Both Secret’s MOVE and SNSD’s The Boys were released this past week, and both girl groups are showing off a different sides of their charisma. The mainstream image of the pop princess has gradually shifted to the ‘strong, sexy woman’ concept as of late, and both groups seem to be owning up to it. Kind of.
Secret made explicit statements about their new image: the song and the music video were crafted around the idea of a balance between feminine power and female charm. When posed with questions regarding their comeback coinciding with SNSD’s, Secret responded somewhat confidently:
“If SNSD accentuate their nine member synchronized choreography, we will be emphasizing our healthiness and individual charms. The individual attractiveness that each of our four members portray will be our weapons for our upcoming performances.”
Regardless of confidence though, no one can deny that overlapping comebacks with one of the most successful pop acts industry is a serious gamble. All the same, in their new song MOVE (Love is Move), Secret put forth from strong vocals, plenty of spunk, and vivacious choreography. At the same time, however, it seems like Secret just stuck to their guns–their previous song Madonna and even Magic has a similar feel to it, something a little hollywood, flashy lights, and plenty of dancing, though there is a little more attitude in Move than usual. The execution of the concept was definitely sexy, and much more light-hearted when compared to The Boys. But is MOVE doing sexy right, or just very typically?
On the other end of the ring is the long awaited Girl’s Generation, or “GG” as Jessica refers to it. The girls are back with The Boys, couture gowns, new hairstyles, and a bird, but do they deliver? This is definitely a new look for SNSD, as they haven’t really played the sexy card since Run Devil Run, which paled in popularity against other singles Gee and the later Oh! Though the girls aren’t necessarily aggressive with their choreography, this concept is definitely more hardcore princess, and I appreciate not having look at another ‘cute’ production, especially from SNSD. But all I’m feeling is a lot of angst, and it’s still a little ‘teenage cheerleader’ angst-ish, not womanly fierce or sexy. There is no doubt the attention will come either way–for Pete’s sake, this is SNSD, we’re all going to watch even if we don’t like them. But bearing concept in mind, does SNSD bring enough sexy?
Personally, I think both Move and The Boys lack a storyline, and I think both songs were prime material for a story. With a story scenario going on, I think the ‘sexy, strong woman’ image could’ve come across a little bit more literally, and would’ve ultimately been a bigger, more dramatic change for both groups.
All the same, SNSD and Secret did sexy two totally different ways and as the groups go head-to-head, it will be interesting to see whose ‘sexy’ comeback will reign supreme.
