“I’m literally a rare breed”: NewJeans fan meet gender demographic garners mixed reactions as male fans dominate the ratio

Gender demographic data from NewJeans’ recent fan meeting’s pre-sale tickets went viral on Twitter and theqoo, a South Korean online platform on May 26, 2023. As per the data, male to female ratio was at 6:4, where the majority of these fans were in their 20s.

The comparatively new girl group has taken over the world with its viral hits such as OMG, Hype Boy, Attention, and more. Its Y2K inspired concept, right from clothes to album and collaboration aesthetics, bowled people across the world.

However, due to several controversies about Min Hee-jin (ADOR’s CEO) and suggestive lyrics of their track Cookie, K-pop fans have always been skeptical about the age group of men who ‘stan’ the group.

The youngest in NewJeans is 15 years old while the eldest will turn 19 this October. As the majority of the group is barely legal, seeing males in their 20s dominating the fan meet demographic with nearly 61% garnered negative responses from netizens.

NewJeans latest fan gender demographic out, some praise fanboys and the ratio while some have negative reactions

Minji, Hanni, Danielle, Haerin, and Hyein make up NewJeans, K-pop industry’s current most-happening and viral girl group. The rookie group first shook the industry with their unconventional debut in June last year and easily went on to become 'monster rookies.' They broke several records, both international and South Korean, writing history in various ways.

NewJeans’ global popularity and unique marketing had the entertainment industry fall head over heels for them, irrespective of its members' gender and age. On May 26, a South Korean netizen posted the gender demographics of the Ditto singers’ recent fan meet pre-sale tickets on theqoo platform. The data was also shared on Twitter and while some fans were shocked at the ratio, others praised the fanboys.

As per the data, there were 60.6% male fans compared to 39.4% of female fans. People in their 20s made up nearly half of the attendees (53.1%) while the second highest age group was people in their 10s, around 22%.

Korean and international fans had vastly different reactions. On theqoo, Korean netizens complimented NewJeans for the ratio and for being “evenly popular between men and women.” One fan even mentioned that their gender ratio for fans was similar to Girls’ Generation (SoShi, aka So Nyuh Shi Dae) and TWICE.

On the other hand, international fans reignited the debate of having adult men going to teenage idols’ fan meetings and called out the many problems with it. In February of this year, some elderly men mentioned that they were fans of NewJeans and drew ire from global fans. Some also defended them as the men did not say anything inappropriate about the girls.

Take a look at how international fans reacted to seeing the group’s gender demographic below:

However, some fans defended the ratio and mentioned that the majority of men in the data were scalpers. They added that the data was a misrepresentation of the group's actual fandom.

Meanwhile, the Ditto singers will be releasing a new collaboration with McDonald’s, that will be released across 10 Asian countries.

Called the NewJeans Chicken Dance Challenge Campaign, the collaboration will include a dance challenge and special packaging for specific menu items (which will vary from region to region), among other things. It will kick off in South Korea on June 1, 2023.

About the author

Afreen has been a K-Pop Content Specialist at Sportskeeda since 2021. She holds a Bachelor's degree in English Literature, along with a Post-Graduate Diploma in Journalism and Mass Communication. Afreen has over 4+ years of working in various positions including being an entertainment content writer with Pinkvilla’s K-pop division Hallyutalk and CineDope, and as a copywriter at Flying Cursor.

As per Afreen, she loves her work because she gets to write about the things she is obsessed with. Her thorough research and following the two-genuine-source rule of journalism helps her produce the most accurate content, along with helping her be up-to-date with the industry.

Afreen has had the privilege to interview The Rose's frontrunner, WOOSUNG, and LIONESSES, K-pop's first openly LGBTQ+ group. She is a big fan of SEVENTEEN, Stray Kids, BTS, and The Rose for their hard work, sincerity, and the comic relief their shows provide.

When she is off her shift, Afreen explores the streets of Nottingham in the UK, cooks, and listens to new music.

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