Music is an art that can be portrayed in many different ways. No matter what genre, language, or even person, a song always has a meaning in it.
(G)I-dle is a Korean girl group under CUBE Entertainment. They are considered one of the most influential groups in our time. It is made up of five members: So-yeon, Minnie, Yuqi, Shuhua and Mi-yeon, as well as a past member, Soo-jin. The main leader So-yeon is also the songwriter for the group. She showcases topics such as feminism, child sex abuse, LGBTQ+ rights and many more. Here are the songs that best showcase these important issues:
Wife
“Wife” is a song talking about the stereotypes of women, and how they are expected only to be wives.
In the music video, all of the (G)I-dle members are wearing the same wig and clothes with locks on their shoes. The similar clothing wasn’t picked for no reason. Actually, it was to show how men see women as accessories, as though they have no individuality. In addition, the locked shoes were meant to portray how women are “stuck”, fulfilling the needs of men no matter the context.
Throughout the performance, the background of the set doesn’t change at all. It stays as a white backdrop the whole time. The nothingness represents how bland the average woman’s life is supposed to be according to a man’s viewpoint. A perspective that involves cooking, cleaning, and living up to their husbands’ expectations.
If you look at the English lyrics, it’s clear they are explaining how women are used with sexual innuendos. This spiked major controversy within Korea and this song was banned by the Korean Broadcasting System, but recently, (G)-Idle was able to perform the song at an award show.
Even though the music from this song does sound a bit “dumb”, the reason behind it makes the true purpose evolve into something greater.
A couple of the lyrics consist of “I cook cream soup, taste is Coco Loco / I clean your room, It’s so twinkle twinkle”. The vocabulary is very minimal and almost childish. While some see this as a diss or a joke, it’s meant to show how women are portrayed as cute and dumb, and wives are seen as too emotional. This is a prime example of the infantilization of women, and how they are relegated to be housewives while being denied access to education and jobs.
As the song comes to a close, the members sing, “Wife, I make you feel so high / I make you feel like lie / But I don’t wanna / Wife, wife, wife, wife.” These lyrics are very important to the whole piece. As the song began by talking about the expectations, these lines represent a breakout, saying they can be more than just wives.
This song can mean so many things to different people. But, never forget the true meaning and explanation of the song. It may sound “stupid” at first, but the message being expressed is more than a childish song.
Nxde
This song is one of my favorites. The song is named “Nxde”, but it’s not necessarily about nudity.
The first thing you notice about the music video is that it has a very old vibe; it almost resembles a performance from Marilyn Monroe, who Soo-jin admired. There are two meanings to this.
The first meaning is about Soo-jin, who was active in the group from 2018 to 2021. Due to false bullying accusations, she was kicked out of the group, since these types of actions are not taken lightly in Korea. As a tribute to her, the rest of the members themed their next song “Nxde”, which has an animated character appearance who some believe may be Soo-jin. In addition, the group mentions Soo-jin in their song “My Bag”.
The second meaning relates to the Marilyn Monroe concept, and it appears right in the name of the song. In the 50’s, many people saw Marilyn Monroe solely for her sex appeal. Back then, people made many derogatory claims about her. Some stated that she is only famous for the people she slept with and her body. Consequently, people overlooked how Monroe was intelligent and successful.
Due to some overlapping language in Korean, the song title itself is designed so that people searching for inappropriate photos online are often redirected to the group’s song. So-yeon created the name to protect children who were being exploited for child pornography.
Throughout the song, they speak out about how women are only sexualized in this world and how being nude is considered all they are good for, which is why Yuqi says at the end, “Speak up.”
Super Lady
The song “Super Lady” is giving homage to all the ladies who are seen as villains for knowing what they want and being in a position of power.
Each member in the music video has a specific “super lady” that they represent: So-yeon as Athena, Minnie as Medusa, Yuqi as Cruella de Vil, Mi-yeon as Cleopatra, and Shuhua as Marie Antoinette.
Some of the lyrics that stick out are “Even if my lipstick gets smudged / Tougher than any other men”, “Mama said, ‘You are evil that will destroy the world one day.’ / Why?”, and “No matter who sees who we are, yes, stronger than Superman.”
Each one of these lines are examples of how either a woman can be stronger than a man, they’re considered “evil”, or they don’t get the credit they deserve.
