It just occurred to me to write about female rage after watching a one hour and 50-minute podcast on YouTube discussing the crime involving a famous club in Korea called the Burning Sun.
You may or may not be aware of the crime, so here’s a brief summary of the case to highlight the severity of it, as well as to note the crimes that were committed not only by certain celebrities that many media outlets seem to focus on, but the system as a whole:
The Burning Sun scandal (read: crime) involved multiple famous Korean celebrities, rich businessmen and local police officers that ran a club with its upfront operation focused on providing club-goers with “the best party experience of their life,” while also serving their elite clients with their “female customers” without the victims’ knowledge. These victims are often “served” to the clients in an unconscious state, where they are drugged by the employees of the club who act friendly before dropping GHB into their drinks.
The extent of the business includes club employees recording and distributing content of unconscious women to their A-list clienrs through nonconsensual images and videos (often depicting sex).
The case broke out in 2019 after celebrity Jung Joon Young’s ex-girlfriend made a police report in 2016, after she caught him filming a sex act with a hidden camera that led to an investigation, which then revealed the business of the Burning Sun through the various group chats on KakaoTalk on JJY’s phone, where the images and videos of the victims were distributed.
Learning about the crime as a woman not only makes me feel incredibly angry, but also sad and scared for myself and other women out there. We’re aware of incidents where men attempt to drug you when you go to clubs, but discovering an entire business dedicated to that for profit?
Sickening.
And people wonder why “women hate men so much” when these are our realities. These realities fuel female rage.
What is Feminine Rage?
Feminine rage, or also known as female rage or anger is “a compilation of anger that our ancestors were unable to express that is passed down through generations. It has been described as silent, seething, and compounding. A characteristic of feminine rage that was described in various videos on TikTok was that it’s quiet,” as quoted from an article titled “What is Feminine Rage?” on Her Campus.
Looking back at the history of Korean comfort women during the Japanese occupation in Korea, as well as in many other Asian countries, it’s disheartening (read: fucked up) to see that individuals involved in the Burning Sun scandal made fun of “comfort women.” The term is a painful reality for the survivors who are still alive today, some still fighting for compensation and demanding an apology from the Japanese government, not only for themselves, but the other victims who had passed away but never received justice.
Witnessing a similar business model unfold in the modern world, where businesses, wealthy individuals, law enforcement and K-pop idols — whose fan bases mainly comprise of young girls and women — operate a sex trafficking business is sickening.
Again, as a woman, it is frustrating to learn that the victim made a police report regarding what happened at the Burning Sun club, but she was not taken seriously because the man she accused of sexually assaulting her is a famous politician. He then publicly denied the allegations, putting her at risk of public backlash. (The details of the incident was explained in detail on Rotten Mango podcast).
This is not the first time nor the only business to operate in such a manner. Some men don’t just seek sex workers; they desire individuals they can control and exploit without facing consequences. This is reflected in the existence of porn sites, the sex trafficking business on the Dark Web, and infamous cases like that of Jeffrey Epstein.
Your Anger is Valid
This article is here to remind you that your anger is totally valid.
As women, we are constantly told we are irrational or too emotional. People even make jokes about us being on our periods whenever we show emotions. It’s beyond frustrating always having to fight to be taken seriously, to fit into this patriarchal system just to get our voices heard.
So, don’t doubt it: your anger towards the world is valid, and I hope you continue to use your voice because it represents most of us.
