UGLY - 2NE1 (Review)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9D0nLjYMYTw

I have to share this video that came out recently. 2NE1 is an amazing, powerful and inspiring girl k-pop group. While most other girl groups are acting like they're ten years old and singing cutesy love songs about some guy that they probably saw in class or something (even though most of them of the age that they should have already graduated?) Not to say I don't like them I like cutesy songs like SNSD's "Gee" and "Genie", or sexy songs like Brown-eyed Girls' "Abracadabra", as much as the next person, but they are nothing like 2NE1.
2NE1 is powerful, strong, clean of stuff like drugs, full of girl power, and are the perfect role models for young girls. Not to pick on people... well, actually I am, but you guys can guess who I'm talking about when I'm talking about a young American girl who seems all cute and innocent and many young girls look up to her as a role model, but she doesn't seem to take that role as a public figure and role model to young girls seriously, which is proven by a number of 'leaked' or posted scandalous photos and viral videos of her experimenting with drugs. I won't name her, but yeah... I think 2NE1 are much better role models despite the fact that the above mentioned young girl is far more popular and well-known than 2NE1 in America.

Anyway, the lyrics are repetitive, but admit it. If you're a woman, or heck!! If you're human, you've had thoughts like this bouncing around in your head at least in SOME point in your life. You never feel good enough. There is always someone prettier than you, smarter than you, better than you. On the bright side, these are human feelings that apparently beautiful, strong women like the gals in 2NE1 can even escape. If you've never had these feelings before... bad news. You might want to check if you're human.

Though the lyrics seems like something you don't want your children to listen to, the video makes them, in my eyes, the female, Korean version of My Chemical Romance. (MCRmy FTW!) MCR has a bad rep, their band leader (Gerard Way) is an ex- druggie and alcoholic, the (awesome) bassist (Frank "Frankie" Iero) is covered with tattoos and their song lyrics can be very questionable at times("I'm not okay.", "lather the blood on your hands", "singing songs that make you slit your wrist", "you can take off your skin in the cannibal glow"). Okay, fine I'll admit it. A lot of the times. However, they do send out a good message. Be yourself and let nobody change you.  Sure, they usually don't put it that way and usually say "Never let them take you alive." But hey, same difference. They repeatedly said that they don't want to be labelled as an "emo" group. They repeated tell their fans that they should never self-mutilate or commit suicide, because no matter what the world says, they are beautiful. They tell them to never be afraid to be whoever they want to be. Gerard Way is pretty much clean now. He's gone from hopeless, messed-up druggie to occasional smoker, from alcoholic to someone who only drinks on special occasions. Gerard had also gone through deep depression multiple time, but he's still alive and with us. He's been through a lot, and he keeps telling fans that if he could make it through all that, so can they. He and the bassist, Frankie, are both proud fathers. Gerard has a beautiful baby girl by the name of Bandit and Frankie has twins. I believe every band member is happily married.
Anyway, now that I've been through a whole MCR rant, back to the equally amazing 2NE1's music video. In the beginning you have the girls walking down a dark, deserted alleyway singing to the song. There are signs saying "UGLY GIRLS NOT ALLOWED" and "YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL". Then after break-dancing and having major fun in a random clearing, they break through a metal fence, entering an area with the sign "UGLY GIRLS NOT ALLOWED". They enter the "PLASTIC ZONE"!! (That made me think of the Twilight Zone... *suspenseful music* dun dun dunnn!!!!) And then they totally trash the place.

One last thing: The Outfits. Okay, so maybe it does look like something that, if you weren't them, you totally couldn't pull it off. But hey, those neon, glow-in-the-dark outfits?? and throwing paint around everywhere?? That was awesome. (Anyone up for a paint gun war? Anyone? Paint gun? Anyone...? Hello...?)  Honestly, that's something ANYONE can pull off. You are suppose to look like a mess, so as long as you look confident in yourself and you're having fun doing what you do, you look awesome.
I speak from experience. A couple of friends and I got together a few years ago to paint a mural for our local food pantry. Sure, maybe when we first got there with our clean outfits that are old, worn and peppered with holes, you know the kinds of clothes I'm talking about, the stuff that you probably found in the basement and were about to throw out but "Hey! We're going to be painting and we're going to be covered in paint, might as well wear this and throw it out afterwards!" It was also so early and we were just a bunch of tired, annoyed teenage girls that wanted to go back to bed. But hey, by the time it was in the afternoon, we had someone's ipod blasting in the background, a table set up with food, chips and drinks, and we were a mess but we were having fun. We were a mess, but we were set for the photographer that we didn't know was coming. Our picture was in the paper. That picture of us with paint blotches on our shirts and in our hair, smudges on our faces and little pictures drawn on each other's pants out of boredom. So go do something fun. Don't be afraid to get dirty. Don't be afraid to be yourself. Don't be afraid to be confident. You are beautiful, because you are you.

This post was written by: Korean Lovers

Korean Lovers is a professional blogger korean Addict, web designer and front end web developer. Follow him on Twitter