SM is 60% looks and 40% talent?

Okay. So this news is bugging me. And if you’re expecting me to curse the hell out of Kim Myungsoo or shoot all those people who felt offended by his comment to defend him, then sorry to disappoint you. I won’t be doing any of that. I could  not say I’m not biased or anything either, because hell! Who the hell on Earth has no bias? We all tend to lean with something no  matter if we realize it or not.

What I would be doing in this blog is to approach this news as cool-headed as I can.

So allkpop is booming with so many comments in this certain article. Some (I actually mean A LOT, but let’s use the word “some”) SM Town fans were somehow offended by his when-he-was-still-a-normal-netizen comment about SMEnt considering looks at 60% level and talent at 40% level.

Before I continue, you must be warned that this entry would DEFINITELY be leaning towards Myungsoo’s side. Yes, I won’t even try to hide the fact that I made this entry simply to “clear” Myungsoo’s name. But just because it leans towards Myungsoo, it doesn’t mean I will rant on and on about how SME people are talentless because that’s complete bull.

Let me set the context first to make my argument clear.

“The question was, “What should I do if I want to become a celebrity?“. L had responded in detail, but Shindong pointed out a specific phrase where L answered, “The labels focus on your looks to a certain extent. SM Entertainment considers looks at about 60% and talent at around 40%. The labels that concentrate more on talent are JYP Entertainment and YG Entertainment.”

That was how it was written in the allkpop article.

I’m going to point out some things:

1.        Infinite’s L was still a mere netizen when he made that comment.

-          At the time when he wrote that, he’s still a person looking in from the outside—a mere netizen like us. That  was how he saw it. And he’s entitled to his own opinion.

2.       Some AKP peeps are bashing the whole group for what he said.

-          *pulls out notes about fallacies*

THAT’s A FRIGGING COMPOSITION FALLACY RIGHT THERE.

Myungsoo said it. Myungsoo is a member of INFINITE. Therefore, Infinite said it.

See what’s wrong? Why include the whole group when only one said it? (Note: And even L alone doesn't even deserve to be condemned over this matter!) 

3.       Iit’s not like Myungsoo’s even bashing SMEnt.

                The labels focus on your looks to a certain extent.

                        If this translation is correct (I don’t really trust allkpop that match when it comes to this thing since AKP already earned the “Fanwar capital of Kpop” award in my book.)

                What he said was that different agencies focus on looks in varying levels.

Look up at what have I quoted above again.

In what part did he say SM people are talentless?

Some may insist that’s what his words are implying that. And if we’re talking about connotations, then there’s no denying that they are indeed part of the person’s responsibility. But we have to be careful as readers too when it comes to understanding what are the implications.

Let’s look at his words in the context of the question: “What should I do if I want to become a celebrity?”.. To make it clearer, I’m asking you to read his response with the question kept in mind.

What he’s trying to do is NOT to undermine SMEnt but to look at the ways the different agencies screen potential.

“SM Entertainment considers looks at about 60% and talent at around 40%.”

60% alone cannot make up a whole. So how did some people come to understand it as “SME people are talentless” while totally disregarding the 40% part??

Let’s be real, people. Think about your bias.. Is he handsome or not? Is she pretty or not? Would anyone come up to me and say “Oohh, my idol is actually extremely ugly.”?

Hell no! And what does that say about the Kpop industry?

Dear fangirls and fanboys, accept it or not, one of Kpop’s gem is the goodlooks of the idols. Think of when your idols debuted, what was the first thing that came out? TEASER PICS! And they’re called “teaser” for a reason. Agencies release the idol’s pictures and profiles to attract our attention. I’m not saying Kpop is all about looks because if it is, then Kpop should just be a freaking magazine so I could stare at my biases all day. What I’m trying to say is that LOOKS are the first thing that people notice. Hence, it’s not surprising that some agencies would find “looks” as a big deal, like SMEnt does.

I’ve watched a documentary about EXO (oh my biases.. my Sehuuuun baby!! Krrriiiiiiiisss!! okay, lemme stop before I utter all twelve..) where they sort of showed how SM made EXO as they are. It’s not that SM doesn’t care about talent, rather, they PRODUCE the talent. SM is known to be a strict and sometimes even labeled as a “slave-driver” company, but that’s how they make up for the 20% difference in looks and talent. EXO, SUJU, DBSK, SHINee, SNSD, f(x).. would these groups have lasted in the industry without any ounce of talent? No, they won’t. What people must understand is that hardwork is also a talent. And SMEnt are slave-drivers for a reason.

Going back to L’s statement, I believe that what he’s trying to point out is that SMent has a more strict way of screening a person’s look compared to other companies like JYP or YG. The question is about an advice on becoming a celebrity. What his words are saying is that the person who asked the question must also consider where the agencies’ stands are in the look department in order to choose what agency he/she should try auditioning on.

To end this entry, I just want to say a few more words. Yes, we’re fangirls (some are fanboys). We act upon our emotions. We react when we think our idols are being bashed. But what good would it be when all we do is bash back? That would only make us seem like butthurt children with no better thing to do. Instead of reacting to matters, wouldn’t it be better if we respond instead? Reactions are instinctive while responses are well-thought. It takes a clear mind to respond. A response requires complete understanding.  Try it. It would lessen the unnecessary fanwars.

P.S. I can't believe my first blog post here in AFF is not even about my bias group! Haha. Sorry baby Sehun! Sorry EXO babies.. Sorry MYNAME.. BtoB.. and all my other biases.. I'm SORRRYYYYYYYYYYYY!