Huh … does he need an eye exam!! Well it’s better to fly a little under the radar as much as possible.

He’s a precious near-sighted bunny 🐰 Maybe he cant see himself clearly XD
Very true! Especially in showbiz of (South) East Asian culture, wherein humility and humbleness is ingrained in the culture itself and is very easily applied and appreciated in the workplace. Many people don’t see celebrity-hood as just a job, which I think is a very dangerous way to approach things, especially in fandom

I know you always say that there is a trend of “fanatic fans”. Can I ask a rookie question. Do you think celebrities tend to think of themselves as needing to cater to the fans above and beyond the work that they do.

@seeker
I think some celebrities will think that— there will always be celebrities who think that, it’s what I feel like the entire celebrity/fan culture of South Korea is like— and I do think that, to a degree, it is a universal thing that happens, regardless of the geographic location (i.e. China, Korea, Hollywood, etc.). It’s just a matter of intensity and the age bracket of fans who are drawn to that and the celebrity who chooses to feed off of that as a way to drive their career (for popularity for a way to feel liked and as a measure of their success) or as a way to thank fan. The latter is how I think Xiao Zhan does it, and I think he knows where and when to draw the line and doesn’t think of it as an overarching obligation to do it nor does he use it as a measure for popularity and success, but he does it as an an action meant to be an outpouring of gratitude and love for his fans who have given love to him. Time and time again, he has always told his fans to always, always, always, prioritize their own personal lives and their own successes before turning to him and go “star (celebrity) chasing” over him. At the same time, many fans have expressed that their success and their happiness has been brought out after some tough times because they discovered him and look to him as motivation—as a good person and as a successful person— to do better and to be better in life

Thank you for a very thoughtful answer. I agree celebrities worldwide do tend to “pander” to their fans to an extent but I was just wondering do they always have to wear that invisible cloak of stardom or do they get to disassociate themselves from the star and live like a normal person at times.

Just get off the clock at times?

@seeker I think that is up to the celeb themselves. At the same time, it is also different preferences in culture. Specific to South Korea and China, the standard for celebrity-hood is a bit more tight compared to—say— Hollywood:

– Because South Korea has such a strong culture of keeping up appearances, the expectation is that celebrities are put on an unreasonable level of influence and a ridiculously high pedestal, so everything they do is scrutinized, even the things in their private lives. It’s a bit scary, because the trend in Korea is that whatever is popular, whatever is pretty, whatever is trending at the time, everyone in Korea will have to have it, do it, eat it, breathe it, and 99% of these things come from celebrities. In turn, that also means celebrities have an extremely high level of influence on the next generation, so if a celebrity decides to do something stupid, there is more than likely a chance that a portion of the population will follow suit and not think twice about it. On the flip side of that is their extreme cancel culture and strong court of public opinion that can and will break someone down

In China, much is the same, but at the same time, it is much more controlled and regulated and there is no court of public opinion. In China, a celebrity isn’t just seen as a public figure, they are also regarded by the government as a civil servant (a.k.a. An extension of being a government official), and are held at that same standard. This is where things differ a little bit from South Korea:
Wherein South Korea’s cancel culture comes from the people (citizens), the cancel culture of China is ignited and put into action by the Chinese government. Sure, there may be some horrible, horrible netizens in China— like everywhere else in the world— who will spew vitriol, but the ultimate threat to a celebrity’s career and status as a public figure in China ultimately still lies in the hands of the government. On the flip side, if something were to happen to a Chinese celeb and they were/are being wrongly treated—cyber-bullied, defamed, etc.— the government will step in and help to bring that celebrity out of the situation, especially if/when that celebrity has been proven to have done nothing wrong

Thank you. You always explain so beautifully. I guess that is why the need to apologize to fans for “dating” seems so weird but is normal or expected behavior in SK and perhaps China too.

The “burden” of being a celebrity is much more. Now I understand why you say that it is difficult especially for young celebrities to differentiate between their job and personal life.