A moment that changed me: I was shy and cared too much what people thought of me. Then a group of K-pop fans came into my life

by wappingite

11 comments

  1. Great personal story. British culture has too much gate keeping, awkwardness, staying in your lane etc.

    Finding your tribe, realising there’s no one way to be you (whether it’s being black and only doing ‘black person things’, being old and only doing acceptable old people things). Starting to not give a shit about what other people think and embracing what brings you joy is so important in leading a fulfilling life.

    Doesn’t matter if it’s something nerdy, sporty, whatever. We spend too long trapped in prisons other people and society create for us.

    Nice to see someone find their calling.

  3. I love that people can find something that truly makes them happy and where they can just be themselves. Makes a change from all the usual cynicism and pessimism!

  4. It’s better to be happy doing stuff you enjoy than doing stuff because others do it and being miserable whilst doing so.

  6. My eldest has been into kpop for over a decade now. The kpop community are some of the nicest people you’ll ever meet

  7. Kpop has made me, a depressed, housebound 38 year old, discover my sense of joy and given me something to keep living for. It’s just so much fun – there’s always something interesting going on, there’s so much creativity in everything the artists do. Music videos that feel like music, visual concepts that push boundaries, songs that go through four different genres in under 3 minutes.

    There really is something for everyone in kpop – there’s a significant pipeline of grebs/emos/punks who fall in love with kpop, there’s stuff for the D&B heads, stuff for pure pop fans, stuff for your nan who just wants some gorgeous vocals on a lovely ballad. Often you can get all of those things just from one group as well.

  9. I started listening to kpop a couple of years ago, I’d just turned 30.

    I’ve made some really wonderful friends, travelled to places I never thought I would have, learned about a culture I didn’t know anything about previously. I’ve been involved in organising some really cool fan projects, pushed my limits and learned things about myself. And just had fun listening to fun music.

    No longer care if my interests are “cringe”. If being happy is cringe, so be it.

  11. The doubled edged sword of social media. Finding your tribe vs following the influencer and living the life you think you’re supposed to live based on the most inauthentic imagery.

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