The whole WOOSAN thing is just fucking wild after what happened and I HAVE THINGS TO SAY. People are already turning this around without even caring and it's ... well. Going out of hand.
First of all. I love ateez and i love these two together, no questions asked.
So basically, Woosan opened a Youtube account and got to talking; if they hit 500k, they get anlther friendship tattoo.
And here's the thing: first, Wooyoung adressed san's parents in this as his parents in law by the way he was speaking, saying they needed to get approval, which is why San cussed and told him that people already thought they were dating. He then clarified: To say this here, we are not dating.
Wooyoung sat there saying nothing, writing something down.
And basically what is happening now, is that people are either respecting what they just said, making fun of them needing to clarify, or overanalyzing their microbehaviors and comparing them to zendaya and tom holland, or phan, because they also claimed they weren't dating. Some bl website even retweetet the article stating they weren't dating with recommendations of BL who "said the same thing".
And what is itching me about this is how disrespectful it feels. I get it (many apparently don't) : these two grown men have great chemistry. They have a very close bond too. They show affection to each other, that interests an audience which is why it has been used as a technique to gain more attraction and people for decades. It's straight up marketing.
Do you realize how far up the rumors have to go for the marketing department to care enough to either make them say this or not cut it out?
If you don't know how kpop works: every Interview is scripted and the company as well as the idols know what questions are going to be asked and what will be said beforehand. It's also screened and cut because they decide what can be let out.
Let me also point out: mocking homosexuality in a way that certain situations are created for entertainment is part of korean media culture because it's still seen as scandalous. It also attracts an audience -> marketing. Again.
In the meanwhile, being a homosexual in the korean army is straight up illegal. Gay activity is to be punished with up to TWO YEARS.
You cannot get married as a same sex couple in korea.
And ateez is getting closer to military enlistment. Yes, that sucks, i also hate to think about it but that's just literally it.
So my guess is, the reasons that they are bringing this up now, is
1. Because of them getting closer to military enlistment, they need to adress rumors of any kind to make sure there are no issues in tests and protocols regarding the military.
2. Usually, after around 7 years and following, a group gets more casual and relaxed about the whole dating topic which is also what happened with ateez. They never had a dating ban btw. Unlike other groups. I've been in kpop since 2012, ive seen this happen quite a few times.
They are grown up and so is their stable audience. They've matured and become more peofessional. However, with their rising popularity, they have also gained a lot of new fans - younger ones.
Another part of marketing, in teenage audiences and kpop specifically, is parasocialism.
Please the fans by doing fanservice. The older you get and the more experience you have as a fan, the more you see it. The less mental strength one has, the less this will be something a fan is aware of and there have been studies around this:
- Lonely people obsess over celebrities a lot more often because their nervous system and human behavior is trying to balance out the lsck of social contact. This can turn into obsession, because the emotional connection built becomes a familiar feeling and the nervous system loves familiarity.
This exact mechanism [+ Sex sells] is used to make money. Certain pictures, certain angles, certain moments between members. That is why it is called FAN SERVICE. it's a service to the fan. Not actual real behavior even if the members - who are coworkers in that situation. At work. Signed a contract. Involving insurance. Has to fulfill requirements - they KNOW there are fans around and cameras on them. That's the point. If they go viral with a moment it means they stay relevant and that means people keep talking, people keep knowing them, and they can keep working.
I have seen many comments all over the internet who do not seem to realize this.
And yes. I get it. The way their human connection, to get back to the woosan topic specifically, is shown to us, is triggering our deepest desires for human connection.
Why do you think people ship? They want to see things they want and maybe cannot experience. They imagine themselves in situations. They might even pretend to be in certain relationships with certain people and THIS is the small line between normal crushes and behavior and parasocialism. The awareness is fading, social media is making this a whole lot worse, same with the 2nd screen theory, and overconsumerism. All of that is training a person's nervous system to be less aware, more on autopilot, less observing.
By the way, the world is on fire.
People WANT to be distracted. They want to be entertained. Bread and games and stuff.
But they do not really care for a truth, mostly.
And I get it. You know my account. I ship people too. I enjoy fanfics here and there, fanarts too.
But i have said it multiple times: this is a performed part and not actual representation. It's like imagining two actors in a movie, playing a part. They look good together, have chemistry, and make you wonder. Because people have always liked secrets and drama. They have always been addicted to not knowing exactly. To mystery. That's as far as it gets.
"I would NEVERRRR DO THIS WITH A FRIEND" then you need better friends. I hug my friends. I cuddle. I share kisses. I call them stupid names and we act married and do ther stupid shit. Intimacy is not always romantic or sexual or even physical.
"I would never look at my friends like that" i do. I love them. I have had the luck to be born so i exist at the same time they do so yes i will be looking at them like that. They are a miracle on this earth. I also would be very very pissed if someone who saw a video of my friend online overanalyzed her and started a rumor.
Maybe i wouldn't care about ship edits of us. But i also do not have millions of fans. I also do not have a camera on me at all times which i think is very exhausting. Ask yourself these questions: how would you feel if someone invaded your privacy based on their opinion?
I spend a lot of money on ateez. They made money because of me. I enjoy a lot of content about ateez online and yes I do ship some members.
-> they inspire me with their content they create
I understand that there are real people behind this who have not seen all these moments of them 500 times in edits out of context even though they know it's been filmed.
If you think it is your place to make assumptions about someone you know through videos that have been created as part of their job - involving performance - if you think fanservice is not a part of that performance, calls, talking to fans isn't, then you need to wake the fuck up and get a grip.
It is NOT your place to assume. It is not your place to analyze body language, behavior, a phrase of saying and put an opinion on people you no NOT know personally.
Do not bother them with your stuff. You are not that important. They don't know you and they are not your friends. If they say "I love you", it does NOT mean "i am romantically interested or interested in becoming friends, becoming closer , because you know me so so well and you understand my inner struggle because of videos youve seen of me". It means "i am thankful that i can continue to do this job because my creation is important enough to you to spend money on it. That's what an artist does. I hope you keep being interested."
I have talked about borderline insanity with my minsung post as well, so feel free to read that.
They have personal lives and make choices you don't know shit about. You don't even know what car they are driving or what coffee machine they have in their kitchen so back the fuck up.
Yes. I do understand the thrill it brings the internet to be involved in drama. It's fun(ny) to jump on a running gag. Corporations realized this too. Yes. The possibility of two hot people with chemistry dating is not 0% even after they said so because things happen and I would be happy for them if they turned out to be dating BUT THAT IS NOT THE POINT AND YOU NEED TO COMPREHEND THAT.
ask yourself if it's worth it when you think about harry styles and louis tomlinson who aren't even talking anymore.
Ask yourself if it's worth it losing all of ateez through a maybe-scandal because that's how korea handles things. The first openly gay idol got beaten up in the middle of the street.
B.I. got kicked out of ikon because he said he was so stressed he thought about using weed. That was enough. He never did it, he just thought about it. Wonho who used to be in Monsta X had some accusations of substances as well. He left immediately and never cane back even after his name got cleared. Han Soo Hee got bullied so bad online she removed her tattoos and these are just some examples.
You get to see traces of ateez' real personalities through interviews and moments that seem private. That is part of a strategy. That is part of exploitation. That's how the industry works because humans crave intimacy.
I personally think the reason Wooyoung didn't say anything is because he actually does not give a fuck about the rumors. That's also exactly why i think that someone MADE san say that sentence. It didn't feel natural as their banter before.
See? How easy it is to slip into analysis? This was a personal opinion. Not the actual truth. And far from the point.
You are not being supportive by leaving comments like this. They are grown ass men, they can speak for themselves.
Yes. San and Wooyoung are soulmates and their bond is absolutely clear. It's insane, it's beautiful, it is what every human on the planet deserves with another human in whatever way. That's what soulmates are.
They are also part of a system playing with this topic specifically ("come take a seat in your fantasy") and part of a billion dollar worldwide industry where nothing is as it seems.
"It is not that deep" if a company lets them say this out loud in their first posted video ever on the channel, during promotions of their new album, it's a warning. They have set a clear boundary and no matter what you think about it on your private social accounts - tone down the comments they can see. Don't post insane ship edits and don't fucking tag them in it. Seperate yourself and your fantasies from their reality.
They have more than enough on their plate.
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