Qualitative study of Korean American masculinity through social constructionist lens

This study explores how Korean American men living in the United States (US) come to understand what is important about being a man. This study seeks to address the following: (1) The messages Korean American men receive about the important values of being a man; (2) ways they navigate different cultural settings about what it means to be a man; and (3) the impacts the recent popularity of Korean popular culture in the US may have on what it means to be a man. To answer these questions, interviews were conducted with a sample of nine Korean American men aged between 18 and 35. The results showed that Korean American men observed and received messages about masculinity that were influenced by Korean cultural values practiced within family and other Korean American communities. They learned to adjust their behaviors depending on the cultural settings to meet others’ expectations, which has helped some grow and mature as a person. On the other hand, participants were also subject to pervasive negative stereotypes that were specific to their identities as Asian American men, damaging their sense of confidence. Finally, the participants shared mixed responses about how they reacted to the rapidly growing popularity and acceptance of Korean culture and media in the US, such as K-pop and K-dramas. The findings from this study contribute to better understanding how Korean American men understand and experience their manhood. More importantly, this study explores how they process and make sense of the newly visible images of masculinity through K-pop in the US.