Is the Industry Biased? Fourth-Gen Male Idol's Outrage Over Girl Group Popularity

A community board post about TXT’s Yeonjun’s past confession regarding male idols receiving less attention than female idols has resurfaced online, drawing significant attention from netizens.

Previously, Yeonjun appeared as a guest on GOT7 BamBam’s YouTube channel, ‘Bam House,’ where he candidly shared his thoughts on the challenges faced by fourth-generation male idol groups.

Host BamBam asked, “The gap between the second and third generations was long, but it doesn’t seem like it for third and fourth-generation groups. How does it feel to do activities as a fourth-generation group? I think it’s different from us.”

TXT Yeonjun (Photo : Youtube (SS capture))

Yeonjun responded with a candid reflection on the difficulties of promoting as a male idol in the current landscape.

“As a fourth-generation group, I feel like it’s a bit difficult. Male idols get less attention, which is unfortunate, and I hope that male idols receive more spotlight,” said Yeonjun.

TXT Yeonjun (Photo : Youtube (SS capture))

BamBam agreed, noting that this sentiment is shared by many male idols. “This has been a similar feeling that all male idols have had for a long time,” he stated. “Male idols always longed for attention from the public.”

Yeonjun further expressed his hopes that more people would appreciate the music of male idol groups.

TXT Yeonjun (Photo : Youtube (SS capture))

“If you look at the charts, they are mostly girl group songs. Although their songs are good, male idol groups also have a lot of really good songs, which is a bit disappointing,” he added.

TXT Yeonjun (Photo : Youtube (SS capture) )

The comments section of the post saw a wide range of reactions, reflecting the divided opinions of netizens. Some netizens acknowledged the challenges faced by male idols:

• “I think male fans not being into male groups is a big factor.”
• “True…seems like they can’t catch the general public.”
• “Female fans like both girl and boy groups, but male fans tend to only like girl groups…so I think girl groups have the advantage over the general public.”

Others pointed out stylistic differences and changes in fan dynamics:

• “The style of male idol groups isn’t appealing to the male public these days…for example… crop tees.”
• “For male groups, second-gen was a core and general public fanbase, and starting with third-gen, it was just core fandoms, so for fourth-generation, the core fanbase has already been split into so many different fandoms; I can understand why he feels like that.”

Yet, some netizens believed that the shift in popularity is a natural progression:

• “But since male groups were more popular in the past, the times have changed.”
• “I think male groups have a right to be disappointed because even though they produce music and dance while singing live, they still can’t beat girl group visuals…”
• “Honestly, I think boy groups had the upper hand all this time, and starting with the fourth-generation girl groups have finally gained the spotlight.”

The discussion also brought to light the complexity of popularity dynamics within the K-pop industry. While some netizens highlighted that male idols tend to have stronger album sales due to their dedicated core fanbase, others noted the need for male groups to appeal to the broader public:

“Male idols have better records for album sales. They have a core fandom with power. In order to gain the public’s support, they need to have songs that are easy with a killing part, but compared to girl groups, boy groups songs tend to be much more complicated.”

You can watch the full video here.
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