K(q)ueer-pop body: The gender performativity strategy of Korean boy group XLOV

Vallerine Firstya Angelica; Natasha Maitreyani Aditio; Martinus Danang Pamungkas

doi:10.24198/metahumaniora.v16i2.63972

Penulis

Vallerine Firstya Angelica Maitereyawira Senior High School Batam
Natasha Maitreyani Aditio Maitereyawira Senior High School Batam
Martinus Danang Pamungkas
martinusdanang01@gmail.com
Maitreyawira Senior High School

Kata Kunci:

performative male; transformative masculinity; k-pop; music videos; queer

Abstrak

This study analyzes how the K-pop boy group XLOV’s gender performativity strategies function within a hegemonic culture of masculinity. XLOV’s emergence in contemporary popular culture challenges traditional masculine roles and identities, advancing a more performative model of masculinity. To examine this phenomenon, this study employs a qualitative methodology, using Norman Fairclough’s critical discourse analysis to investigate performativity strategies as a counter-discourse to heteronormative masculinity. Data were collected through observation and documentation from June 2025 to September 2025, focusing on XLOV’s music videos published on YouTube, specifically “1&Only” and “I’mma Be,” which emphasize dance performativity and dress style. The data were analyzed using the concepts of new masculinity and gender performativity theory. The findings indicate that XLOV’s gender performativity strategies are evident in their fashion choices, choreographed movements, and symbolic elements within their music videos. The study concludes that these strategies do not constitute queerbaiting but instead represent a renegotiation of gender norms perpetuated by the K-pop industry. For XLOV, the body operates both as a commercial asset and as a means of resisting hegemonic masculinity in K-pop. The study suggests that consumers of popular culture can develop greater awareness of increasingly flexible gender roles and identities, particularly amid the rapid expansion of popular culture.

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