Dear kfangurl: Can you talk about celebrity dating culture in Korea? [Interview with VOGUE India!]

This is another slightly different Dear kfangurl post, you guys.

After my last interview with VOGUE India about the male gaze vs. female gaze in kdramas (more details here!), Hasina Khatib (@thejoblessjourno on Instagram), who writes for VOGUE India, reached out to me again.

This time, she asked if I’d be willing to talk about celebrity dating culture, for an article that she was writing, which features Hyun Bin and Son Ye Jin‘s wedding.

I said yes, and you can check out the article, where she quotes me selectively, here!

At the same time, similar to the last interview, there was a lot that I said, that didn’t make it into the final article, so with Hasina’s permission, I’m sharing the actual interview questions and answers here with you guys.

The only difference is that I’ve added images to make this more reader-friendly. I hope you all enjoy! ❤️

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Dear kfangurl: How has your fangirling changed over the years?

Leslie writes:

Hi, KFG. I just finished Dinner Mate, a B movie that was easy to watch with some good heart-string pulls, but was about 3-4 episodes too long.

Most of all it was a vehicle for a mature Song Seung Hun who is as beautiful (at least) and charming as ever. I say this even though it’s the first SSH drama I’ve seen! But I checked and, sure enough, he was your first entry in Pure Pretty, so I almost feel like I knew him when. 😆 Nice photos. 😅 Thank you for your delightful “reference” material, which stands the test of time.

The movie and my, ahem, research prompted me to take a stab at a question I’ve been percolating for a while, but haven’t been able to get to the heart of. The simple question is, has your fangirling changed over the years? Some details follow.

I notice that both of your KLoves and Pure Pretty features were first posted about 7 years ago, and there have not been many new entries for a while (although there continue to be new comments, so, still relevant!)

Are any original entries gaining or waning in your affection? Would you add any new KLove and Pure Pretty interests to the list, and have your criteria for the same changed over time? What role does fangirling play in your enjoyment of kdrama today? And not to complicate a good ogle, but does consent culture impact how you think about fangirling at all? It’s a lot. 😬

So, seriously, KFG. I know you’re super busy these days with all the right priorities for the blog, so please answer at your pleasure and your leisure. I’m rather satisfied with just being able to articulate my curiosity and interest. Thanks!

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Officially Smitten With: Lee Junho

Listen. I know that you guys have been urging me – for literal years now! – to revive my fangirling posts, whether by way of a k-love post or a Pure Pretty post. And for years, I’ve just been saying vaguely that I’d think about it.

The truth is, I just wasn’t feeling inspired to do any fangirling posts. You just can’t do one of these things properly, if you’re not feeling properly inspired, y’know?

Honestly, I’d kind of thought that perhaps I’d outgrown my fangirling phase. After all, I’d been concentrating on putting out all this other more “serious” content, like reviewing shows, and answering Dear kfangurl questions, sometimes on controversial topics, even. I thought, maybe I had just become.. immune to intense fangirling..? HA.

I WAS SO WRONG, y’all. Several weeks ago, out of the blue, almost, I found myself joining the rest of the world in falling for Lee Junho’s charms. I feel like I blinked, and suddenly here I am, knee-deep in spazz.

It’s official, y’all. I am utterly and completely smitten with this man. 😍

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