What We Talk About When We Talk About Folklore

So Snow White and the Huntsman is not getting great reviews, huh? Inspired by a recent Op Kino podcast, in which the hosts ask why the dark and gritty fairy tale adaptations of the past few years have sucked, I mount a qualified defense of Disney princesses below the break.

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Similar to the compendium of the doll motif in k-pop, evident in pictorials, music videos, and concept photos I did a few weeks ago, I have compiled another in the same spirit, based around fairy tales, and by extension, Alice in Wonderland.

Although this particular theme is not used as much as that of the doll, it was frequent enough for me to take notice. As with the doll motif, this naturally begot the question of what exactly is the appeal of this theme for k-pop?

The question does not lend itself to a simple answer, and if anything has more variations and gradations than the doll.  Here is not simply the singular ‘doll’, but a multitude of stories with different characters, each treated in a different way, some faithfully, and some changed to suit a purpose. Than of course there is the question of tone. In some, it is clear that they have taken a page from Disney, doing much more cutesy concepts, like Orange Caramel’s music video, “Aing!”. Conversely, others go the opposite way, making it much darker, like in the pictorial done by Brown Eyed Girls for CJ Premium TV Magazine Hello TV, where they portray different females from fairy tales, like Rapunzel. Hence, to trying to come to a conclusion, like with the doll motif, is a fool’s errand, as there is just simply too much that is incongruous from one to another, and thus each should be dealt with individually, rather than collectively.

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I’ve always wanted a Disney movie type of love story, or those kinds that happen in movies and shows and blah…

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