#uyghur

[ OC ] Patime ( Uyghur version of "Fatima") ⋆·˚ ༘ *

She/Her Uyghur Muslim Hijabi, 26 years old. She is friends with and works with Saad at his family Bakery / Cafe. She loves hanging out with him and Najib outside of the job.

how XLOV carries the legacy of prince and makes a difference. a short essay!

they’re the kind of artists we wanted to see: it’s uplifting how XLOV gained lasting traction and struck a chord given how past kpop groups doing anything other than hetero concepts openly were always quickly scrapped within months (solo artists had more leeway, e.g. taemin does consistent genderless concepts very successfully, yet the struggle was universal). but that game has changed.

not to mention, and this has made me listen up when i discovered XLOV because i studied cultural sciences, that the four members originate from historically antagonizing places in an already tense political climate, which instead of being a PR disaster is an industry miracle. 

i’ve never seen a line-up like this in my 10+ years in the fandom; if they wanted to make this a marketing thing it would not work. a dancer from taiwan and a chinese idol? japan, korea, china, in union? hyun looking like the opposite of what korean beauty dictates? an uyghur voice in kpop? i hope people realize the positive and beyond-brave messaging of this. 

because as we can see, that combination works really well, nor do people make it the main thing and rip themselves apart over it. XLOV’s constellation being what it is helps normalize a new model of existing that solves grievances through collaborating in peace. i want to live in a world where this would work with a straight group. 

i always think of what sunmi replied when asked if she could date a woman: “it is possible!”. and the room erupted. it’s our community where ‘it IS possible’ can become reality where the rest of the world stays caught in its own caveat. which is why they want us trapped, too, and attack the community with jealous aggression instead of learning from the good bits. the group knows that and sticks with their target audience instead of trying to change hard, closed minds. as i see it, that helped propel and transform them so quickly. you can spell EVOL in evolution, after all.

a strong, involved fandom has been key for XLOV who are clearly good at what they do so mesmerizingly so their rise in popularity is clear merit but it’s also unbelievable how they did this without the large corporate efforts other kpop artists receive. it signals that the world is more than ready for genderless groups and social demand should shape what companies do. 

shady online headlines dissecting if they are performative or representative or pawns miss the point: this is about cultural guidance and not the mere filling of gaps. i think of them as what prince did: XLOV is not only about visibility but about being ahead of the curve and that’s why we like them. the comparison is early, yes they aren’t 20 years into this, and they don’t work with huge bands, but i still see a parallel. what prince did with instruments, they do with choreography.

although many things about his life were far from perfect, no one would call prince performative or DEI or a stand-in because we rightfully think of him as an artist with future vision and ample skill. his style was only the vehicle and a marker of creativity and boundless thinking. prince and XLOV knew/know when the world’s eyes are on them and they go ahead to present something. that is performing, not performative.