DKZ's Twitter / Watcha Official
Recently, South Korea has been producing many BL dramas. Because not everyone easily agrees to play queer roles in dramas, many production companies have turned to the K-Pop industry. Not that K-Pop idols accept more easily playing in BL dramas, but many are willing to give it a try for various reasons. That is why most Korean BL dramas include K-Pop idols in the cast. But if this looks like a perfect combination and a win-win for the agencies and companies, the reality is way more complicated than this. It is not all bad, but sometimes, it isn't all good either.
Even if South Korea is trying to open to diversity, like queer communities, overall there is a big conservative mentality over homosexuality and gender identities according to OECD's research "Society at a Glance 2019. A spotlight on LBGT people". Because of that, the BL market is trying to grow without being too controversial, and engaging idols as actors for BL dramas is a way to make more people accept the idea of having queer representation. Because many fans will be ready to take interest in the show because their favorite idols star in it too. However, if that is the expectation, it is not always so easy. Now let's take a look at a few side-effects of idols starring in BL dramas.
1. Growing A Fanbase
Heavenly Official
In a majority of the BL Dramas that have been released recently, the idols who were part of the cast weren't part of the most popular idols, and there is a reason for that. If including idols helps make BL dramas more popular, it is also helping the idols to grow a bigger fanbase. Of course,
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