An Analysis of Mythological Meaning of Male Idol Hairstyles and Coordinations

Jeong, Mi-sun; Lee, Soon-jae

Journal of the Korean Society of Cosmetology 2018;24(5):967-976.
Published online October 31, 2018.

남성 아이돌의 세대별 헤어스타일과 코디네이션 분석을 통한 신화적 의미

정미선, 이순재

An Analysis of Mythological Meaning of Male Idol Hairstyles and Coordinations

Mi-sun Jeong, Soon-jae Lee

Abstract

The purpose of this study is identifying the social and cultural meanings of masculinity of male idols by analyzing masculinity characteristics and variation aspects of male idol hairstyles and coordinations, an important part of popular culture, with regard to respective generations. As the study method, literature research and empirical research have been conducted. For literature research, theoretical consideration of the definitions of gender and masculinity and empirical research was conducted after collecting approximately 200 photos of male idol hairstyless during their initial stage of debut. As the scope of study, the teams who won the main prize at the Seoul Music Awards and the Golden Disc Awards have been targeted. Particularly, a total of 13 teams have been selected by classifying them into 3 generations by three periods: prior to 2000 when the term 'idol' became widely known, 2000, and 2010. The following are the results of this study. First, the hairstyles of respective generation male idol groups were divided into two styles. Second, preference of masculinity and change toward myth show extremely divided masculinity. As a multilayered image, it was expanded from the existing masculinity and appeared as middle-layered masculinity. Third, the point that gender is not fixed but an acquired and variable gender domain, which is organized culturally and socially, was reflected in male idol hairstyles.

Key Words: Concept of Myth by Barthes, Coordination, Gender and Masculinity, Hairstyle, Male Idol