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Single’s Inferno: Controversy Too Hot to Handle?


Image retrieved from Showbiz Cheatsheet

The dating show Single’s Inferno, hot as it sounds, has unintentionally sparked another, controversial fire on the Internet.


As the Korean reality series recently rose to furious popularity, it also has its own share of social issues to deal with.


What is Single’s Inferno?


The show features nine young Korean singles stranded on an island, Inferno. There, the temperature can go up to 35 degrees celsius and basic amenities like food services are lacking. Fate stringing duos together offers them a chance to escape to Paradise for a night; from luxurious hotel accommodations to grand dinners, everything is generously provided for the couples to enjoy to their hearts’ content.


The hit series propelled some participants to glorious fame, such as breakout star Song Ji A, YouTuber and influencer, whose followers skyrocketed from 400,000 to over 3.7 million within weeks of the show’s completion. Single’s Inferno also became the first South Korean reality series to debut on Netflix’s Top 10 list of most-watched TV shows globally.


What started the fire?


Flames were ignited when male contestant Moon Se Hoon made an ambiguous compliment to female contestant Shin Ji Yeon. His exact words “She seemed so white and pure” caught the attention of fans. Later on, other male contestants proceeded to add fuel to the fire. One of them is Choi Si Hun, who repeatedly brought up Ji Yeon’s “white skin”, commenting that Ji Yeon was his type as he “ like people who have light skin.”


The obvious obsession with “white skin” saw many Western viewers take to social media to express their discontent and anger, highlighting another manifestation of Korean beauty stereotypes.


One Twitter user commented sarcastically, “The obsession these men have with the white and pale innocent face and being skinny is actually sick like you’re missing so many things😭😭#singlesinferno”. Another remarked a similar view with “Korean beauty standards pretty much: light-skinned and skinny #SinglesInferno.


As expected, controversial opinions like this were bound to rub people the wrong way, but are they solely, and truly, what many netizens would term as “colourism”? According to the Cambridge dictionary, colourism is defined as the “dislike and unfair treatment of the members of a particular racial group who have a darker skin colour”. Though the male contestants’ words were not explicitly expressing this, it seemed to insinuate the opinion that skin colour is particularly pertinent in describing good-looking women.


However, was it merely a discriminatory intent?


Colourism or Culture?


Having fair skin has traditionally been a beauty standard that dates back thousands of years. With reference to a publication by the Cultural Heritage Administration, Koreans have been historically found to possess this preference for a long time.


A mural found in tombs from the Goguryeo Kingdom (37 BC-AD 668 AD) illustrates nobles by accentuating their pale, snowy skin and was observed to be a classic makeup look.


“White and glossy skin symbolised high class, which motivated people – men and women alike – to make their skin white. This is indicated through our ancestors’ preference for bathing or the use of cosmetic products using natural ingredients,” the Cultural Heritage Administration writes.


Though the rationale behind this preference is uncertain, many believe that it takes roots in the Korean peninsula’s economy. Living in a agriculture-based society, the less well off had to labour daily under the hot sun, unlike the nobles and the rich. As a result, pure white, untanned skin was considered a symbol of wealth.


The takeaway


While beauty standards and stereotypes may have been notably engrained in one’s culture and history since time immemorial, it is now time to lay them down. Times have changed𑁋 we are now living in a much globalised world than before. With media circulation becoming more diverse and crossing more borders, media companies need to be sensitive to ensure that productions of global content do not undermine any groups in society.. There is a need to be extra careful when expanding towards global audiences 𑁋 for the portrayal of certain aspects can receive harsh backlash from different communities.


Written by: Lim Ye Xue (21S65)

Edited by: Jenny Huang (21S74), Uyen Tran (21A15), Tan Xuanmin (21S78)


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