Recently as Tony An from H.O.T. joined a relatively new and young idol group Smash as a member, there has been growing interest in first generation male idols. Male idol culture started back in the late 1990s and is now in its third generation. Today, we are looking at the differences among first, second, and third generation male idols.

◇ First generation: Masculine Charm

First generation male idols appealed their masculine charm. The longest running idol group Shinhwa showcased powerful and charismatic performances with songs like “T.O.P,” “Hey, Come on,” and “Brand New.” They also showed off their sinewy bodies through “Shinhwa Nude Pictorial Book” back in 2001.

On March 5, Shinhwa appealed to fans and press with ongoing masculine charm at their comeback press conference. The six members were all dressed in black suits, accentuating Shinhwa’s masculine image. Jun Jin wore a long coat to focus attention on his tall statue and Eric highlighted his manly broad shoulders with a one-button blazer.

Tony An from H.O.T. also produced a masculine rebel image in the late 90s with songs like “Aiya,” and “Warrior’s Descendant.” He is still appealing the tough-guy charm in his “Tony&SMASH” activities with rider leather jackets and big combat boots.

◇ Second Generation: Emergence of Flower Boys

The second generation of male idol groups consist of TVXQ, Super Junior, BIGBANG, and others who debuted in the early to mid 2000s. These groups grabbed idol fans attention with much softer looks than their senior idol groups. Their pretty faces gave them the nickname of “Flower Boy Bands.”

While the first generation male idol groups used dark and masculine colors like black and navy to create their unique aura, the second generation idols preferred more modern and softer colors like khaki and brown, which allows them to still look masculine, but not macho. BIGBANG, who recently came back with “Blue,” matched black jeans with khaki colored military jackets, fur coats, and brown outerwear to complete their sophisticated look.

◇ Third Generation: Androgynous and Uni-Sex

The third generation male idols took the “Flower Boy” syndrome a step further. As female fantasy and demands of “younger boyfriends” grew and cuteness became a major charming point of guys, “Uni-sex style” attracted many fans. The third generation of male idol started in mid to late 2000s with the debut of SHINee, followed by other groups like Teen Top, Infinite, BEAST, and MBLAQ. Among these groups, SHINee, Teen Top, and Infinite shows the clear transformation in male idol trends from first to third generation.

Skinny jeans, pastel colors, and extravagant accessories beautified these male idols. Teen Top and Infinite wear narrow-shouldered jacket and skinny pants to appeal their androgynous suit fashion. SHINee is all about looking lovely with their pastel colors and accessories. Recently at a launching promotion of Etude House, they looked lovelier than ever with their “younger boyfriend” look.

• Why I love Super Junior? I wasn’t into K-Pop when Super Junior debuted, I started noticing them only after they released Sorry Sorry (in my opinion, THE song that shot them to superstardom and got them where they are right now). My first impression of them was “Why so many members?” and “What’s with the haircut?” While watching EHB, it was then when I realized that these boys began to grow on me. They have a nonchalant approach to fame and they don’t take themselves too seriously, that’s a quality I rarely find in other K-Pop groups. I realize in Korean entertainment world, idol images are shaped and they have to maintain that, but every so often, with SJ members, their real personalities appear in interviews, variety shows, radio broadcasts and especially Super Show. They way they interact with each other make me feel like I’m watching the boys-next-door, approachable, funny, dorky and humble. I guess that imperfection shows that they are real and relatable.
  
  Why I love TwELFs and SPL? When I first started collecting information about Super Junior, I stumbled upon several fanbases, but TwELFs stood out to my attention immediately for several reasons: quality content, good English, pleasing to the eyes & easy to navigate.Like any other new converts, I joined in the fandom bandwagon and participated with gusto especially on Trending Topic projects. I was surprised to know that TwELFs founders were still in college, because they ran a tight ship with the blog and Twitter account. I was even more pleasantly surprised when I communicated via Twitter with the founders, because they were so friendly and unpretentious. TwELFs blog has meaty content without sacrificing entertainment value. It is informational without sounding too serious and at the same time, provides all the fun tidbits for fans –newly minted or veteran.
  
  SPL is oozing with creativity (e.g. forum members referred to as Students and Super Junior members as Professors!) and over a short period of time has gained the reputation of being one of the most acclaimed international forums for ELFs. SPL keeps making changes for the better and continues to carry out credible projects for Super Junior and ELFs. SPL is a labor of love, and I salute the people behind it, who are such dedicated hard-workers.