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cometoheavenfindmethereseonghwa is my latest kpop man fixation and it's been fun so far. i'm not one to get into new groups easily anymore. i do enjoy a pretty visual but, surprisingly, that's no longer enough to keep my attention for longer than a day. seonghwa is... something else. a different kind of idol and a different kind of person, but i'll spare you the cheesy reflections on the personhood of this kpop man in favor of bringing up my current favorite topic.
autism.
now, what does seonghwa have to do with autism? and why do you make such pretentious titles for your journal entries, celeste? both very good questions.
seonghwa has an interesting role in this, as for being one of the only kpop idols i can recognize autistic traits in other than the personal faves of autistic kpop twt (taehyung, namjoon, taeyong, taemin, haechan, etc.) recognizing neurodivergency in kpop idols has long been a point of contention between neurodivergent fans and neurotypical fans. it's very easy to write off any sort of neurodivergent behavior in idols because of a myriad of reasons. first of all, i highly doubt any of the neurodivergent fans claiming to see traits of neurodivergency in the idols they admire have any sort of medical professionalism or education. however, neurotypical and allistic fans quickly write off any inkling of neurodivergency, seeing the implication and insinuation of an idol BEING neurodivergent as a slight or personal attack. it's strange, but not completely doltish, to automatically assume that every passing "___ is autistic" remark is an insult. sometimes it really is meant as an insult... but only when it's used by other neurotypicals to make neurotypicals angry at the mere thought that someone they're attracted to and spending money on could have a neurodevelopmental disorder.
it's... unfortunate, harmful, and ableist, to say the least.
however, i know this won't be remedied anytime soon. so, instead of talking myself in circles about the uselessness of wishing neurotypical kpop fans were less ableist, i will talk about kpop idols being autistic instead.................. and THEN i'll talk about how ableist the kpop industry is set up to be.
taking notes from the infamous TAEHYUNG AUTISM YOUTUBE COMMENT from nee van nee (thank you btw legend), i'll be analyzing seonghwa's behaviors under a microscope under the reasonable impression that he is autistic. so let's set up some indicator categories before we begin:
Indicator Categories:
1. Speech - how does the subject use verbal language?
2. Expression - how does the subject express themselves?
3. “Thinking” - does the subject have a strange or interesting way of thinking?
4. Interests - does the subject have any outstanding interests? how noticeable is the interest?
5. Habits - what behaviors do they do unconsciously? does the subject stim regularly?
6. Empathy - does the subject show empathy? to what or whom does the subject show empathy towards?
7. Preferences - does the subject prefer certain types of clothes of foods to others?
8. Affection - how touchy-feely is the subject? do they enjoy physical affection or shy away from it?
9. Engagement- how does the subject engage with their environment and the people around them?
10. Etc. - anything else that doesn't fall under any of the above umbrellas...
so, using seonghwa as our prime example ... let's see if he's beleivably autistic or i'm just delusional<3
SPEECH
seonghwa seems to easily grasp and switch between Seoul dialect and Jinju satoori. he sometimes slips into a cutesy vocal affect, almost unconsciously, both while interacting with fans and his fellow members. echolalia shows up pretty frequently in his speech patterns. writes three-page-long letters easily, indicating he must have a lot to say for it to flow out like that. easily talks about his thoughts as soon as they come to him. has a fixation on asmr... good volume control. generally sing-songy vocal affect... doesn't really talk "flat".
EXPRESSION
hr was admittedly bad at emoting during (and for a while after) debut, but practiced expressions consistently in the mirror and has since become very expressive, especially during performances. loves being complimented on his expressiveness while on stage, so it must have been a big cause of anxiety for him. seems to have to concentrate to emote, but usually has a smile on his resting face, indicating that an easy smile is a simple expression for him to show. defaults into a blank face a lot of the time when he doesn’t seem to be thinking. those pics of him as a baby where he’s sitting in that field and crying lol
THINKING
he seems to have trouble differentiating his idolsona to his real life personality anymore. i genuinely believe he can’t tell the difference between them much anymore. there was a video during “wave” era where he was talking with wooyoung and san and san (or wooyoung, tbh i can’t rmbr) said something to the effect of “seonghwa is so different when the camera is on vs. off.” and that wasn’t super long after their debut… nowadays he has trouble turning off the charm when he’s just supposed to act normal. it makes sense… neurodivergent brains become accustomed to certain personality tropes after a while of embodying them… they just become part of you. he used to be “cold” and now he’s warm and that could be because he’s warmed up to the members, or the idol lifestyle, or whatever… but he wasn’t afraid to act “cold” on camera pre-debut. i just think he’s different now… like it’s changed his brain chemistry.
INTERESTS
he's interested in building gundam figurines… apparently has eleven and a half (and the half is important for some reason) and gifts gundams to the other members just because. seemingly hyperfixated on toothless from how to train your dragon. likes plushies a LOT. he SEEMS to genuinely love his fans and jumps at any opportunity to interact with them. genuine fear of heights. as i said before he has a genuine interest in asmr and makes a lot of videos about it.
HABITS
he gently rocks back and forth in MANY videos including vlives and interviews. unconsciously (apparently) sticks his tongue out on a consistent basis. he does the 👉👈 gesture very often, maybe just because he likes it. aegyo seems to be a programmed response at this point. enjoys squishing soft things against both of his cheeks... like plushies from fansigns. i'm not saying this next point for sure, because it might just be makeup or from bad photo editing, but it also seems like he picks at the skin on his arm until it scabs over, it seems like he's got lots of scabs on his arms and hands in some pictures. also, it seems like he bites on his fingernails and the skin around them... i can't say for sure if that's true or not but from some pics i've seen his fingernails looks misshapen at times and the skin around his fingernails is a bit frayed, y'know?
EMPATHY
admitted to watching baby videos in some vlive with hongjoong… says he does it a lot because he loves children. hongjoong noted he (seonghwa) tends to copy their (baby) mannerisms, probably because he frequently watches videos of them. that video of him being attentive to the "lost girl" just after he debuted suggests he has hyper-empathy towards children, noting that it's hard for children to be left alone OR go with strangers and also asked if she wanted something to eat. haven’t seen him interact with animals much but isn’t bothered by the presence of insects it seems.
PREFERENCES
apparently noted a distaste for bitter foods and an affinity towards sweet foods, though he’s been trying to mature his tastes by drinking coffee in recent years. likes sweet-flavored milks. doesn’t like mint chocolate (weakling) or pineapple on pizza (common sense). has no mention of food he dislikes on his kpop profiles page, however. also seems to like beef so he generally seems to have childish tastes in food. as for clothes, he expressed distaste when the arm straps were too tight on his biceps. seems to wear mostly loose fitting pants, as far as outfits in airports go. prioritizes comfort, soft & breathable fabrics. seemed not to want his hair touched in a recent bts video. he really likes iu's music and iu has a very soft and comforting voice. in one vlive when he was drawing on some polaroids of himself, he kept one iu song on repeat for 20 minutes straight and didn't appear annoyed by the song repeating over and over.
AFFECTION
was annoyed in an early video with hongjoong bc he didn't do skinship with him even though they're the same age. he rubs his head on others, holds their hands, hugs them, kisses them, bites them (uh.), and generally doesn't seem to mind being touched by them. touches with staff in videos seem to be very minimal from what i've noticed so far. doesn't hesitate to touch friends, like his members. seeks out comforting touches from his members, in fact. however, when jongho & hongjoong tried to touch his ponytail in a recent video, he insisted they don't... probably just didn't want them to mess it up tho. actually i don't see people touching his head or face very much now that i think about it but in general, he doesn't seem averse to touch. wooyoung and san seem to "bully him" a lot but it mostly seems to be in good fun. he genuinely likes skinship so he doesn't seem bothered when they grab him or pretend to punch him or whatever.
ENGAGEMENT
seonghwa types cutely... uses a lot of "~" to extend sentences and he repeats himself until he gets an answer. a playful talker in writing. uses a lot of emoticons/emojis but he talks well, though his texts seem to mostly be short. is able to use his words to convey genuine meaning. he's genuinely attentive to fans and his members. i can tell that he cares deeply about the people around him... usually i'd say that a man who's portraying a surface-level personality to garner love and attention so that he'll make his company money... ISN'T a genuine person but the vibe that i get from him is just that he's different. he cares deeply about the people in his life and pays attention to the things they like and helps them in any way he can. he's called "the mom" of the group bc he takes care of everyone and he's apparently very sensitive to people listening to him. he's attentive but can be incredibly cold when he doesn't care (#justautismthings). he also shushes the members when they get overexcited or loud... i'm not sure whether that's for himself (since he does seem to get a little annoyed when they're too loud) or if he's being attentive to the person actually trying to speak or if he's being attentive to the audience. maybe it's a combination of things.
ETC.
cleaning rituals... has a very specific order to the way he cleans the dorm, apparently. genuinely obsessed with cleanliness. "he sweeps the floor with a roller every chance he gets. i've never seen a man who sweeps the floor with a roller before." he went into detail about his specific cleaning method so here are the "steps":
1. sweeps floor w/ a lint roller.
2. vacuums to remove dust...
3. uses a wet tissue (on the floor? i assume it means like on the walls and surfaces).
4. uses a lint roller on the floor AGAIN.
he said that cleaning that way every single time makes him comfortable, so clearly it's a ritual. hongjoong rooms with him and says, even when it's time to sleep, seonghwa can't sleep until the room is clean. and thennnn the MCs pulled out a bunch of confetti and sprinkled it all over the studio to like... make fun of him? mad funny bro.
apparently when seonghwa auditioned, the manager auditioning him chose him bc he thought seonghwa would kill him if he didn't. i'm not saying seonghwa wasn't intimidating or anything but i'm pretty sure that indicates that he has like... rbf and/or shuts down when he's nervous.
also this isn't really anything but it's very cute how when he's focusing on reading a comment or listening to someone he'll be like ":O" and then he'll answer them. he's amazing at fanservice. there's this clip where he's talking to a fan in a virtual fansign and she says something about geeting a boyfriend and he's like "yes<3 your boyfriend is here<3" and she's like "... i mean. no. if i focus too much on ateez, i'll never get a boyfriend." and he's like "we can be your boyfriends! :D" and she's just like ".......... nah, you're more like a friend to me." and he looks SO GENUINELY CONFUSED AND HURT LMAO??? bless that girl for not being delusional, i don't think i'd have the power to say no over and over again to that little face. like. i wouldn't call him quirky (i would) but there's definitely something wrong with him<3.
---
so... what's the takeaway from all of this analyzing behavior? honestly? for anyone besides me, this means nothing. but that's the point! it's okay for it to only mean something to ME!!! if you genuinely care whether or not a kpop man has autism or not, ur insane. i mean... i am insane but i really just like analyzing behavior and wondering what this person is really like. do i genuinely think park seonghwa from ateez is autistic? i'm not sure! i can see that he has autistic traits and point them out, but at the end of the day i'm not a specialist (not that neurotypical behavioral specialists are actually specialists either, let's be real here...) and i don't even know seonghwa personally.
however, it really rustles my jimmies when people, including kpop fans and even the kpop industry itself, are ableist towards these people who markedly AREN'T the perfect little robots that they're thought to be. there are lot of idols who have talked about their struggles with their physical (related to mental, i.e. physical issues caused by eating disorders or severe anxiety) and mental health, and usually they're written off and forgotten about fairly easily. if you aren't looking directly at something, it will disappear... that's how the industry works.
that's why when you have idols that ARE placed on the back burner with severe mental health issues, they struggle to get the help they need. of course, autism isn't a mental illness. it's a neurodevelopmental disorder ("okay, you keep saying that. what does that mean?") which MEANS that during the development of a your brain as a child, it developed in a way that's different from "normal" and now you get to be cooler than regular people.
okay, but for real, it's very clear that the kpop industry does not prioritize mental health. sure, they do take measures (at least on the surface) to care for their idols and to make sure they feel secure and able to talk to them about anything... but withholding comfort from a human being in ANY way is inhumane. not allowing idols to date just so you can profit of of fan delusion, forcing idols to act a certain way with flagrant disregard for their actual thoughts and feelings, noticing bullying and infighting happen within groups and not doing anything about it, etc etc etc. i can't exactly say i even blame them, i mean that's what the point of the kpop industry is... to directly profit from these people who you, honestly, have very little actual control over. however, it's impossible for me to see this shit happening consistently and not feel disgusted by it. the kpop industry is RIFE with issues, this certainly isn't the only one. hell, it's not even the only one that DIRECTLY places idols in danger, but the way that the kpop industry takes advantage of idols who aren't neurotypical is insidious and omnipresent.
i think there's also something to be said about neurodivergent idols being harmed more by certain restrictions of idol life, which are of course bad for everyone but neurodivergent people are affected by things in ways that are worse than what neurotypical peole will ever face. this is, obviously, because mental illness can worsen in certain circumstances, no matter how mild the case. being forced to starve theirselves, interact with creepy old fans, overworked far past the point of mental exhaustion... etc. neurodivergent people will not get out of this business scotfree and we know for a fact that there are idols with adhd and severe anxiety and depression and eating disorders and trauma... this isn't something metaphorical. it's a harsh reality that these people have to face because they want to make music or be famous. ig, for that reason, you could say they deserve it for their hubris (but why would you. literally.). neurotypical nepotism isn't a "thing" but it's true in almost all career fields and paths. it's calculated. you will not "survive" if you aren't mentally prepared for failure and turmoil in the workplace. i'm sure it's amplified considerably in the kpop industry due to the nature of the working conditions. but that doesn't stop neurotypical people from becoming idols and neither SHOULD it. the system should be changed.
so. when all is said and done... i think we, neurodivergent people and neurotypical people alike, should be more mindful of how we treat mental illness in the "kpop community" (oxymoron lol). neurotypical kpop fans (... also lol) need to realize that mental illness is just a thing some people live with. it doesn't make us monsters or less human. we're just people with a different way of thinking, feeling, and acting. when you factor all of humanity into that way of thinking, mental illness is just a different way to be alive. everyone thinks, feels, and acts differently, some of just have more issues than others.
it's not insane for me to think that kpop idols can (and probably definitely do) have mental illnesses that are AND aren't professionally diagnosed, or that they have neurodevelopmental disorders like autism, schizophrenia, or dyslexia.
it's just normal. because mental illness is just a normal part of life.
autism.
now, what does seonghwa have to do with autism? and why do you make such pretentious titles for your journal entries, celeste? both very good questions.
seonghwa has an interesting role in this, as for being one of the only kpop idols i can recognize autistic traits in other than the personal faves of autistic kpop twt (taehyung, namjoon, taeyong, taemin, haechan, etc.) recognizing neurodivergency in kpop idols has long been a point of contention between neurodivergent fans and neurotypical fans. it's very easy to write off any sort of neurodivergent behavior in idols because of a myriad of reasons. first of all, i highly doubt any of the neurodivergent fans claiming to see traits of neurodivergency in the idols they admire have any sort of medical professionalism or education. however, neurotypical and allistic fans quickly write off any inkling of neurodivergency, seeing the implication and insinuation of an idol BEING neurodivergent as a slight or personal attack. it's strange, but not completely doltish, to automatically assume that every passing "___ is autistic" remark is an insult. sometimes it really is meant as an insult... but only when it's used by other neurotypicals to make neurotypicals angry at the mere thought that someone they're attracted to and spending money on could have a neurodevelopmental disorder.
it's... unfortunate, harmful, and ableist, to say the least.
however, i know this won't be remedied anytime soon. so, instead of talking myself in circles about the uselessness of wishing neurotypical kpop fans were less ableist, i will talk about kpop idols being autistic instead.................. and THEN i'll talk about how ableist the kpop industry is set up to be.
taking notes from the infamous TAEHYUNG AUTISM YOUTUBE COMMENT from nee van nee (thank you btw legend), i'll be analyzing seonghwa's behaviors under a microscope under the reasonable impression that he is autistic. so let's set up some indicator categories before we begin:
Indicator Categories:
1. Speech - how does the subject use verbal language?
2. Expression - how does the subject express themselves?
3. “Thinking” - does the subject have a strange or interesting way of thinking?
4. Interests - does the subject have any outstanding interests? how noticeable is the interest?
5. Habits - what behaviors do they do unconsciously? does the subject stim regularly?
6. Empathy - does the subject show empathy? to what or whom does the subject show empathy towards?
7. Preferences - does the subject prefer certain types of clothes of foods to others?
8. Affection - how touchy-feely is the subject? do they enjoy physical affection or shy away from it?
9. Engagement- how does the subject engage with their environment and the people around them?
10. Etc. - anything else that doesn't fall under any of the above umbrellas...
so, using seonghwa as our prime example ... let's see if he's beleivably autistic or i'm just delusional<3
SPEECH
seonghwa seems to easily grasp and switch between Seoul dialect and Jinju satoori. he sometimes slips into a cutesy vocal affect, almost unconsciously, both while interacting with fans and his fellow members. echolalia shows up pretty frequently in his speech patterns. writes three-page-long letters easily, indicating he must have a lot to say for it to flow out like that. easily talks about his thoughts as soon as they come to him. has a fixation on asmr... good volume control. generally sing-songy vocal affect... doesn't really talk "flat".
EXPRESSION
hr was admittedly bad at emoting during (and for a while after) debut, but practiced expressions consistently in the mirror and has since become very expressive, especially during performances. loves being complimented on his expressiveness while on stage, so it must have been a big cause of anxiety for him. seems to have to concentrate to emote, but usually has a smile on his resting face, indicating that an easy smile is a simple expression for him to show. defaults into a blank face a lot of the time when he doesn’t seem to be thinking. those pics of him as a baby where he’s sitting in that field and crying lol
THINKING
he seems to have trouble differentiating his idolsona to his real life personality anymore. i genuinely believe he can’t tell the difference between them much anymore. there was a video during “wave” era where he was talking with wooyoung and san and san (or wooyoung, tbh i can’t rmbr) said something to the effect of “seonghwa is so different when the camera is on vs. off.” and that wasn’t super long after their debut… nowadays he has trouble turning off the charm when he’s just supposed to act normal. it makes sense… neurodivergent brains become accustomed to certain personality tropes after a while of embodying them… they just become part of you. he used to be “cold” and now he’s warm and that could be because he’s warmed up to the members, or the idol lifestyle, or whatever… but he wasn’t afraid to act “cold” on camera pre-debut. i just think he’s different now… like it’s changed his brain chemistry.
INTERESTS
he's interested in building gundam figurines… apparently has eleven and a half (and the half is important for some reason) and gifts gundams to the other members just because. seemingly hyperfixated on toothless from how to train your dragon. likes plushies a LOT. he SEEMS to genuinely love his fans and jumps at any opportunity to interact with them. genuine fear of heights. as i said before he has a genuine interest in asmr and makes a lot of videos about it.
HABITS
he gently rocks back and forth in MANY videos including vlives and interviews. unconsciously (apparently) sticks his tongue out on a consistent basis. he does the 👉👈 gesture very often, maybe just because he likes it. aegyo seems to be a programmed response at this point. enjoys squishing soft things against both of his cheeks... like plushies from fansigns. i'm not saying this next point for sure, because it might just be makeup or from bad photo editing, but it also seems like he picks at the skin on his arm until it scabs over, it seems like he's got lots of scabs on his arms and hands in some pictures. also, it seems like he bites on his fingernails and the skin around them... i can't say for sure if that's true or not but from some pics i've seen his fingernails looks misshapen at times and the skin around his fingernails is a bit frayed, y'know?
EMPATHY
admitted to watching baby videos in some vlive with hongjoong… says he does it a lot because he loves children. hongjoong noted he (seonghwa) tends to copy their (baby) mannerisms, probably because he frequently watches videos of them. that video of him being attentive to the "lost girl" just after he debuted suggests he has hyper-empathy towards children, noting that it's hard for children to be left alone OR go with strangers and also asked if she wanted something to eat. haven’t seen him interact with animals much but isn’t bothered by the presence of insects it seems.
PREFERENCES
apparently noted a distaste for bitter foods and an affinity towards sweet foods, though he’s been trying to mature his tastes by drinking coffee in recent years. likes sweet-flavored milks. doesn’t like mint chocolate (weakling) or pineapple on pizza (common sense). has no mention of food he dislikes on his kpop profiles page, however. also seems to like beef so he generally seems to have childish tastes in food. as for clothes, he expressed distaste when the arm straps were too tight on his biceps. seems to wear mostly loose fitting pants, as far as outfits in airports go. prioritizes comfort, soft & breathable fabrics. seemed not to want his hair touched in a recent bts video. he really likes iu's music and iu has a very soft and comforting voice. in one vlive when he was drawing on some polaroids of himself, he kept one iu song on repeat for 20 minutes straight and didn't appear annoyed by the song repeating over and over.
AFFECTION
was annoyed in an early video with hongjoong bc he didn't do skinship with him even though they're the same age. he rubs his head on others, holds their hands, hugs them, kisses them, bites them (uh.), and generally doesn't seem to mind being touched by them. touches with staff in videos seem to be very minimal from what i've noticed so far. doesn't hesitate to touch friends, like his members. seeks out comforting touches from his members, in fact. however, when jongho & hongjoong tried to touch his ponytail in a recent video, he insisted they don't... probably just didn't want them to mess it up tho. actually i don't see people touching his head or face very much now that i think about it but in general, he doesn't seem averse to touch. wooyoung and san seem to "bully him" a lot but it mostly seems to be in good fun. he genuinely likes skinship so he doesn't seem bothered when they grab him or pretend to punch him or whatever.
ENGAGEMENT
seonghwa types cutely... uses a lot of "~" to extend sentences and he repeats himself until he gets an answer. a playful talker in writing. uses a lot of emoticons/emojis but he talks well, though his texts seem to mostly be short. is able to use his words to convey genuine meaning. he's genuinely attentive to fans and his members. i can tell that he cares deeply about the people around him... usually i'd say that a man who's portraying a surface-level personality to garner love and attention so that he'll make his company money... ISN'T a genuine person but the vibe that i get from him is just that he's different. he cares deeply about the people in his life and pays attention to the things they like and helps them in any way he can. he's called "the mom" of the group bc he takes care of everyone and he's apparently very sensitive to people listening to him. he's attentive but can be incredibly cold when he doesn't care (#justautismthings). he also shushes the members when they get overexcited or loud... i'm not sure whether that's for himself (since he does seem to get a little annoyed when they're too loud) or if he's being attentive to the person actually trying to speak or if he's being attentive to the audience. maybe it's a combination of things.
ETC.
cleaning rituals... has a very specific order to the way he cleans the dorm, apparently. genuinely obsessed with cleanliness. "he sweeps the floor with a roller every chance he gets. i've never seen a man who sweeps the floor with a roller before." he went into detail about his specific cleaning method so here are the "steps":
1. sweeps floor w/ a lint roller.
2. vacuums to remove dust...
3. uses a wet tissue (on the floor? i assume it means like on the walls and surfaces).
4. uses a lint roller on the floor AGAIN.
he said that cleaning that way every single time makes him comfortable, so clearly it's a ritual. hongjoong rooms with him and says, even when it's time to sleep, seonghwa can't sleep until the room is clean. and thennnn the MCs pulled out a bunch of confetti and sprinkled it all over the studio to like... make fun of him? mad funny bro.
apparently when seonghwa auditioned, the manager auditioning him chose him bc he thought seonghwa would kill him if he didn't. i'm not saying seonghwa wasn't intimidating or anything but i'm pretty sure that indicates that he has like... rbf and/or shuts down when he's nervous.
also this isn't really anything but it's very cute how when he's focusing on reading a comment or listening to someone he'll be like ":O" and then he'll answer them. he's amazing at fanservice. there's this clip where he's talking to a fan in a virtual fansign and she says something about geeting a boyfriend and he's like "yes<3 your boyfriend is here<3" and she's like "... i mean. no. if i focus too much on ateez, i'll never get a boyfriend." and he's like "we can be your boyfriends! :D" and she's just like ".......... nah, you're more like a friend to me." and he looks SO GENUINELY CONFUSED AND HURT LMAO??? bless that girl for not being delusional, i don't think i'd have the power to say no over and over again to that little face. like. i wouldn't call him quirky (i would) but there's definitely something wrong with him<3.
---
so... what's the takeaway from all of this analyzing behavior? honestly? for anyone besides me, this means nothing. but that's the point! it's okay for it to only mean something to ME!!! if you genuinely care whether or not a kpop man has autism or not, ur insane. i mean... i am insane but i really just like analyzing behavior and wondering what this person is really like. do i genuinely think park seonghwa from ateez is autistic? i'm not sure! i can see that he has autistic traits and point them out, but at the end of the day i'm not a specialist (not that neurotypical behavioral specialists are actually specialists either, let's be real here...) and i don't even know seonghwa personally.
however, it really rustles my jimmies when people, including kpop fans and even the kpop industry itself, are ableist towards these people who markedly AREN'T the perfect little robots that they're thought to be. there are lot of idols who have talked about their struggles with their physical (related to mental, i.e. physical issues caused by eating disorders or severe anxiety) and mental health, and usually they're written off and forgotten about fairly easily. if you aren't looking directly at something, it will disappear... that's how the industry works.
that's why when you have idols that ARE placed on the back burner with severe mental health issues, they struggle to get the help they need. of course, autism isn't a mental illness. it's a neurodevelopmental disorder ("okay, you keep saying that. what does that mean?") which MEANS that during the development of a your brain as a child, it developed in a way that's different from "normal" and now you get to be cooler than regular people.
okay, but for real, it's very clear that the kpop industry does not prioritize mental health. sure, they do take measures (at least on the surface) to care for their idols and to make sure they feel secure and able to talk to them about anything... but withholding comfort from a human being in ANY way is inhumane. not allowing idols to date just so you can profit of of fan delusion, forcing idols to act a certain way with flagrant disregard for their actual thoughts and feelings, noticing bullying and infighting happen within groups and not doing anything about it, etc etc etc. i can't exactly say i even blame them, i mean that's what the point of the kpop industry is... to directly profit from these people who you, honestly, have very little actual control over. however, it's impossible for me to see this shit happening consistently and not feel disgusted by it. the kpop industry is RIFE with issues, this certainly isn't the only one. hell, it's not even the only one that DIRECTLY places idols in danger, but the way that the kpop industry takes advantage of idols who aren't neurotypical is insidious and omnipresent.
i think there's also something to be said about neurodivergent idols being harmed more by certain restrictions of idol life, which are of course bad for everyone but neurodivergent people are affected by things in ways that are worse than what neurotypical peole will ever face. this is, obviously, because mental illness can worsen in certain circumstances, no matter how mild the case. being forced to starve theirselves, interact with creepy old fans, overworked far past the point of mental exhaustion... etc. neurodivergent people will not get out of this business scotfree and we know for a fact that there are idols with adhd and severe anxiety and depression and eating disorders and trauma... this isn't something metaphorical. it's a harsh reality that these people have to face because they want to make music or be famous. ig, for that reason, you could say they deserve it for their hubris (but why would you. literally.). neurotypical nepotism isn't a "thing" but it's true in almost all career fields and paths. it's calculated. you will not "survive" if you aren't mentally prepared for failure and turmoil in the workplace. i'm sure it's amplified considerably in the kpop industry due to the nature of the working conditions. but that doesn't stop neurotypical people from becoming idols and neither SHOULD it. the system should be changed.
so. when all is said and done... i think we, neurodivergent people and neurotypical people alike, should be more mindful of how we treat mental illness in the "kpop community" (oxymoron lol). neurotypical kpop fans (... also lol) need to realize that mental illness is just a thing some people live with. it doesn't make us monsters or less human. we're just people with a different way of thinking, feeling, and acting. when you factor all of humanity into that way of thinking, mental illness is just a different way to be alive. everyone thinks, feels, and acts differently, some of just have more issues than others.
it's not insane for me to think that kpop idols can (and probably definitely do) have mental illnesses that are AND aren't professionally diagnosed, or that they have neurodevelopmental disorders like autism, schizophrenia, or dyslexia.
it's just normal. because mental illness is just a normal part of life.
