Boy Group’s Debut Sparks Debate Over “Genderless” Expression In K-Pop

XLOV are the first boy group to debut with a “genderless” concept.
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Koreaboo

Recently, the boy group XLOV made their debut.

The group consists of four members, including three popular Boys Planet participants: Wumuti, Rui, Hyun, and Haru. The group’s debut earned attention from the initial announcement, and they were described as the first boy group to debut with a “genderless” concept.

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XLOV | 257 Entertainment

Several K-Pop idols have described themselves as preferring “genderless” or “androgynous” fashion, like ATEEZ‘s Seonghwa, while many have pushed against gender norms in their music and activities.

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ATEEZ’s Seonghwa

With the expression of gender and sexuality hotly discussed even outside of K-Pop, it is not unexpected that debates over the term “genderless” have arisen.

Recently, a viral thread on X discussing gender expression in K-Pop went viral, featuring commentary from a person who described himself as transgender and nonbinary.

The thread’s main points pushed that XLOV’s debut was not “genderless” but rather “androgynous” or “feminine leaning,” claiming that “genderless” would be an exploration of all parts of the gender spectrum. OP gave the example of OnlyOneOf, who have explored heterosexual and queer sexuality in their works.

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The thread then discussed XLOV, claiming that their usage of clothing not traditionally worn by men should not be considered “genderless,” while commenting some K-Pop fans’ treatment of idols (like TWICE‘s Jihyo and ATEEZ’s Seonghwa) who fall on places outside each end of the gender binary.

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Many reading the thread did not agree with the OP’s line of reasoning, bringing up XLOV’s own words on their concept being “genderless” or “gender-free.”

Several claimed that the thread attempted to view XLOV through a “western” mindset, and  that the very concept of being “genderless” could not be restricted and does not necessarily have to involve sexuality.

With XLOV just having debuted, it is fair to say that their expression of their group’s theme will be explored more with further releases.

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