Bias (K-Pop Slang)

About

Bias is a term used in K-pop slang to refer to a fan's favorite member from an idol group. The word is prominent among Western K-pop users in particular and is used synonymously with "favorite." Use of the term "bias" grew in virality in the early 2010s. K-pop biases are sometimes further described as "ultimate bias," meaning a person has an idol who is their favorite amongst all idol groups, while still having biases for each idol group in general.

Origin

In December 2009, a viral Tumblr post by @superzinger (now deactivated) read, "My name is _______ and my ultimate kpop bias would be __________♥" The post was shared to Twitter by various users in December 2009.^[2][3][4]

On October 12th, 2012, Tumblr^[7] user @harshkpoptruths posted about "Your Bias's Hair" (shown below).

On October 23rd, 2011, Urban Dictionary^[1] user hapamyheart posted the earliest known definition of the term "bias" as it relates to K-pop slang. The entry read, "In Kpop, the member of an idol group that is your favorite. A person may have one ultimate bias, and many other biases from other idol groups, or only have one ultimate bias. This term is derived from 'having a bias towards a particular person'" (seen below).

Spread

The word bias in relation to K-pop gained increased usage online throughout the 2010s. On January 18th, 2014, Twitter^[5] user @TypicalKpopFans posted a meme about K-pop biases, gathering over 400 likes in nine years (seen below, left). On September 3rd, 2014, Twitter^[6] user @roblessk8 posted a tweet using the phrase bias as well, gathering over 400 likes in nine years (seen below, right).

On April 21st, 2015, Instagram^[8] page @dramafever posted a meme using the word bias, gathering over 1,400 likes in eight years (seen below, left). On April 7th, 2016, Twitter^[9] user @solornbalbum posted a tweet that read, "me talking about my ultimate bias," gathering over 2,300 likes in seven years (seen below, right).

On February 10th, 2022, a Reddit^[10] thread on /r/kpophelp discussed the origins of the term bias.^[10]

Various Examples

Search Interest

External References