[Pann] IU's problematic interpretation of Zeze in her lyrics for 'Zeze'

Pann: IU's pedophile concept

(Summary of post) The topic of IU's interpretation of the autobiography 'My Sweet Orange Tree' has been being discussed for a couple days now. Her lyrics to the song 'Zeze' are based off of the character of an abused 5 year old boy named Zeze from the book. In an interview about writing the lyrics to the song, IU says she felt Zeze's misunderstood traits made him hypocritical but "cunning, charming, and sexy".

People found it disturbing that she would describe a 5 year old child as "sexy", even dirty in a way, and even go as far as to depict him on her album cover in a sexy pose wearing fish net stockings. Considering that the book handles issues of child abuse, many were upset that IU was viewing the character in a pedo-ish way, describing him in ways in her lyrics that adult pedos would describe a child, blaming the child for exuding these traits capable of seduction (the lyrics are written from the perspective of Zeze's only true friend in the book but IU's lyrics give off heavy elements of sexuality).

Discussions have delved further into IU's lolita concept where she's often seen with infantile things in her music videos like a milk bottle and her past songs where she sings of being a young girl being in love with an older man and wanting to speed time up as a result.

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1. [+414, --10] Like the OP said, if a male idol had written a song saying that he felt a 5 year old child he read in book was sexy to him and drew that child in a pin-up girl pose in fishnet stockings, this issue would've gotten far more attention.

2. [+367, -9] How she interpreted Zeze is honestly the most shocking to me. How did she feel a sexiness from a 5 year old child suffering from abuse? Especially from the perspective of Minguinho? She says in her lyrics "Take my youngest leaf, break off my only flower"... How can she interpret Minguinho as seeing Zeze as something sexual?... Just how..

3. [+363, -11] Honestly, combined with the lyrics and how Zeze is depicted in her album cover with a hole in the tree and a flower and mushrooms around him, it's easy to tell that IU thinks Minguinho viewed Zeze sexually. I'm not sure how she came to this conclusion.

4. [+197, -1] I felt this while watching the music video too. IU's slowly getting older and maturing and she realizes she needs to change up her image but the image of IU conjures up an innocent, young, emotional concept of a girl with a choding body. She can't go out with a sexy concept like other girl groups so she has to hide in sexual cliches in her music videos like this. They call this 'mise en scene' in movies.

5. [+180, -3] You get treated like pedo trash if you try this Lolita concept stuff in America or England

6. [+143, -1] If a male singer had depicted a 5 year old little girl in fish nets and called her sexy and dirty......... I could never have imagined that someone could imagine Zeze in such a way.

7. [+136, -1] Even if it's just a concept, I think IU's enjoying it... enjoying the attention of older men who like young girls.

8. [+134, -0] The reason IU's interpretation is messed up is because she said she wrote the lyrics from Minguinho's perspective of Zeze. Minguinho is one of the only characters who understands that Zeze is acting out of innocence. The reason Zeze is so misunderstood and seen as hypocritical in the book is because the adults see his pranks as crossing the line.

9. [+133, -0] Is IU a pervert

10. [+124, -2] Okay, fans can shield the lolita concept all they want but the biggest problem here is that she felt a sexiness from a 5 year old kid

11. [+103, -1] Do IU's fans honestly believe that it's normal to interpret a 5 year old child as sexy?

12. [+102, -6] Something off about her the more we see her..

13. [+90, -0] You can't just call this a concept when she said with her own mouth that she felt a 5 year old child was sexy.

14. [+87, -0] In my opinion, I don't think IU's a pedo and all that but she's just too obsessed with being so mysterious and unique and just took it too far without knowing where to draw a line this time. This book is often favored by those edgy kids who think they're so artistic when it's probably the only book she read since junior high. She took her interpretation too far to be as edgy as possible and now people are calling her out for it. She's not educated enough to pull off a concept that others with more age and experience like Jang Giha and Horan can pull off with ease.

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Source: Pann

1. [+181, -14] The fact alone that she described a 5 year old child as being sexy is enough for controversy ㅋㅋㅋ And Minguinho is the only character that understands the abuse Zeze is suffering in his home, just how in the world can IU write lyrics from his perspective interpreting Zeze in such a way? Everyone knows what "break my only flower, my youngest leaf" is alluding to; It surprises me that IU thought Minguinho viewed Zeze sexually.

2. [+176, -10] The people who view Zeze as "cunning" are the people in his town. But IU talked about writing the lyrics from Minguinho's perspective, the only person who understood that Zeze had no malice and was innocent in his actions. The only reason adults viewed Zeze as cunning was because he took his pranks too far in their opinion.

3. [+158, -16] I got goosebumps at this part "Look at your two blushing cheeks, you're so innocent, but you're definitely cunning, you may seem clear like a young child but you're dirty somewhere, no one can tell what's living inside of you" ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ I can't believe IU wrote this...

4. [+86, -1] Are all of you defending this honestly thinking it's okay that IU wrote lyrics telling a 5 year old child to "climb on me"?? Really?

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Source: Pann

1. [+199, -6] IU, please just say you never even read the book... I just can't shield this...

2. [+185, -9] I'm about to stop being her fan.. It's so hard to even shield her anymore..

3. [+171, -5] I really do think it'd be better if she just said she didn't read the book ㅋㅋㅋ I wonder what she was thinking

4. [+96, -0] Funny considering how proud she was of writing the lyrics for Zeze before

5. [+72, -1] I scoffed when I read that interview where IU said she almost made Zeze her title track and thought it'd garner a better response than her title track. I think she wanted people to praise her for being so clever with Zeze's lyrics.

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