Fan or Foe? The Worst Types of Kpop Fans

Karina's apology after it was revealed that she had a boyfriend

Solo Stans:

Solo stans are the type of fans who say they are part of the group fandom, but constantly put other members down, just to put their bias on a pedestal. Being part of a group fandom means that you love and support all the members, not just one. This is especially prevalent in fandoms like Blackpink’s and other groups where the members all have strong solo careers. The problem is that this can completely break apart a fandom by starting wars within a group fandom, such as fans arguing over who has the best solo music or who’s the most talented. Side note - fans ranking members in any way should stop, as I'm sure that this can emotionally and mentally harm the members if they see it. Anyways, continuing on, using Blackpink as an example, if you claim you’re a Blink but only actually like Lisa, just say you are a Lili, not a Blink. Solo fandoms exist for a reason.

Slight side tangent here. I do have some problems with solo fandoms, and some thoughts. As a Moomoo, I have to admit that Mamamoo’s solo fandoms make me sad, and I’m sure this is the case with the other fandoms, such as Blinks. I understand why solo fandoms exist. Not all Twits, Shooting Stars, or Yongsoonies are Moomoos, but all Moomoos are Twits, Shooting Stars, and Yongsoonies. It just makes me sad when they only acknowledge their solo fandoms at fanmeets or award shows and don’t acknowledge Moomoos as well. Yes, calling their fans by their solo fandom name encompasses all fans, but it almost feels like they're forgetting where they started and who has been supporting them this entire time. I feel this as a relatively recent fan, so I’m sure it's worse for OG Moomoos. I understand them wanting to have their own identities outside of the group, but it makes it feel like they’ve moved on and no longer feel associated with the group. If they get solo lightsticks, I think I might actually lose it (of course I would still support them, even if it meant individually). When it comes to Mamamoo, I know that we have nothing to fear since nobody loves Mamamoo more than Mamamoo, but I just hope that they continue to remember their roots and the fans who have given them the opportunity to even have a solo career, with their unconditional support.

Toxic Fans:

Fans can be considered “toxic” in numerous circumstances. First, toxic fans are the fans who are constantly comparing their group or bias with others, just to start a fight. For example, these are the people commenting “BTS supremacy” on Stray Kids content. To any fans who do this, there is absolutely no point except to cause arguments with the other fandom. Second, toxic fans are the ones who pretend to be fans when they actually aren’t. A fan is someone who wants what’s best for their idol or group. An example of this type of toxic fan is the fans who caused Karina and her boyfriend to break up. If you were actually a fan, you would want what's best for her. These are the types of fans that give kpop and kpop fans a bad reputation. This brings me to my final point. Toxic fans are the ones who don’t respect and support other kpop stans. Kpop and kpop fans have a not-so-great reputation in mainstream media so instead of starting arguments or putting down other fans, support and respect them as we are all one community with a common interest.

Overly Loyal Fans:

I’m not sure if “loyal” is the right word here, but it's all I could come up with. I would like to explain what I mean using a few scenarios. The other day I saw a ranking post on IG of different female rappers. The number one and two spots were taken by Lisa and Jennie, while rappers like Moonbyul and Soyeon were closer to the bottom. The ranking was voted on, and it was definitely a popularity vote over actual talent. What’s worse was that all of the comments were like “YES, LISA'S THE BEST”, “QUEEEEN”, “LISA AND JENNIE SUPREMACY". This entire post and the comments were objectively not true. Is Lisa a better dancer? Yes. Rap, however, is not her specialty, and it is clear why. When being compared to rappers like Moonbyul and Soyeon, who have spent years perfecting their unique styles, and they both write all of their own verses, she doesn’t stand a chance. She is still a great rapper, don't get me wrong, but for her, dance comes first and rap second. My point is, don’t comment on something that isn't true just to say something good about your bias, and also don’t vote for your bias when you know it isn’t true. It’s okay to let other idols shine even if they aren’t your bias. For me, a personal example of this is when comparing Mamamoo and Red Velvet. I’m both a Reveluv and Moomoo, but Mamamoo are my ults. However, I will be the first to admit that Wendy is a better vocalist than any of the Mamamoo vocalists, and (in my opinion) is probably the best female vocalist currently active. On the flip side, to any Reveluvs, don’t say that Red Velvet is a better vocal group. Yes, Wendy and Seulgi (Joy, Yeri, and Irene as well) have amazing vocals, but overall, Mamamoo's vocals are just better. And this makes sense since Mamamoo is an extremely vocal-focused group, whereas Red Velvet isn't. 

The second type of situation where fans are overly loyal is when an idol will do something controversial or objectively wrong, but then fans immediately come to their defense regardless of what's right or wrong in the situation. I think that Moomoos are a primary example of this. There are many times when the girls have been in controversies, such as Hwasa’s university performance controversy, where Moomoos didn’t bother to see things from both points of view, and just immediately side with the girls. Instead, fans should understand the arguments being made on both sides and point out the other side's argument to the idol. Fans have an obligation to point and acknowledge when something is wrong, not for blatant belittling or cancellation, but so the artist can learn and see why they were wrong. (BTW, for the Hwasa controversy, I personally was on Hwasa’s side, but I understand why some parents were upset. Something else I want to add is that Moomoos did a good job of calling out the girls during the whole 2017 situation, since that has been their biggest controversy to date. But even with smaller controversies as well, fans still have an obligation to call out the girls when necessary.)

Hypocritical Fans:

There are two types of hypocritical fans. First are those fans who say things to idols like” you need to lose weight” while they look like a whale. Or, going back to the Karina dating situation, fans should not be commenting on an idol's dating life. They deserve to be able to have a life outside of their job. If you wouldn’t like it if someone were constantly commenting on who you’re dating, then stop doing it to them. The other type of hypocritical fans are those who blame fatigue and mental health issues on the companies; meanwhile, they're the ones perpetuating these issues. A prime example of this was the “Let Enhypen Rest” movement. Fans were trying to get Hybe's attention with this. However, Hybe knew the fans were still going to continue going to concerts and buying merch, so they obviously weren't going to be cancelling concerts any time soon unless fans actually committed to a boycott. But this never happened. Engenes were preaching “#LetEnhypenRest”, but as soon as they had a comeback, those same fans were saying things like “YES WE WANT MORE”. The moral of the story is that if you are going to try and help the group actually have to commit and stand your ground. Otherwise, nothing is going to happen.  Disclaimer - I don’t mean to offend any Engenes. I’m one myself, and I'm only using this as an example since I saw it all playing out in real time.