A FOUR-MEMBER K-pop group XLOV breaks traditional rules just by existing. XLOV says that they are the first genderless group in the field of K-pop. In South Korea, where traditional gender roles are valued, the concept of genderlessness is unusual.
“By [being] genderless, we aim to break stereotypes that suggest only certain genders can do this or that. We hope it empowers more people to embrace their true selves and pursue who they want to be”, the group told a Korean entertainment news outlet Hellokpop after their debut in January 2025.
A Korean exchange student Kwon Yooah was pleasantly surprised when she first heard about XLOV. Kwon, 22, has been interested in K-pop since her childhood. She says that gender roles indeed affect the field of K-pop. The idols do not challenge them publicly.
“Usually K-pop idols must hide their true selves and opinions and say only what the company wants them to say. Everything is commercial.”
THE CEO of XLOV’s agency, 257 Entertainment, Park Jae-yong told The Korea Times in February 2025 that “the members do not identify as genderless in terms of identity”.
On the other hand, according to K-pop fan pages, the members have said that they do not care if people use gendered pronouns or terms or not when speaking about them. A website called Kpop Profiles writes that the group leader Wumuti uses feminine terms about themself in Japanese. The website also claims that the members have not confirmed their gender identities in public.
“Our goal was to express beauty without gender boundaries”, Park told The Korea Times.
THE MEMBERS of XLOV are not the first K-pop idols to dress genderless. For example, Jimin from BTS has worn a skirt on social media before. BTS is considered one of the pioneers of modern K-pop.
Kwon Yooah says that traditional gender roles are sometimes reversed, but they’ve been never completely erased in K-pop before.
“There are so many boy groups wearing skirts and girl groups wearing suits, but no genderless groups”, she says.
She also says that the concept of genderlessness is a new phenomenon in South Korea. The culture is strongly divided between men and women.
“People are categorized based on gender. But I think the culture is slowly changing”, Kwon says.
According to The Korea Times article, genderless fashion is becoming a mainstream trend among young Koreans. Kwon does not see genderless fashion being mainstream yet, but she thinks that it could become a trend.
Still, traditional gender roles are valued. According to Kwon, people do not want to break the rules.
“XLOV does not care what other people think about them. It’s comforting,” Kwon says.
KWON AND her friends are interested in queer and gender studies. They do not understand why gender roles are still such a huge deal in South Korea. Having a group like XLOV is a breath of fresh air for them.
Strict gender roles derive from centuries old Confucianist philosophy. Traditionally, a man and a woman are opposites who have their own duties. Among other things, a wife must respect her husband.
A South Korean study published in December 2025 says that around 50 percent of Koreans are not religious, especially among young adults.
“Traditional values remain even though people do not really follow Confucianism anymore”, Kwon says.
According to Kwon, the Korean music industry uses gender stereotypes in marketing. Women are skinny and beautiful; men are strong and handsome. XLOV wants to fight against these norms. The members wear both skirts and pants in their music videos, promotional material, and live performances.
The concept of genderlessness has been XLOV’s trademark since the beginning. The lead dancer Rui and the lead vocalist and rapper Hyun wore skirts in their debut song’s promotion pictures and music video. Strong makeup is also a trademark of the group.
IN APRIL 2026, Helsingin Sanomat published an article saying that BTS is one of the pioneers of modern K-pop. When debuting in 2013, their authentic lyrics were described as unlike anything heard before. Authenticity could explain why BTS became so popular.
Kwon also liked BTS in middle school.
”Their lyrics are about seeing yourself in a positive light. I really liked that.”
Could XLOV be the pioneer of a new era? Like BTS, XLOV wants to be authentic. Both groups show their members’ uniqueness through music and style. They are bringing something new to the field.
Right now, BTS is the best-known K-pop group ever. In October 2026, they had over 30 million monthly listeners on Spotify, while XLOV had around 1.7 million monthly listeners.
Kwon Yooah still believes that XLOV can change Korean pop culture for good.
And the bands share an important common thread – both BTS and XLOV are doing something unusual but clearly needed.