Korea is currently in its girl idol group phase, but what is the reason for the boom in popularity?
The reasons behind the immense popularity of girl idol groups range from their simple concepts to their catchy songs, from their individual talents to their eye-catching performances. However, there seems to be one more interesting reason behind many female idols’ fame.
Osen recently pointed out that cute members of female groups tend to generate widespread interest and bump up a group’s popularity singlehandedly. Every member has their own individual role in the group, and every group has a member in charge of being the ‘cute’ one. In Korea, fans call this certain member “Kui-yo-mi (귀요미),” meaning “the girl with the cute image (귀여운 이미지를 가진 이).” This member is in charge of garnering fanboy love with her cute/lovable/girly charm, which will result in a bigger fanbase for the group. In this report, Osen identified four girl group members that fit this role.
The national mascot for the ‘cute member role’ is Wonder Girls‘ Sohee. Even though the Wonder Girls have been promoting internationally for quite a while, this idol in particular still has a strong fanbase as the classic example of a group’s cute member.
Sohee was able to capture the hearts of many males with her chubby cheeks, her big single eyelid eyes and pure skin, which gave her the nickname ‘Mandoo Sohee.’ Due in no small part to Sohee’s popularity, Wonder Girls soared to fame with their hit song Tell Me from their first album, ‘The Wonder Years.’ With Sohee’s cute image and her famous “omona” pose during Tell Me performances, many older males joined the ranks of the Wonder Girls fanbase.
Despite being the second oldest member of 2NE1, Sandara Park has also been branded the cutie of this quartet. With her clear skin and small face, Sandara does not look any older than her fellow younger members. f(x)’s Sulli is also in charge of the cute image in her group, and has received much love for her innocent baby face.
Recently, Miss A’s Suzy has been generating lots of interest from fans and has also been named the cutie of her group. As the maknae, Suzy is in charge of the cute image; however, she’s also got the combination of a cute face and a sexy body, which is a automatic bait for new fanboys. From the pictures of her in school to her internet shopping mall model days, Suzy has generating more attention to herself and her group as a whole. Even Super Junior’s Heechul reportedly confessed that Suzy was his favorite member of the group.
Of course, these are just four cuties that have successfully brought fame to their respective groups. What do you think – are these types of members the keys to success for their groups, or are fans more easily drawn in by other factors?
