While I enjoy writing recaps and reviews, the point of K-Pop is that it’s a fun and light-hearted activity. So I decided to start a column that shows more of my fangirl side on this blog. Having biases is a huge aspect of being a K-Pop fan. It’s hard to decide, but at the end of the day we all have our special favorites that make us smile. Every month I’ll choose one of mine and make a special appreciation post about him or her, illustrated with a bunch of videos and Tumblr GIFs. We’ll start with the one who originally said “That’s right my type” – EXO’s maknae and one of my longtime biases, Oh Sehun!
This was supposed to coincide with their “Power” comeback, but whatever
Technically, Sehun is the second K-Pop idol I ever fell for (the first was Mark Tuan). But out of the near two years I’ve been into K-Pop, he was my ultimate bias for the longest time. He remained unchallenged for a good year and a half before Nakamoto Yuta ruined my life, and he’s still high up on my list. As far as celebrity crushes go, I’ll always have a soft spot for him. Here are a bunch of reasons why I stan Oh Sehun (and you should too):
*WARNING! THIS IS A VERY LONG AND EXTREMELY MEDIA/LINK HEAVY POST!*
1) His dance moves will make you swoon.
Sehun’s dancing doesn’t get as much attention as it should, but it’s honestly the biggest reason why he’s my bias. It’s true he’s not in the same league as Kai, but he’s primarily as a street dancer – and he’s damned good at it. His movements are sharp yet fluid, and it looks like his arms and legs go on for days because he’s so tall. He has that rare ability to make choreography look improvisational, like he’s just freestyling at the club. This makes him well-suited for EXO songs with a low-key cool vibe, like “Lotto” or “Ko Ko Bop.”
My personal favorites include the solo stage that he does at concerts, occasionally filling in for missing Shinee members, the infamous water dance with Kai, and “Only One” with BoA (they’ve been doing this since he debuted, but I picked a 2017 version). And don’t forget the shot in “Lotto” that proves he’s the king of body rolls.
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2) He has supermodel-level visuals.
http://ohhsenshine.tumblr.com/post/165545291510/sehun-rawfilm-exo-power
It goes without saying that looks are a huge part of picking biases. Sehun is pretty much exactly my type physically, but I honestly think he’s one of the most handsome people I’ve ever seen. Like you know the saying that 2% of the people in the world are just undeniably attractive? I think he’s one of them. And my mother agreed he’s good looking, so obviously it’s true (XD). Apparently he’s been serving up visuals since childhood – as the story goes, he was discovered eating street food in Seoul when he was twelve years old (and he ran away from the SM casting agent for half an hour lol). But I think he’s maturing into his looks and getting handsomer every year.
This is a minor thing, but he can pull off pretty much any hair color. The more dramatic ones tend to be hit or miss, but he looks so good in the more natural shades like blond, brunette, etc. He even survived that dreadful shade of bright orange that takes down so many idols. He also managed to rock a seriously impressive rainbow back in the day.
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3) He’s a legitimate style icon.
Sehun is known for his love of fashion, and has become increasingly more interested in putting together his own looks. He made a splash at Paris Fashion Week this past spring, getting noticed for his impeccable styling and the mob of fans screaming after him. As someone who lives in Paris, I wouldn’t say K-Pop is well known to the general French public. So their reaction to this (seemingly) random handsome Asian man getting followed by a bunch of screaming girls is both awesome and hilarious. Vogue named him Best Dressed at the Louis Vuitton show, further cementing his status in the fashion world. My favorite quote is: “Sehun fit right in with the glamorous crowd and came complete with an army of acolytes.”
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4) He has all of the best lines, hands down.
Though Sehun doesn’t really have many lines, he sure makes them memorable. At first he was just the one that said “E-X-O,” but now it’s so much more. His classic one-liners have become a running joke within the fandom – mostly because they’re just really poorly phrased English. These include: “Never don’t mind about a thing,” “I can do this all night long baby,” “That’s right my type,” “It’s about to go go,” “We got bang bang pow wow,” and my personal favorite, “Shawty imma party ’til the sundown.” Obviously he didn’t come up with the lines himself, but he commits to them and we love him for it.
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5) His English is straight up adorable.
http://baehkhun.tumblr.com/post/132223505749/sehuns-english-is-the-cutest-thing-ever
Sehun’s catchphrases aren’t just limited to EXO songs. Several years ago, he became popular for inventing the words “Yehet” and “Ohorat” – apparently mistakes from when he was trying to say “Yeah” and “All Right.” Sehun’s English is just super cute in general, as evidenced by the video below. It’s clear that he works very hard at it!
https://freakyixing.tumblr.com/post/139346201694/sehun-speaking-english-at-exoluxion-dallas-hes
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6) He’s a pro at being savage and shading his members.
Normally, the maknae of the group is supposed to be respectful to the older members and listen well. Sehun, on the other hand, could be considered one of the OG “evil maknaes.” Though he obviously loves his hyungs, he has a reputation for talking back to them and taking advantage of his status as the baby of the group. He was especially savage back when EXO were rookies – just watch any episode of EXO Showtime. He’s older now, but he remains ready to shade his fellow members if they get out of hand.
http://deararchimedes.tumblr.com/post/159305758520/sehun-ready-to-expose-trans
EXO leader Suho seems to be his most frequent victim, probably because they were roommates for five years (until a room opened up in their dorm and Sehun kicked him out, of course). But their friendship seems to be really genuine and they almost seem like brothers – even if Sehun doesn’t think so.
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7) He’s a low key tsundere.
“Tsundere” is a Japanese word that originally referred to anime/manga characters, but generally means someone that looks cold but is actually really soft inside. (Koreans use the term as well) Kind of like the bad boy with the heart of gold. Sehun is notably more reserved – and perhaps shyer -than some of the other EXO members, and sometimes that translates to looking cold. His stares have even intimidated top variety star Yoo Jae Suk.
But even if it’s rarer to see, Sehun definitely has a softer and sillier side. So even if he’s mastered that aloof expression, there are definitely small cracks in that facade.
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8) He’s singlehandedly responsible for the best moment of ISACs ever.
In a now iconic moment, Sehun mistook Seventeen’s Jeonghan for his good friend Johnny of NCT. To be fair, they both had the same haircut at the time. But the clip went viral, and the rest is history. It’s so funny because you can’t make this kind of thing up, and it’s endearing because it makes him more relatable (see above about the tsundere thing). It’s lucky he was so cool about it, because the internet never forgets.
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9) He donates to charity.
I admit most of what I’ve put on this list are light-hearted surface level things. That’s just part of celebrity fan culture – it’s very superficial. For me, bias stanning is usually just a fun casual activity like when I’m scrolling through Tumblr. I’m not really looking for celebrities I like to be my influences or role models because I’m older than most of them. I’d obviously prefer my faves to be well-behaved and politically correct, but in general how they live their lives doesn’t impact me. That being said, I do appreciate it when celebrities use their influence to help others in need. So although I was a Sehun way before he made his donation, his actions make me like him even more.
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10) Basically, everyone loves him.
As of July of this year, Sehun is the third most followed K-Pop star on Instagram (after Big Bang’s GD and fellow member Chanyeol). He’s also won individual popularity prizes at the Gaon Chart Music Awards – the Weibo K-Pop Star Award in 2015 and the Artist of Fans’ Choice (Individual) in 2016. If he’s this popular, he must be doing something right!
http://ohhsenshine.tumblr.com/post/157568780500/sehuns-artist-of-the-fan-choice-speech
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BONUS FUN THINGS ABOUT SEHUN
*His nickname is apparently Willis.
*Some Chinese fans bought him some land in Scotland for his birthday, so he’s legitimately a Scottish Lord.
*According to Baekhyun, he has the best body in EXO (if this kind of this matters to you)
I could go on and on, but I think this is already a lot of stuff! Basically, I’m a staunch Sehun fan and I will be until the end.
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SOURCES: SM Entertainment, Youtube, Tumblr, Sehun’s Instagram (@oohsehun), Vogue, Soompi, Pann Choa (Blogspot), Omona They Didn’t (Livejournal), onehallyu, Superelle, Vogue Korea
None of these videos or Tumblr posts are mine; credits go to their original owners.
Katherine Does K-POP 