Why I Left Kpop (but eventually returned)

Being a Kpop(Korean pop music) fan sort of reminds me too much of trying to figure out Algebra. I'm all for how they market to a global audience and make many of their medium accessible to global fans, but the Kpop fandom has thrown me for a loop on how complicated it is to follow.

I came to Jpop(Japanese pop music) via the anime, TV shows, and movies I've enjoyed since childhood, and so Jpop will remain my first love, but I did come through to Kpop through Korean dramas.

Eventually, I saw that, much like the toxic fandom of Japanese idol groups, Kpop, which also spilled into Kdramas, since, oftentimes, a singer would opt to or be contracted to a TV series or film franchise. And how *toxic* you ask?

Well, I like my celebrities, I mean, I adore those I consider myself a fan of, to the point that I watch their interviews, may watch documentaries on them, etc. 

I rarely if ever read the gossip and tabloid stuff because their content offends me. I liken these magazines to wanting to know if one's celebrity ended up with diarrhea once they got food poisoning and trying to figure out if that's how the person will now diet. I don't like this sort of expose. I DID grow up on Entertainment Tonight, Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous, and Access Hollywood, but I soon gave up on these the more "tabloid-y" they became. 

Kpop fandom became no exception. Soon, I would go on sites like Soompi and Hancinema and fans would be screaming how an actress changed her lipstick or hairstyle. Or, how dare that actor find the love of his life, it should've been me! They need to DIE. I know I'm exaggerating, but, it's pretty close sarcastically to the truth. 

I couldn't go anywhere to read what my latest celebrities were up to without reading what counted for journalism, which was people posting nasty comments, hurling insults, and, even *threats* simply because a celebrity decided they wanted to start eating ice cream which made them gain two inches (some of these Korean celebs are eeny-meeny to a US person like me). 

But why did I leave Kpop for such a long time? People are always rude to celebrities, what's the big deal? 

The big deal is not only did the vitriol from fans start to cause rashes of suicides among the celebrity front, but, then those same toxic fans turned on other fans, bringing in cultural bigotry and racism into the mix. So, this trash had real-world consequences...

But, now I'm back. Somewhat. I'm only dealing with ONE KPOP GROUP and I'm sticking to just enjoying my Korean dramas with a small social media circle, simply tweeting about them and not interacting with the majority of fans. 

I don't need them and I know they *certainly* don't need me.