# Korean girls sounding like babies **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 18, 2012, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/korean-girls-sounding-like-babies/638158 "2012-10-18T20:06:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![njtt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecd19e/32.png) [@njtt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/njtt)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2012, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/korean-girls-sounding-like-babies/638158/42 "2012-10-21T18:10:55Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > So perhaps both American and British participants in international message boards should stop saying “Asian” when they mean “East Asian” or “South Asian.” That was, more or less, my point. If you are talking about Asian Americans, or British Asians, that is one thing, and will usually be understood in context (though not necessarily on an international message board) to mean East Asian and South Asian respectively. If, however, you are generalizing about about Asian cultures, then, even in America, if your generalization only actually applies to East Asian cultures, you are **wrong**. ---
**Author:** ![even\_sven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dfb087/32.png) [@even\_sven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/even_sven)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2012, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/korean-girls-sounding-like-babies/638158/43 "2012-10-21T19:00:18Z")
Infantilization of women drove me nuts when I lived in China, and I’m utterly convinced it has roots in misogyny. After all, it’s a lot easier to not take women seriously if they are holding teddy bears and acting like children. The nod to pedophilia, I think, is just a bonus. It’s really about creating systems where women undermine their own credibility. My first year, as a 28 year old globetrotting college teacher who often held her own at department drinking contests, my boss gave the foreign teachers Christmas presents. I was given a pair of mittens done up to look like poodles, complete with string. My second year, I got a pink teddy bear. I understand it was culturally appropriate- it was not unusual to see full-grown women wearing child-style pink lacy dresses toting giant teddy bears. But it still really grated on me. ---
**Author:** ![drachillix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/48db29/32.png) [@drachillix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drachillix)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2012, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/korean-girls-sounding-like-babies/638158/44 "2012-10-21T19:43:03Z")
> [@TokyoBayer](#): > > I lasted about 25 seconds into that one, which is better than most J-Pop songs. > > Japan Resident – decidedly NOT a J-Pop fan. If you listened to the third link I actually kinda liked it.. I don’t speak Korean but it feels more maturely emoted. I could see dropping Kelly Clarkston, Britney Spears, or Christina Aguilera in there and having it get serious airtime here. ---
**Author:** ![Mister\_Rik](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mister_rik/32/491_2.png) [@Mister\_Rik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mister_Rik)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2012, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/korean-girls-sounding-like-babies/638158/45 "2012-10-21T19:50:25Z")
> [@mil0](#): > > [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EkSOOiMDGiY](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EkSOOiMDGiY) > miss A - I don’t need a man > > [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K64mb5KUhhs](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K64mb5KUhhs) > Gain - Bloom > > [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MCEcWcIww5k](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MCEcWcIww5k) > Ailee - I will show you The first was entertaining, the second took way too long to get going so I gave up on it. But that third one … holy crap that girl can sing! > [@AaronX](#): > > In my experience, Taiwanese girls do this the most - speaking with an artificial high-pitched voice on TV shows. Here’s a music video that demonstrates what I mean: [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W8Osj77g3sY](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W8Osj77g3sY) Did … did that video have a couple cameos by Pedobear? > [@Krokodil](#): > > I am in Korea right now. There’s definitely a “culture of cutesiness” here, but not all womwn (and not all girls; I’m a teacher) buy into babytalk as a way of being attractive. One of the most popular girl groups here is 2NE1, a quartet of gals who definitely know how to use the lower register of their voices. 2NE1 is my favorite. One of the most interesting things about them is that they show far less skin (almost none, in fact) than most of the Korean girl groups, yet somehow manage to be ten times sexier than any of the others. And while I’m sure the makeup has a lot to do with it, it’s hard to tell by looking that there is a 10-year age difference between the oldest and youngest members of the group. My favorite 2NE1: [I Am the Best](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j7_lSP8Vc3o) ---
**Author:** ![Ranchoth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranchoth/32/1066_2.png) [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2012, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/korean-girls-sounding-like-babies/638158/46 "2012-10-22T19:12:10Z")
> [@even\_sven](#): > > Infantilization of women drove me nuts when I lived in China, and I’m utterly convinced it has roots in misogyny. After all, it’s a lot easier to not take women seriously if they are holding teddy bears and acting like children. The nod to pedophilia, I think, is just a bonus. It’s really about creating systems where women undermine their own credibility. It occurred to me awhile back that selecting for Neoteny, the retention of juvenile traits in adult organisms, especially in regards for behavior, is also one of the processes used in _animal domestication_. Diabolical. ---
**Author:** ![AaronX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/7bcc69/32.png) [@AaronX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AaronX)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2012, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/korean-girls-sounding-like-babies/638158/47 "2012-10-23T03:59:43Z")
Does anyone else get the feeling that after decades of women’s rights, fighting for the right to vote and getting men to treat them equally, this is a step backwards? ---
**Author:** ![even\_sven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dfb087/32.png) [@even\_sven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/even_sven)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2012, 9:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/korean-girls-sounding-like-babies/638158/48 "2012-10-23T09:00:00Z")
> [@AaronX](#): > > Does anyone else get the feeling that after decades of women’s rights, fighting for the right to vote and getting men to treat them equally, this is a step backwards? That didn’t happen everywhere. Korea is not as bad as some countries, but much of East Asia is decades behind when it comes to gender equity. ---
**Author:** ![Darth\_Panda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ee7513/32.png) [@Darth\_Panda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darth_Panda)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2012, 9:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/korean-girls-sounding-like-babies/638158/49 "2012-10-23T09:26:21Z")
> [@njtt](#): > > If, however, you are generalizing about about Asian cultures, then, even in America, if your generalization only actually applies to East Asian cultures, you are **wrong**. Yes, it must be equally applicable to people in Cyprus. If you omit Cyprus, I will come for you. ---
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2012, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/korean-girls-sounding-like-babies/638158/50 "2012-10-26T16:09:13Z")
> [@njtt](#): > > That was, more or less, my point. If you are talking about Asian Americans, or British Asians, that is one thing, and will usually be understood in context (though not necessarily on an international message board) to mean East Asian and South Asian respectively. If, however, you are generalizing about about Asian cultures, then, even in America, if your generalization only actually applies to East Asian cultures, you are **wrong**. You seem to be talking about continental Asians, which is fine. But for most Americans, or westerners, culturally speaking, “Asians” usually refers to those populations of Asia who also exhibit an epicanthic fold. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/korean-girls-sounding-like-babies/638158.md?page=2)