The Boyz has everything -- stunning visuals, overflowing charms and talents, and the love of their fans around the world motivate them into achieving more, breaking their own records and setting new records for the others to beat. So many people have asked why so many people love The Boyz, among any other boy groups.
The answer is simple: they are woke.
Being socially relevant is a bit of a sticky spot to K-Pop idols. It is rare to hear them talk about social issues and their thoughts about it without being too polite or safe so as to not offend other people. However, The Boyz members have always found ways to express their thoughts about these relevant issues without using offensive language or intimidating attitude to prove their point. Thus, so many people have found that respectful and they earned more love and support from new fans and loyal fans due to those reasons.
Without further ado, here are the six times The Boyz showed they are woke.
1. Kevin Breaking Gender Stereotypes
At a young age, we were taught that men should only like male celebrities and singers, and same goes to women. However, Kevin does not shy from showing his love to Beyonce in so many occasions, from his predebut videos showing him cheering to Beyonce at a Beyonce concert to his VLives when he talked about her passionately, like any fanboy should. He doesn't care that he is stanning Beyonce because for him, Beyonce should be looked at as a singer, like them, and not as a woman or an indicator of anyone's sexuality. He is very respectful towards her and shows his admiration to her in many different ways. Truly his love for Beyonce is on top, pun intended.
2. More of Kevin on Gender Roles
In Korea, the gender roles are very strict and traditional due to their conservative roots influenced by Confucianism and Buddhism. Thus, it is considered weird for men to do feminine things and vice versa. Still, Kevin does not see anything wrong with men doing things that are traditionally feminine, including dancing in a soft and sensual manner. While watching Taemin's Move music video, he commented on how the music video and his moves are challenging gender roles, and he finds it cool. Other Korean men his age might shy away from these kinds of content, but he bravely addresses everything without offending the others, and in fact showing his support towards it.
3. Kevin and His Thoughts on Feminism and Race Through Disney
In the same VLive video, he also discussed how he thinks Mulan is a powerful female figure representing Asians in a Disney film. In a sea of white princesses, Mulan stands out for being a brave woman who broke the stereotypes about Asian women in the West. He also mentioned that his favorite Disney princess is Tiana from The Princess and the Frog. For some people, it might not be a big deal but for his fans, it is. Of all the Disney princesses, he chose someone who is a person of color and a strong, independent woman on top of it. This shows how he is comfortable with black people and that he also sees women as equals with men in terms of prestige and strength.
He also mentioned in a separate VLive that he loves Black Panther and Lupita Nyong'o for her powerful portrayal of a Black royal family member.
4. Eric and Jacob Dressing Up as a Princesses
This particular VLive video has so many takeaways for the fans. Aside from Kevin professing his love to Tiana, Mulan, and Taemin, Eric also remembered a moment when he dressed up as a princess for Halloween back in the US. This shows how confident he is with his sexuality and that he does not see any qualms with dressing up as a woman because it does not lower his masculinity not endanger it because of a simple feminine dress.
In an episode of The Boyz's one of their many YouTube variety shows, they showed Jacob having no qualms about wearing a female hanbok while visiting a Korean village. He even called himself Jacqueline, which shows how he does not care on how people see him just because he wore something feminine. That's not toxic masculinity, and we are living. Q also wore a female hanbok in this particular episode.
5. Younghoon Saying Pink is for Everyone
In an episode of their pre-debut show Flower Boys Snack Shop, Younghoon and Sangyeon were tasked to buy flowers for their cafe. While Sangyeon said that ladies prefer pink, Younghoon corrected him by saying that anyone can like pink and pink can be boys' color too. This crushes the stereotype that colors have gender. Younghoon respected the fact that people can like whatever color they want regardless of their gender or sexual orientation, because once again, colors have no gender.
6. Juyeon and Q Accepting Male Fans
In Korea, there is an unwritten rule that boys should only like girl groups and women should like boy groups AND girl groups. However, many male fans simply cannot resist the charms of The Boyz, and for Q and Juyeon, they are quite okay with it. Q has been known to entertain and engage into conversations with his male fans, even accepting their love for him as though it is as normal as breathing.
Juyeon was also asked if a male fan can like him, and after a few moments of thinking, he said yes and accepted the male fan's love and affection towards him. Some other boy groups might find it cringy and weird to have male fans, but for The Boyz, they are very accepting of all genders.
