The Evolution of Taemin - Part II
How he transformed into one of K-pop’s most influential artistic identities
Long overdue from where we started, I know. I apologize. Wellness is a holistic circle and I mentioned burnout then. Now, this is redemption. I can write. Let’s get right to it.
I want to address how Lee Taemin has transformed into one of K-pop’s most influential artistic identities. Notice how I said identity and not persona? There’s a difference.
Persona (noun): the personality that a person (such as an actor or politician) projects in public [Source]
Identity (noun): the distinguishing character or personality of an individual; who someone is [Source]
Projection versus existence goes far beyond simply looking at fashion (which we’ll continue to do in this). With this in mind, I’m declaring that Taemin's fashion evolution is really a story of identity, performance, masculinity, and artistic control.
The clothing is the visual evidence of those shifts.
Themes give shape to albums and eras give shape to artists. Taemin's career is perhaps one of the clearest examples, having evolved through seven distinct eras thus far.
1. The Eternal Maknae (Debut Era 2008–2009)
Replay → Juliette
As previously stated, Taemin was 14 years old at the time of his debut. It doesn’t get any more maknae than that. And because he was a literal child, SM Entertainment styled him as such — he had almost no ownership of his visuals. In a sense, it kept him safe a little longer. The style reflected late 2000s contemporary teen fashion and was bright to convey youthfulness and approachability.
2. The Beautiful Misunderstanding (2010–2012)
Lucifer → Sherlock
Taemin’s glowup after their debut year put him in a precarious space. He was a beautiful young man and one quick weave set of extensions thrusted him into invasive conversations.
At this point in his career, Taemin was not intentionally testing the boundaries of gender just yet. Nonetheless, he was contending with being one of the youngest active artists in the scene and the ambiguity of his looks were stressing people out.
The long hair became one of the most recognizable looks of his career. In fact, the haristyle became so iconic that people were literally bringing photos of Taemin to stylists at their local salons.
The industry, fans… hell, even variety shows often commented on his appearance, sometimes questioning his masculinity. Keep in mind that he was 16/17 years old! Roughly a year later, Taemin would revisit those same qualities from a place of confidence rather than insecurity.
3. The Coming-of-Age Era (2013–2014)
Everybody → ACE (Danger)
By 2013, SM was clearly repositioning Taemin as an adult performer. Danger wasn’t simply a solo debut… I’ll never say that was it. His solo debut was a declaration that Taemin could exist outside of SHINee. And boyyyyy, did he exist.
For the first time, fashion became an extension of his stage persona rather than merely the group’s concept. The tailor was tailoring. He was snatching off cropped jackets, embracing leather, and creating wonderful silhouettes with dark monochromatic palettes. The hootin’ and hollerin’ I did in the video below about this solo debut lives rent free in my mind.
4. The Art of Becoming (Explorative Era 2015–2016)
Odd / View → Press Your Number
Once we moved into this window of time, Taemin had set the standard for SHINee solo epectations and started dressing like an artist. Yes, he is an idol and yes, he and his group members had photoshoots for years at this point. What Taemin brought to the table was looking like he’d be stopped on the street and plausibly appear in an editorial spread without changing clothes.
He eased into a European… wannabe rockstar (?)… exchange student aesthetic. The dark eyeliner came off and he became approachable with an edge.
Love this! Can’t wait for the 3rd part!
I'm not sure if you saw, but it feels like he's paying tribute lately to the Ace era lately.