there's something about JYP's VCHA I can't help but notice...

[@rangecutie]

This video is so well researched and as a black girl, I was also a bit disappointed in Vcha's final lineup 😢 I already knew that having a non-ambiguous looking black girl in A2K was next to impossible and I know black girls auditioned because some of the clips from A2K showed them in the waiting room- I still support VCHA and savannah is also my bias! I loved how organized your video was! Very interesting and kept me waiting for when vcha is gonna play in all this! All I can say is good job and I hope more people could see this!

[@milk.8793]

you are so real for this. i’ve always felt this immense happiness when watching something made for black women/teen girls and i never thought why. i miss having something that felt like it was made with us in thought. like recently ive been dying for something like the cheetah girls to carry me thru my young adulthood. i need the girly pop/sisterhood energy 😭 pls let black girls/women join the fun. hopefully the resurgence of girl groups will bring it back.

[@kythekunoichi]

@@milk.8793 ❤️❤️❤️ that’s all I want for us too!! Thanks for watching.

[@Kudos268]

As a black woman, I have a hard time reconciling my love for k-pop with the racism in the industry and society. They take black music and style, but at the same time think dark skin is ugly. And, yeah, I was not happy with the selected Vcha members. But at least JYP openly states he was influenced by black music. Please correct me if I’m wrong, but I have not heard any other heads of the top 4 companies admitting this.

[@rinarina9424]

Im psure all heads of the big 4 have said blk music is the foundation of their music in articles. Usually any video essay abt anti blackness in k pop shows ss and talks abt this

[@NeverCensored978]

Others have mentioned their influence, but I feel like the respect for the black community that they take so much inspiration from is lacking so much

[@besugarb4655]

You speaking about black girl and black women image was GOLD. And how black women are the ONLY group of women on THIS planet that do not get help by black dudes and our selfs to make sure the whole world see us respecting our self, and show self love.

[@kythekunoichi]

thank you!! and thank you for watching

[@Eunwoo8]

GiVe iT uP FoR leY SsErAfIm

[@felixspancakes969]

Gagged 😂😂😂😂

[@SoraiaLMotta]

I am glad to hear that other people find the non oversexualized, by western standarts, image and presentation of feminility in kpop refreshing.

[@xoxo.pochacco]

Oh i noticed this immediately. Black people have been vital to the growth of american arts, they REALLY couldn't find a single black girl in ALL OF AMERICA? Yeah, that's impossible to believe. Not to mention the lack of any dark skinned indigenous or SEA girls told me that they didn't want this to be a real global girl group, they wanted an english speaking pop group that they can still market to South Korea's beauty standard.

[@tonyt1680]

👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾 I'm still processing, but this was such a good video.

[@kythekunoichi]

Yay! Thank you!

[@leviisafrog]

What an amazing video ❤ You are so well spoken it really kept me engaged throughout. As a European I was so shocked to see no black girls in the A2K lineup as black people have so much influence over music in general but kpop too. It didn't feel like a true representation of Americans. It's kind of the same with the Katseye contestants. It is so disappointing because they claim to want to promote diversity but exclude such an important group. When I watched A2K I wasn't sure if I was overthinking this but no, I agree with everything you said. Amazing video ❤

[@kythekunoichi]

thank you soooo much for watching - and for your kind words. It was totally shocking - and yeah, unfortunately Katseye is another example of the same situation. I didnt bring them up because I didnt even bother to watch.

[@mmello_jello]

algo brought me here, thank you for sharing

[@kythekunoichi]

thank you for watching!

[@ishathakor]

i noticed this too partway through the a2k competition. honestly (not blaming the girls for this of course btw) the post audition initial lineup for the show seemed kind of underwhelming and i found myself asking if this was really the best lineup jyp could find in the us? i'm glad they didn't show any failed auditions as the girls are all minors and it's better to not introduce them to that kind of scrutiny if they didn't even make the show, but i wonder how many great auditions they turned down and i'm certain at least some of them were from black girls. jyp set himself up perfectly to debut a black girl but avoided it at every turn

[@kythekunoichi]

I thought the same thing. I chose to omit it in my video, (and of course, no offense to the girls and i agree, it was a good idea not to show the failed auditions) but I too was very underwhelmed with his selection from the auditions- talent wise. Especially when it came to vocal talent. I thought he would find waaaayyyy stronger vocalist in the USA - especially amongst black girls.

[@kiki13451]

Like I found it so odd how every time he opened his mouth he was mentioning black culture and soul but not a single person that represented that culture ended up in the final lineup.?

[@nkiraaaa]

Sooo I agree with a lot of what you're saying but a lot of thr other stuff when talking about black women in hip hop or black women and how their represented worldwide is very much so respectabilty politics. People don't hate or disrespect black women because of hip hop, because when those asp3cts of our culture are put onto someone else, they love it, people hate black people because they are racist. This idea that if black women just respected themselves more and showed more respectable images to society feels very untrue to me. An example of why respectabikity politics doesn't work is ariel. Halle Bailey has been nothing but a "positive image" of black women and yet she still receives the backlash she did playing a princess. It's just really weird to say that black women are treated thus way because some are sexual when that's not the case. I also feel like om parts of this video their is an idolizarion of the treatment of kpop girlies that doesn't really align with the actual treatment of korean women. There's a reason that the 4b movement is a thing. And it feels really weird seeing you compare kpop idols to black women celebrities as if kpop girlies are something to aspire to.

[@aliensuperstar1689]

💯💯💯

[@taaleyakhan3134]

the 4b movement is actually not a thing in Korea, no one knows about it but radical feminists and the western media sensationalizing it because anything weird is immediately news worthy.

[@taaleyakhan3134]

I agree on everything you said about the non-inclusion of black women in kpop is racism and not because of hip-hop and the negative image it portrays of black women. and yeah, 4b movement is actually not really a thing in Korea and the normal Korean woman actually have no idea of what that is, it's just western media sensationalizing it because Korea is being talked about a lot.

[@aliensuperstar1689]

@@nkiraaaa 💯💯💯💯

[@pouchika5672]

Let's not act like the representation of black women in hip-hop doesn't contribute to the Jezebel stereotypes and nobody respects a Jezebel let's be honest now. It will take more than one Halle to shed off that image. Racists are going to be racist regardless but it doesn't mean we have to encourage behaviours that glorify, over-sexualisation and materialism especially when the actors of said representation themselves have said that's their get paid more if they act like they wouldn't let their own daughters behave like that. I for one os tired of seeing women twerking in appropriate places sometimes where children are standing and pushing certain degenerate behaviour.

[@grass6740]

I love how well-edited and researched your video is! You discuss important and relevant topics today -- especially Black women's representation in the media. Your title is clickbait-y though.

[@kythekunoichi]

thank you for watching!!

[@blackpearl6189]

Actually there beauty standards do have some influence from outside for example the double eyelids started when a European conducted double eyelid surgery

[@plumgf]

i wrote a whole long comment talking about the video but i went out of youtube for one second and it refreshed 😐 tldr; i really loved the video and agreed with the points made. i also went to the same twice concert as you! way farther in the back tho lol

[@nav-1-i6b]

God I hate when that happens. I just give up after 😭

[@kythekunoichi]

thank you so much! i hate when that happens too and THATS SO COOL! that concert was sooo much fun

[@kasumikat]

I can't wait to see you talk about Katseye 💖 but yeah i love seeing Fatou and both my mom and I binge watch kpop MVs

[@staybunnies-b9q]

fatou ate with her response to the interviewer talking about "having no korean in the group" , her quetion or statement was so stupid.

[@Sandrinarhonda]

I mean that interviewer was half correct lol having a Korean member adds to the group’s appeal !!

[@staybunnies-b9q]

@@Sandrinarhonda no, being a kpop group with no korean makes them more unique. she was not correct. theyre still a kpop group cause they make kpop songs, it's basic knowledge

[@staybunnies-b9q]

@@Sandrinarhonda i get what your coming from but again its just them being more unique than other kpop groups doesnt mean there not kpop.

[@Sandrinarhonda]

@@staybunnies-b9q yeah it makes them a global Kpop group but having a Korean member would make them more famous in Korea or even having a Japanese member would help them appeal to Korea more while being popular in Japan too . I think X:In is a great example of this they have both a Indian member and a Korean/Japanese member too !!

[@staybunnies-b9q]

@@Sandrinarhonda i don't think theyre global (maybe im wrong), but back when blackswan did have mainly korean members they were even less popular than they are now. so your point is kinda wrong.

[@staybunnies-b9q]

honestly the fact that the only girl repesenting "black girls"in a "global group" (and mind you savanah isn't even fully black, she's half so she deosn't repesent full black women) and even she has to be white washed because tell me why recently SHES THE SAME SKIN COLOUR AS THE REST, like i see her next to KG, kaylee and kendall and shes the same skin as them...when she was darker during A2K

[@alejandrareyes1056]

Do you know about Katseye? Is a similar premise to Vcha, but from Hybe. It'd be nice to see a analysis for that group too. Thank you for sharing this video with us. ❤❤❤

[@kythekunoichi]

I JUST watched their debut!!

[@raej1891]

I think this video is quite interesting. I agree that there needs to be more possitive dark skin women representation in media. That being said, I think framing colorism/featurism as a biracial vs black thing does more harm than good and to say you can just tell when someone is biracial is not true. While I as a dark skin black women have never had my blackness questioned (at least not question based on my physical appearance), I've been out with my friends with lighter complexions and people just have the audacity to ask what are you, like that's a normal question to ask a stranger. or try to guess what they're mixed with, but none of them are mixed. i also have mixed friends darker than me get told to their face that they are lying about being mixed usually followed up by some featurist or colorist comment. Or they are told its a shame that don't love themselves by saying they are mixed because people don't believe they are mixed. And to add black people don't all look the same. We come in many shades and a vaiety of features. When our ancestors (I'm referring to black people in America at the moment) were taken to America, they came from all over Africa meaning different countries with people of different skin tones, hair textures, and features. there is no one look that black peple have and to say a divergent from this nonexistent mono look means they must be mixed is disingenuous. Also Beauty standards aren't something to strive for. The other day I was with my friend's family who is Haitian, she's 1st gen, and it was mind boggling listening to her and her cousins talk about wanting plastic surgery because they didn't feel like they had the black features they should. And while I'm not against people getting plastic surgery since it's their body, this idea that there should be a standard of beauty is harmful. praising Korea's beauty standard is wild when you also talk about how shady it is that companies force their idols to get plastic surgery. Colorism and featurism exist in Korea too. you don't see a lot of Koreans with darker skin in Kpop and they white wash the images to make some idols look even more pale. The beauty standard in Korea makes it normal for girls to get plastic surgery as graduation presents. It's not a good thing

[@OGseoulite]

25:57 unfortunately SK beauty standards were not left untouched by eugenics. The “big doe/doll like eyes” or “shape chin” or thinner defined nose bridges are all reflections of yt beauty standards combined with Korean ones.

[@jeongyeonstolejiminsjams]

hey! i’m new to this channel but this was a great video!! it honestly taught me things i didn’t know even as a black girl myself. would you say the same thing applies to dream academy?

[@kythekunoichi]

I didnt watch Dream Academy (and I think because of the same reasons) that's the group that's debuting Katseye right?

[@jeongyeonstolejiminsjams]

@@kythekunoichi yep! they’re releasing their debut tonight!

[@nav-1-i6b]

I want to share my friendly point of view if I can. Regarding your input on A2K and VCHA + some of the aspects of black girls that you talked upon throughout the rest of the video. I would say I agree with most of your statements regarding the K-pop community. Black girls representation is so very little and also sexualized and stereotypical to the point where if people (mainly Koreans) see black K-pop idols there are a lot of assumptions because of how black culture is portrayed. And you're right, for while now there really is barely any black female singers or songwriters to be role models for young black girls and because of the influence (also touching on K-pop) minors are forced to act mature and sing provocative lyrics or sexual dance moves. Now looking at A2K I was shocked to learn JYP was hosting a survival show for an American girl group, and it was the good kind of shocked, I was intrigued and excited to watch the series and see what he would achieve from this. I know that from what you said that JYP choose "the lightest and whites" contestants, but from my POV I think you may have missed the point just a little bit. I think that there was a bit of side tracking and that you prioritized just the literal colour of skin and wasn't focusing on the actual ethnicity of the girls. When it comes to different races there are an abundant of skin tone colours shades within a certain race. For example there is some American-Korean idols in the industry so if someone is half Korean and half American that doesn't mean to say if they look Korean then there's no white representation. Yes I guess you could say just an overall look at VCHA they're all relatively mostly fair skin, but they're still a very diverse group with lots of representation. So for me as someone who is biracial (black/British) and Savanna who is black/Venezuelan I still see her as being the black representation of the group. I think representation, especially if its biracial doesn't have to be a bad thing because you're getting the best of both worlds. Even after all that I've said I do still hold your opinion into account, honestly I do think there could be more K-pop groups like Black swan whose ethnicities really shine through. Anyway, I just wanted to share my views on the situation, it was a lovely video and all around very engaging and informative :)

[@aleysacampbell8709]

Mixed representatives NOT BLACK

[@nav-1-i6b]

@@aleysacampbell8709 So what is she's mixed she's still black? Her dad is black. And I actually saw a comment similar to mines that just because she's mixed doesn't disregard her black heritage. It may be disappointing for some people to not see a fully black girl in the lineup but there is still black representation and for me that is Savanna.

[@jaycensangel.304]

​@@nav-1-i6bIt's easy for you to call savanna blk representation because you are both biracial. I think the thing that you said about different nationalities being a source of representation is true. But we are specifically talking about skintone/race representation in this video. Savanna is blk (and I'm guessing) half whyt. It is unfair whenever biracial people tell (no offense) full blk people who we should see as rep and not. With colorism,texturism,and so many other isms I would expect you to understand why dark/full blk representation is important. At the end of the day savanna and many other biracial people are not just blk, they are also their other half. Their is nothing wrong with being both. Biracial people constantly identifying as only blk is honestly taking away representation from full blk girls and women.

[@nav-1-i6b]

@@jaycensangel.304 I did say in my comment that her being biracial isn't a bad thing as you get the best of both worlds white and black. Also near the end of my comment I say that having black representation that clearly shines through is still very important. I don't want to speak for all black girls, I never intended to so I'm sorry if it came across that way. I just wanted to show from my pov how I feel and even though I am biracial, like I said my skin tone is actually a lot darker than savannas because my mother is actually mixed and my dad is fully black.

[@jaycensangel.304]

@@nav-1-i6b No, it's okay you're fine. It's just many people get upset when full blk people don't see biracial people as representation. In my opinion I'm happy to see both on my screen but I do tend to feel more represented by brown skin/darkskin blk girls. (As a brown skinned girl).

[@SundayTalksYT]

Great video! You seem very sweet, and only have good intentions. This was a well-written video essay, and keep your mindsets! I like how you can continue to be wise in your decisions, such as holding back from excessively buying K-pop merchandise, and also talking about femininity and the importance of it. That's just two of the things I respect you for. Anyways, really good video, keep going! I'll check in from time to time, and I genuinely personally believe that we are all special, all unique, all.... one in a million lollll

[@kythekunoichi]

@@SundayTalksYT thank you soooo much ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

[@AmeliaPlayz]

Great video but what bothers me is that your title comes off as a video about VCHA until the last 15 minutes of the video. I think the title is very misleading but overall I still really enjoyed your commentary!

[@ishathakor]

i agree here. the video is much less vcha centric than the title would imply

[@neb.9489]

This! It’s an amazing video, but the title should be different.

[@OGseoulite]

She doesn’t have to change her title just because y’all said so

[@cookiemonster8184]

@@OGseouliteNobody told her to change her title but it’s objectively misleading

[@bosslady3652]

I love your kpop commentary

[@kythekunoichi]

@@bosslady3652 thank you so much ❤️❤️❤️

[@ellyhaerim]

can someone do a summary of the video please 😭 i have really bad adhd and can’t sit through an hour long video

[@alyaelsheshtawy]

leaving this here in case someone actually does that

[@nav-1-i6b]

You can read my comment if you want. Technically not a summary but I did state the main points of the video and added my own opinion

[@kythekunoichi]

lol i have adhd too and making this video while having to watch and review it over and over was soooo challenging. but totally worth it

[@milk.8793]

i listened to this while drawing, maybe do something while watching?

[@maizitelietuu]

Good video, misleading title..

[@SoraiaLMotta]

I dont know if you got the info. Melissa had to drop of due personal / health reasons ( anxiety?) Cristina had a huge back injury before the lastest test and was still healing on the date of vcha debut, so she wasnt able to debut even if she wanted / passed, but didnt want to drop off the show until the end. As she stated on intreview / podcast. Also she isnt much into the cutsy side and was expecting something more late teens. Independent of race they were on my favs due character and skills. As Gina, if stage presence was an issue why dont training couldnt include acting classes ? ... group dinamics are also important more strong headed people like gina and cristina, if she wasnt injuried, could be more challenging for their producers to manage , as other girls looks to have more subdue attitude.

[@kythekunoichi]

I always wondered what happened to Melissa - she was just as strong as Camilla vocally.

[@Jules-dt5wb]

My main problem with this video (other than the title only becoming relevant at the very end) is that there's the assumption that a lack of inclusion means deliberate exclusion. We didn't have an opportunity to see most of the auditions, so we have no idea why the more phenotypically black contestants didn't make it past the initial rounds. However, A LOT of people didn't make it past the initial rounds. The vast majority of people, many of them likely very talented. Now, is it disappointing that more effort wasn't made to find monoracial black contestants? Kinda. But tbh, with the industry looking and behaving as it does, I didn't expect them to have the awareness to go out of their way to scout for and include black talent that meets their other criteria. Do I think they went out of their way to exclude such contestants? No, I don't. But maybe I'm wrong on that. Maybe there was a black contestant who auditioned but got overlooked due to prejudice. Maybe there were several. But since we don't know, and we haven't heard from any such contestants, I can't agree with making the assertion that there was a deliberate attempt to only choose people with fairer skin. All of that said, as a monoracial black girl, and one from Trinidad at that, I definitely do identify with Savanna. Does she look exactly like me? No. But her dad is from my country, and phenotypically, I can see traces of my people in her. Culturally, I also identify with her. I also identify with Camila even though she isn't black. Representation of foreigners in a largely homogeneous country and industry is surely slow-moving, but as we slowly progress, I take my wins where I get them.