In the world of Kpop, there will always be favorites.  These select soloists and groups enjoy success that is almost completely clean from scandal and boycotts.  They are defended by the masses no matter what the situation.  Handsome or pretty enough to be admired but not blindingly attractive enough to spark jealousy, they are constantly seen as down to earth and humble.  For a while, this title belonged to The Wonder Girls but has since been passed to 2NE1.  These groups inspired fans from both genders.  The boys thought they were cute, the girls wanted to emulate them. 

Then, there are groups that--no matter what single, no matter what style of dress, no matter what level of performance--will always shoulder a mound of catty comments, anger, jealousy, and scandal.  They're prettier than the girl next door.  They're flashier, too.  Their skirts are always too short, their pants are always a little too tight, their singing is always bad-mouthed as sub-par, and their songs are always the subject of plagiarism issues. 

Girls' Generation came out my first year in Korea.  Their single, "Into the New World" was the epitome of what I viewed Korean pop to be at the time--overly cheerful, overly cheesy, and over produced.  I couldn't tell one girl from the other.  Their sheer numbers freaked me out.  I couldn't stand the cutesy mannerisms, no matter how catchy the songs were.

But, over time, I've definitely come to be a defender--maybe even fan--of GG.   Maybe it happened just because I was bored and wanted to push buttons on the Soompi forums.  The hatred that amassed for this group on the internet happened quickly and never really let up.  The girls were scolded (occasionally with good reason) by the netizens (both Korea and internationally) for flippant comments made on radio and TV shows.  But as time went on, these "scandals" became less severe in content but remained irrationally harsh in their reception.

I remember reading a particularly scathing thread on Soompi where Tiffany talked about how difficult it was to adapt to the culture, the loss of her mother, etc.  Some of the comments were along the lines of, "boohoo, she wants sympathy?  Who cares? We all have problems" and "She is KOREAN. Why can't she just understand Korean culture and just respect it?"  It was disgusting to read, and it just conjured images of immature, insecure bullies picking on a classmate.  It's like...when there is a target, a lot of people will just get caught up in pointing fingers just for the sake of doing it.  It's a herd mentality--going with the flow, convincing yourself about a person you don't even know, and...for what?  To feel better about yourself? 

I guess I liked them because they were the obvious choice to dislike--they were the seemingly perfect but incredibly disdained darlings of the Kpop world.  No matter how well-known they are, their strong anti-fan shadow follows them.  I was at the Dream Concert of 2008, where I saw thousands and thousands of teenage girls sit down, turn off their little flashy light toys, and boo.  And again...for what?  I'm sure they were proud of themselves.  I am guessing they all laughed about it later, chatting with their friends, "And then, we ALL SAT DOWN and ignored them.  It was GREAT.  I bet they feel like crap now.  Hahahaha maybe they're, like, crying!! I hope so." 

But even as I felt sorry for them, I did think they were a slight cut above the rest in terms of many of the Kpop girl groups.  Maybe it's just due to their high number of members, but they have pretty consistent performances.  I was classically trained in singing for five years, so I'm a picky person in terms of vocals, but Girls' Generation isn't nearly as bad as most people in the Kpop fandoms are quick to point out. 

I mean, I love After School but their lives are usually terrible (3 of the members have yet to prove that they can even sing their single lines without quivering, cracking, of going off pitch), Kara induces cringes half of the time, 2NE1 (a fan favorite, I know) has Park Bom as their LEAD SINGER and she is almost consistently flat and strained (I don't care how many people will disagree with me and say that she is this OMG AMAZING SINGER--she's flat.  She's FLAT), and the list goes on.  So Girls' Generation may not have tons of competition in the pop idol sense (excluding groups like Davichi, As One, etc as they are more known for their vocals and not their idol status) but, uh, they're usually not bad.  Not at all. 

And finally, I met Jessica and Tiffany for the Soompi interview earlier this winter.  I was a little...I won't say skeptical because that's so strong, but I was curious about what they'd be like in person.  Meeting them was a huge relief.  Tiffany couldn't have been sweeter or friendlier.  I've met a lot of girls who are fake friendly in my life, and this girl was genuine.  She's one of those girls that you think, "I bet she's a good friend."  Jessica was a litle more quiet, but she didn't have an "ice princess" vibe that I had expected.  Polite, attentive, and nice, just not as openly enthusiastic as Tiffany. 

I don't even know where I was going with this entry.  I guess, with their new single, "Oh!", a lot of backlash has already started and will continue to grow.  For Girls' Generation, it's just a given.  If they do something cute, they are doing "the same thing AGAIN."   If they go for a more mature concept, they're "trying too hard." 

For a group whose very name portrays the power of women, this group of ladies somehow brings out the worst in their gender.  Their female peers will continue to sneer and sharpen their carefully laquered claws.  They'll tap out the newest scandal and it will spread like a fire from Korea to the rest of the internet.  They'll sit in silence during their performances, pretend to ignore them, and quietly hope that they are horribly embarrassed and upset.  And they'll do all this because, I guess, they believe Girls' Generation actually deserves it.  They won't pause to remember that--stripped of their heels, hair extensions, and record deals--these girls are just like them. 

But c'est la vie, Girls' Generation.  You'll get the last laugh.  Keep kickin' up those legs, keep smiling.