When the abdominal or chest muscles of male idols are seen, it becomes a big deal in the K-Pop realm. Now, you could ask whether they not swim in the pool, which naturally reveals those body parts. Why is there such a big event that these body parts appear. It is because they usually go to pool or seaside in swim-wear that covers their whole body!
It is interesting, isn’t it? You cannot see their idols naked even when entering the sea or a pool. The situation is similar for ordinary people.
There are at least three reasons for this situation:
For the first reason, most idol firms in Korea don’t want their idols to show too much “skin”. Some companies are more flexible on this, but for example Big Hit Entertainment does not want that much. That’s why idols have to pay attention not to show too much skin. One reason may be the desire to keep body features from getting in the way of your music. Let’s say the idol tore his shirt on the stage. After that moment, the focus of the audience is shifting from the music to the body inevitably! The principle of not showing skin necessarily goes beyond the stage. In this way, by adjusting the dose, the slightest bit of demonstrations also feed the spiral of excitement and explosion in the audience.
In the video below, BTS members are having fun in the pool in their pool-outfits:
The second reason is the obsession with light skin. Like all Koreans, this is a serious obsession with idols. Since the desire to have light skin is very high in Korea, both boys and girls swim in the sea in full-body clothes similar to diving suits. Although some netizens interpret it as being influenced by American culture, it is not really the case. This is something that dates back hundreds of years in Korea. In the past, people working in professions such as bureaucrats and teachers were working in closed areas and their skin colors remained light. The skin of those working in open-field jobs like farming or construction were inevitably darker in tone. Therefore, your social status could be understood from skin color. Thus, the light skin color has become matched with higher social status in Korea. This gave rise to the instinct and social norm of being light skinned.
The third reason is that Korean people approaching middle age are afraid of wrinkling of their skin. They do not expose their skin directly to the sun so that their skin does not wrinkle. This is actually a justified reason. Let’s remember the “Trucker Grandpa” who was the subject of the news recently. After working as a truck driver for many years, the sun-free side of his face remained very healthy, while the side that was constantly exposed to the sun got old and wrinkled!
Not only the Koreans, but many people swimming with full-body swim-wear can be seen in the USA as well. The most famous of them is perhaps Madonna . Have you ever seen her with tan? I have never seen!
These three seem to be the three main reasons …
