Soft Stan

Synonyms:
See also:	Hard Stan, K-Pop Stan Twitter
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In K-Pop, a soft stan refers to a fan who prefers the cute concepts. They sometimes view idols as innocent, wholesome and dislike sexualizing them. They are the opposite of a hard stan.

As defined by Urban Dictionary:

The polar opposite of a hard stan.

Soft stans only think pure thoughts of their bias and wish only the best for their bias without being perverted. They think of their bias as an adorable marshmallow that is to be protected at all times.

There are varying definitions for 'soft stan' and this can change between each fan.

Controversy

Soft stans (or moreso, stans in general) are sometimes criticised for 'babying idols'. For example, treating them as innocent and being against their bias from engaging in mature activities like sex, going to adult clubs, smoking, or drinking. They sometimes view the idol as needing protection from the 'outside world' (or their agency). This has been criticised since the majority of idols are adults in their 20s. It has also be linked to further problems such as the fetishization of East Asian people.

Some meta from various K-Pop subreddits on this issue:

• Excessive babying of idols is a as bad as oversexualizing them (2019)
• the babying of kpop idols (2020)
• If youre infantilizing an adult kpop idol, you probably have an Asian fetish (2020)