A new phenomenon is shaking up social networks, particularly among millennials: #RCTA, for “Race Change to Another”. This trend consists of appropriating Korean aesthetic and cultural codes to create a “fantasized identity”, nourished by the imagination of K-Pop and K-dramas.
While the term “Race Change to Another” is racking up millions of views on platforms like TikTok, it’s also provoking fierce criticism and raising the question of the latent racism behind this quest for identity.
This quest for identity can also be found in South Korea, with a younger generation in search of a European or French identity. In Korea, this quest for identity sometimes takes the form of cosmetic surgery, particularly on the eyes. Korean youth no longer hesitates to leave their country , which no longer corresponds to their life aspirations. With a determination to make them more rounded. In this article, we develop the French identity quest for Korea.
Race Change to Another, a controversial quest for identity
The “Race Change to Another” concept is based on the idea that it would be possible to “change race” by adopting a style of dress, make-up and behavior associated with Korean culture. However, this quest for a fantasized, often stereotyped and reductive “Koreanness” has been criticized as problematic.
On the one hand, the use of the term “race” is inappropriate and contributes to essentializing groups of people based on their origin. On the other hand, this tendency is often accompanied by clumsy, even offensive cultural appropriation, which trivializes and caricatures Korean culture, fashions and mores.
This phenomenon doesn’t just occur in France, but all over the world: for example, a Vietnamese man had his face remade to look like a K-pop idol.
A fad that raises questions
Despite its critics, #RCTA continues to grow in popularity, particularly among young people in search of an identity and fascinated by Korean pop culture. This phenomenon testifies to South Korea’s growing influence on the international scene, but it also highlights the possible excesses of this fascination.
It’s important to open dialogue on these sensitive issues, and to remember that identity is a complex construct that cannot be reduced to stereotypes. Fascination with a culture must not turn into disrespectful appropriation.
