced to machines solely used for profit by entertainment agencies. i know it's a case-to-case basis but in general, idols really suffer a lot so we should respect their decision when they don’t resign with their agency after their contract expires and move on with their lives.

so let’s start by putting you in the shoes of, say, an idol.

disclaimer: im not pointing at anyone specific. just my two-cents.

stolen childhood. no you dont get to play like other kids. at a very young age you have to choose between education and a half-baked dream. (though there are many idols who truly wanted to pursue a singing/acting/dancing/idol career, i get really sad when i read pre-debut accounts of how some idols were scouted because of their visuals and got blinded by promises of good pay).

business is business, after all.

'hey you look really good and you can sing do you want to spend a decade working for us? we'll pay you but only if you're successful, ok?' and you say 'ok' because you're just turning 14 and being famous and rich doesn't sound so bad. you think you will improve. of course, you will. you're young and determined and the company will provide training coaches.

the trainee system is all good and you make some friends until they announce a debut group then things start to get nitty-gritty at practice. training coaches have favorites. you have to look good when your seniors peak in the practice studio. your every move will be scrutinized by the management. how were you as a student? iljin rumors will do you no good. talent, where's your talent? if you think you're good at singing or dancing, there will always be someone far superior than you. you're really stressed and you know you shouldn’t engage in vices but the temptation is always there.

you've spent years training then one day someone will walk-in armed with a full arsenal of talent, looks, variety gag and star quality. they will train with you but you know they're already included in the line-up of the debut group. there are people like this but you can't afford to be angry at them. they are likeable and with oozing charisma even that you can't even deny that they are made for this. 

are you?

hard-work really isn't everything. IF and when you finally debut, netizens will get to decide if you're a rookie legend or a flop depending on your debut song, something you have no control of since it's entirely the company's decision. if your debut isn't received well and you are from a smaller agency it will be a hundred times harder to climb that ladder.

you have to appease the general public to protect your reputation as well as your company's and your group's. this means dating bans, meet-up bans, sns account bans, phone bans, all kinds of bans. delete any traces of all your previous sns accounts. say bye-bye to your friends who are out of the industry. we strongly advice you to break-up if you have a boyfriend/girlfriend because if it wasn't already hard, it will be harder from now on. talk to your parents for days because you won't be seeing them for a long time. do this, don't do that. we don't like your accent.

there are the extremist fans who expect nothing less than perfect. sasaengs lingering at your doorstep at 3am. when you search for articles with your name on it, sometimes you read more negatives than positives. and you don't understand why because you're just working your ass off and trying your best since the beginning.

there are comments that point out how you look fat on-screen. that you have bad skin. that you have an attitude problem because someone outside the dressing room caught you pulling your stylist's coat off her shoulders while looking angry when in reality she asked you to do it because her hands are busy fixing your hair and you just woke up from a nap and your resting bitch face didn't really help. that you are disrespectful because you didn't bow to a senior who passed in front of you when in reality you have bad eyesight and you honestly didn't notice. that you and xxxxxx might be dating because your bracelets look like couple bracelets when in reality you haven't said a word to each other but fans are already cursing you in your instagram posts. 

you do a v-app and people are asking you where is this member or that member instead of sending you questions. it irks you since you’re the one doing the live and maybe you just aren’t enough, but of course, you can’t get angry so you smile and politely tell them where the other members are and why they can’t do the v-app with you.

you try pumping out self-composed songs and pitching ideas for music videos but sometimes things just don’t get the cut. so you have to market yourself more, get those acting and cf and mc gigs. it doesn’t matter if it’s only a one-minute guesting appearance- you just have to get yourself out there and make connections because you can’t rely on your company to do everything.

your group got signed for variety shows and guestings and reality shows. but you realize everything's the same fabricated stuff no matter how 'real' they get cut and edited. not all seniors are good. some will take advantage of your mandatory respect for them. let's go out for a couple of drinks. you know if you get caught by the public, you are done for because most of the time seniors have the upperhand. especially male seniors. so you politely decline. it’s better to seek refuge in your group members and other same-aged idol friends and old trainee acquaintances to stay out of the radar. better safe than sorry.

there will be times when your company will strike a deal with you or maybe they don't tell you until it's out there. something for publicity. you're lucky if the public feedback is good but most of the time it's just backlash. they don't mind throwing you under the bus. your group isn't doing well and everyone knows they have to debut another one soon.

you are overworked and underpaid. your creativity and individuality are suppressed because you have to maintain the kind of image your group has and what your company wants you to project. your friends have graduated from college. you are thankful and love your fans and your members and your managers but you realize you’re not getting any younger. 

you want to finish college too and have a family and kids. maybe try a different line of work while you still can. and when you finally finally make that choice for yourself, everyone turns at you for being the ungrateful person you are.

unpopular opinion: an idol not renewing their contract, as well as group disbandment shouldn’t always be treated as something negative. as a fan, yes, it is disheartening but we should also think about the sake of our idols.

(unless, of course, they get played by their companies. now that is downright oppressive and wrong) 

being an idol is a job. it’s not fairyland where you sing and dance as you please. idols work to pay their trainee debts if they have any, their parents’ debts, as well. they work to give their families a better life, to send their siblings to school. just because you see them wearing name branded clothing it doesn’t mean it’s personally theirs. companies set aside a budget for their clothing so they would look more presentable to the public. another form of marketing.

idols are human, too. miss me with that robotic response of being an idol because they ‘want to stand on stage’ bullshit. maybe some of them are true, yes, but certainly not all of them. they are normal people with imperfections, varied interests in life and varied mental capabilities. 

they want to be happy, too. they have sacrificed a lot to entertain the public and get them to support their music. they have suffered more than than they gained to make their fans happy. to earn money. to live their dreams. to make good music. 

their lives are not yours to control. buying albums or going to their fansigns does not equate to you having the right to demand things of them. you can’t expect them to still be on stage after ten or so years singing and dancing just because you told them to.

as fans, don’t you think we should be the ones making them happy?