10 years ago today, AOA released their best song and one of the best songs in the entire 2nd gen, Miniskirt. I don’t think that I’ll ever get over the fact that 2014 was over a decade ago but what’s even more interesting is the fact that 2014 is regarded as one of the best years for kpop. I can’t say whether or not I agree with that but I can say that AOA definitely contributed to how great that year was for kpop. In terms of 2nd gen producers, Brave Brothers rarely ever miss in creating breakout hits such as Miniskirt and I’m so excited to finally review a song I’ve been loving for over 5 years now.
First off, as much as I absolutely love this song and love the wave of 2nd gen kpop nostalgia that hits me whenever I listen to it, I can’t help but notice how much the music video, outfits and choreography want to please the straight male gaze. I know that’s a pretty ironic statement as the song is called “Miniskirt” after all, but it could have been a powerful song about not caring about other people’s judgements directed towards what you wear (especially if it’s considered ‘racy’ for a woman to wear). The pandering is very bombarding and they could have toned it down so that it’s not overly distracting. It’s possible to make a sexy concept and not make it overtly objectifying FNC Entertainment!
Anyways, straight male gaze pandering aside, this song is just near perfect. It’s like the backing track of someone playing hard to get or of the mischievous excitement that comes with attraction at first sight. The starting adlibs (such as Jimin’s famous “Hey’s” scattered across AOA’s discography) and first verse hooks me in line and sinker (I can’t help but sing along to “nal baraboneun shiseoniiiii“), the second verse rap is really good and actually serves a purpose, Brave Brothers did a striking job composing and producing the instrumental & song and it hasn’t negatively aged a day in over 10 years!
Thankfully the lyrics aren’t as overtly adult-oriented. They basically cover the common 2nd gen girl group lyrical trope of “why can’t you notice what’s right in front of you?“. To break that down a bit more, these types of songs talk about how everyone else seems to notice and chase after them except for their love interest, who seems too oblivious to their attraction towards him. For example, the summed up lyrics in the chorus say, “When I wear a miniskirt and walk down the street, everyone looks at me. But why are you the only one who doesn’t notice?“. Additionally, the lyrics really make me nostalgic of the various girl group songs that are about the frustrations they have about an aloof love interest who doesn’t seem to notice the massive barrage of pretty girls trying to vie over his attention. Well, at least that’s how I like to think of it.
Miniskirt gets a…
10/10
Thank you for reading! Can you imagine that 2014 was over a DECADE ago? I’m still not over that! That is absolutely wild, especially considering those were very good years musically for both pop and kpop! So, maybe you’ll see another post such as this one in the future!
A Floating Realm In The Corner 