TWICE’s Yes Or Yes Sparks Controversy Around “Promotion Of Rape Culture”

Some are saying the lyrics promote rape culture, while others strongly disagree.
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Koreaboo

While TWICE’s “Yes or Yes” has been achieving extraordinary success, it has also sparked some controversy with some claiming that it “promotes rape culture”.

 

TWICE’s comeback song, “Yes or Yes” talks about a woman who is trying to win over a man’s heart. In the lyrics, the woman gives the man the choice “yes or yes”, which some have understood as “disregarding consent” and hence, “promotion of rape culture”.

“Don’t know what you’ll choose, so I prepared these options. Choose only one of the two: Yes or Yes.” ㅡ TWICE’s “Yes or Yes”

 

According to the view of one netizen, TWICE’s new song “dismisses the importance of consent, promotes emotional manipulation/coercion and promotes rape culture.” The person, who asserts that she is a survivor, clearly expressed that she was personally offended by “Yes or Yes”.

 

Other netizens have also agreed with this opinion, indicating that the lyrics to the song seemed inappropriate and had personally offended them in some way.

 

The tweet appears to have been deleted now.

 

This account has been made private.

 

On the other hand, many netizens also disagreed with this view of the song and provided their own take on the issue.

 

Twitter user @PaboBear cited the importance of the historical and cultural context when considering issues like consent in a relationship. It should be noted, however, that while many may not perceive the lyrics to be predatory because of “how power works in a relationship”, it is more than possible for women to be in the position of power in a relationship (and to abuse that power).

 

Still other fans have pointed to the fact that the group’s title tracks have followed a “push-and-pull”-type theme pattern and, when looked upon as part of a series, “Yes or Yes” is TWICE’s first attempt at a “taking an initiative” type theme. Considering this narrative, the lyrics may be understood as an example of feminine “empowerment” (as TWICE’s Mina mentioned in an interview about the song).

 

Finally, ONCEs have pointed to the fact that there are no instances of TWICE “forcing” themselves on a man in the music video (in fact, there are no male characters in the MV at all) as evidence that the song does not promote the rape culture or a narrative of coercion.

Regardless of the intentions of the song’s producers, or the ongoing debates regarding the song’s various interpretations, TWICE’s new album remains a hot topic among their fans worldwide.

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