Dating Scandals
Big Bang’s G-Dragon is definitely one of the most famous Korean celebrities. He is a great singer, rapper, dancer, actor, and TV personality. But because of his fame, many people tend to spread rumors about him. He has definitely gone through a lot of scandals with various female celebrities both from South Korea and abroad.
Ahn So-hee
HeeDragon erupted from the ‘WonderBang’ era back in 2007 when BIGBANG and Wonder Girls had frequent collaborations on-stage starting with the “Lies” and “Tell Me” medley. There were countless of ships including T.O.P x Yoobin and Sunye x Taeyang. While none of them gained much steam, HeeDragon became one of GD’s oldest dating rumors, with longtime VIPs swearing that their relationship was an “open secret”, thanks to matching outfits and accessories, as well as the time GD allegedly gave SoHee a pink laptop which was inscribed with his initials.
Kiko Mizuhara
Rumors of #Jiko surfaced in 2010, and in the five or so years before the unofficial “ending” of their on-again, off-again relationship (we say unofficial because both parties strongly denied the rumors), G-Dragon and model Kiko Mizuhara were spotted hanging out on many, many occasions and in many different countries. From going to amusement parks, to attending GD’s concert, to holidaying together, to partying with their friend groups, to displaying skinship in public, it was impossible for fans to dismiss the possibility that they were dating.
Nana Komatsu
Although they had met each other at a photoshoot back in early 2016, rumors of G-Dragon and Japanese model Nana Komatsu only surfaced in May that year after his private Instagram was hacked, and photos of Nana and GD hanging out were leaked. Their “relationship” was short-lived, however, as it was soon revealed that Nana was dating a Japanese actor.
Girls’ Generation’s Taeyeon
Mostly based on Instagram activity and social media similarities, the Taeyeon x G-Dragon shipping has to be the most unrealistic of the lot. Needless to say, both SM Entertainment and YG Entertainment quickly debunked the rumors which started after Jiko’s demise and Taeyeon x Baekhyun’s actual break-up back in 2015.
Sulli
Another far-fetched rumor that was quickly quelled, the Sulli and G-Dragon pairing started this year after fans spotted the two sporting similar jewellery and riding in first-class seats on the same airline. With regards to YG Entertainment’s clarification, they said, “We personally asked G-Dragon, and he said, as he laughed, that the rumors are false and make no sense.”
Goo Hara
Goo Hara’s friendship with G-Dragon was put under the microscope after photos of their group hangout at Lotte World amusement park, along with idols like Ga In and Sulli, surfaced. This came after she (and the same celebs mentioned earlier) were present at G-Dragon’s PeaceMinusOne fashion exhibit in Paris. While Goo Hara quickly denied all rumors, we imagine their next interaction might have been a tad awkward…
Jooyeon
The latest celebrity to be linked with G-Dragon, the pair’s unexpected friendship caused much stir online. Rumors first started circulating when a video of them using the Kwai app was accidentally posted online, which led to netizens digging through and analyzing similar social media posts, showing that GD and Jooyeon were indeed hanging out quite frequently at different locations. With that being said, Jooyeon has since stepped out to deny said rumors, and netizens have stated that Jooyeon was friends with GD’s manager, which explained their close friendship.
Sandara Park
Last but certainly not least, the Daragon ship is definitely the longest sailing one, since 2005 to be exact, even before Dara became a trainee at YG Entertainment. However, the ship was only solidified after GD’s Heartbreaker album after GD and Dara performed “Hello.” In the 12 years since, there have been countless “pieces of evidence” ranging from couple wear-like outfits, teasing social media interactions, suspicious song dedications and even a prank where GD seemingly “kissed” Dara’s head while escorting her to a waiting vehicle after a group dinner.
More recently, the labelmates stirred up a frenzy when Dara was a guest at G-Dragon’s Act III, M.O.T.T.E ‘Moment of Truth The End’ stop in Manila and Kuala Lumpur. While YG Entertainment and the artistes themselves have denied the rumors, this doesn’t stop applers from shipping Daragon nonetheless.
Sexually Objectifying Women
Big Bang has released the songs “Loser,” “Bang Bang Bang,” “Bae Bae,” “Sober,” “If You,” and “We Like 2 Party.” All of the songs (as per usual for Big Bang) are catchy and likable but there is one big downside when it comes to their new album. The music videos (MV) for “Loser” and “Bae Bae,” amongst other things, sexualize and objectify women.
Loser
“Loser” (as indicated by its lyrics) is about an individual who has problems and is a self-described jackass. In the video, the “loser” theme is conveyed via five men (Big Bang’s band members) who act alternatively despondent and angry. For example, G-Dragon destroys a lamp and then curls up in a bathtub; Taeyang jumps rooftops; Seungri destroys a car mirror; Daesung is beat-up and is upset that his scarf has been ruined; T.O.P wanders the streets in a bathrobe and clings to a half-naked girl.
The scene that stands out the most in “Loser” is when T.O.P clings to a half-naked girl. The reason? A woman is indoors yet she wears a white bikini and a white, one-piece bathing suit/bodysuit while T.O.P, in comparison, wears two different outfits which are colorful and completely cover his body (e.g., he wears blazers, closed shirts, jeans/pants, and gloves). The vast difference in these two’s wardrobes are obviously strange, and it makes one wonder, why? Why would these two be dressed so differently? Well, there is an answer and it is simple. Because the woman is a prop and a sexual object in the scene.
All the woman does in the scene with T.O.P is slither about, rub up against him and make out with him. She has no will or thoughts of her own, she never speaks nor is her face ever clearly seen and because she is wearing all white while standing against a completely white background, the woman not only becomes just one of the many objects in the room but she also serves as part of T.O.P’s backdrop. The woman is also physically treated as an object (and violently so) as there is an instance where T.O.P actually grabs the woman’s hand by the tip of his gloved fingers (in apparent disgust and disdain) and then grabs her by the throat. This scene of violence is later continued when T.O.P is shown wandering the streets with blood on his face, shirt, and hands.
It is not completely clear why T.O.P is covered in blood, but it can only be assumed that this is meant to indicate that he had either beaten or killed the woman. This is not only disturbing, to say the least, but it also appears to be purposeful as there are lyrics that state:
“It’s a cycle of girls and mistakes
Love them for one night
And hate them when morning comes
Can’t own up to it
Because of my selfish pleasure”
So based on these translated lyrics, it is to be believed that at least part of the reason that the woman is objectified and sexualized is because the director/creative director/band is trying to convey that this man only sees women as something to be used and that this objectification of and violent treatment towards women is what makes him a “loser.”
Bae Bae
“Bae Bae” is a song that is about the attractiveness of a woman and how her beauty arouses men and how she shouldn’t age as this will “diminish her beauty.” In other words, the song idolizes and places women on a pedestal (e.g., part of the lyrics question whether a woman is a human or an angel) and implies that a woman’s most important quality is looking good; that a woman can only be attractive at a certain age; and that women should look good for the sake of men. The content and the theme of the song are obviously troubling, and the song only becomes worse in the actual MV for “Bae Bae” where there are two different prominent scenes where women are sexualized and objectified.
The first prominent scene where women are sexualized and objectified occurs in the opening of “Bae Bae.” In this first scene, G-Dragon runs around groping and rubbing up against lingerie-clad, female mannequins while rapping:
“I’M IN LOVE
I’m blind with love babe
No pants on with a white shirt babe
Are you a human or an angel?
Oh Jesus babe
You’re dazzling babe
Sunglass babe
My mind is so out of it
I’m possessed by you
Blood is rushing to that one place again”
This unrealistic idealization and sexualization of women and comparison of women to plastic dolls sets the tone for the rest of the video. White women, for example, are toted around, used as props and sexualized throughout “Bae Bae” and this theme becomes especially noticeable (and problematic) around the minute mark of “Bae Bae” where the second most prominent scene of objectification occurs.
Around 1:00, T.O.P struts down a tunnel made of bright purple and yellow flowers (which have a faintly yonic vibe) and raps:
“Your eyes are pretty like a deer
My princess
When you laugh at me it’s so chic
Are you crazy?
You’re a natural beauty, so unique, so unique
My perfect dear
Be my muse
We’re so comfortable together
I’m gaining so much weight
My body wraps around yours so perfectly
You’re forever 25 to me
Won’t ever change”
At one point while rapping, T.O.P holds a syringe full of a milky white substance and squirts the liquid near a White woman’s face. The woman, in response to this, has a look of ecstasy and joy on her face, and she occasionally shoots a “come hither” look towards T.O.P as flowers burst all around her. And what do any of these factors (i.e., the syringe full of milky white fluid, the woman’s orgasmic expressions and the exploding flowers) have to do with being “a natural beauty” and a “muse?” Nothing, really, except for the apparent fetishization and sexualization of a very narrowly defined concept of beauty.
The syringe scene is clearly a metaphorical cum scene. This, in itself, is strange since ejaculating on a woman’s face has absolutely nothing to do with what he is rapping about (unless the English translation of the Korean lyrics are extremely off) so it can only be assumed that this scene is meant to indicate that he is so aroused by the beauty of White women that he can’t help but to ejaculate on the very beauty that he covets. This is problematic on several levels.
Firstly, the cum scene is problematic, because when paired with the lyrics of the song and the fact that there are only thin, White women in the MV, it implies that thin, White women are the ultimate epitome of beauty. This depiction feeds into the idealization of White beauty and the stereotype that White women (from a Korean perspective) are hyper-sexual and that Asian women are “pure,” non-sexual beings.
Secondly, while ejaculating on a woman’s face is not in itself “bad” per se, in this particular instance it is concerning as this extreme association between arousal and beauty indicates that women aren’t valuable in-and-of-themselves (i.e., that women aren’t valued based on the very fact that they do exist) or because of their abilities, but because of their beauty and the arousal that this can provoke in men (and, again, because this is done to a White woman, the stereotype that White women are hyper-sexual is reinforced).
Additionally, the actual act of this simulation is important because it cements the woman’s status as a sexualized and idealized object. For example, because the woman literally never moves (while T.O.P, in comparison, walks up and down the tunnel); because every shot of her is a close-up of her face while she simulates having an orgasm (uh, exploding flowers anyone?); because the woman appears to be vapid and doesn’t have a single thought in her head (she might as well just be a doll); and because it is implied that the woman is just a part of the flower background (e.g., there is a close association between the woman and the flower tunnel as the woman is only ever seen with a close-up of her face against the backdrop of the flowers) this simulated ejaculation reinforces that the woman is a sexual object and an empty vessel which things are done to and who has no thoughts, feelings or desires of her own. Which, really, just matches the very tone that was first set when G-Dragon groped the mannequins at the beginning of the MV.
That’s Complete List About Scandals and Controversies of BIGBANG’s Leader G-Dragon. I hope you get more information about your idol and Korean entertainment. There are a lot of more information about it in Byeol Korea. So, don’t miss it! If you have some questions or want to add additional information please put the comment below.
