Another thing I wanted to mention ~ Taeminโs own fans editing Damonโs photos to be brighter, in color, retouched, โeasierโ to see. Editing such a carefully curated work to your own desires and preferences. Again extending the commentary beyond the photos and highlighting manipulation, hypocrisy and dictatorship, whether itโs intentional or notโฆ
I see a few more people saying itโs โoutdatedโ or โclicheโ ~ letโs think about it contextually. It may be that way for you in a context where celebrities openly do recreational drugs, get photographed drunk, have multiple partners, have bad attitudes, ignore their fans when theyโre tired etc. A grungy photoshoot where they have a cigarette in their mouth doesnโt mean much.
But in the world of K-Pop these freedoms or situations do not exist. People can get cancelled or lose their careers for simply wearing the wrong color during election season or for liking a picture of another celeb, or forโฆ oh! smoking!
Until this changes and idols can make mistakes or be human like everyone else, photoshoots like this one are not cliches, they are necessary and directly challenge authority. The fact that people are trying to police what a 32-yo 2nd gen idol does is the real cliche ~ predictable and boring!
We need to talk about this shoot in the context of how airbrushed and commercialized Kpop has become. For Taemin to take the risk of showing his real skin texture and tone, of expressing emotion, of showing real human depth and emotion. Unretouched, uncommercialized art
โI donโt want to be ashamed in front of others and I donโt want to lose to myself. I want to be able to hold my head high.
Even if I think โI might really get hurtโ once I actually stand on stage, it feels like the energy takes over. I can't control it.โ
โ #TAEMIN
I need to write down my thoughts on the Damon Baker photoshoot when I have a minute. It spits in the face of all things Kpop.
The grime. The unapologetic tan skin. The dangerous sexuality, not just a glossy, neutered version. And the smoking, which I think is a nice touch.