Before anything else, this needs to be stated clearly because this topic can potentially get derailed online.
Predatory behavior toward minors is serious and unacceptable. Adults sexualizing underage idols, crossing boundaries, or normalizing attraction to minors is wrong and should always be called out. That is non-negotiable. This is not a defense of that behavior in any form.
What needs to be discussed is a different issue that is often framed as protection but frequently is not: The growing infantilization of Cortis.
Calling out predators is necessary. Treating the members like helpless children who must be shielded from all adult presence is not the same thing. Cortis are teenagers. One member is technically an adult. Teenagers are not clueless or disconnected from reality. They live real lives. They go out, form relationships, experiment, make mistakes, and grow like teenagers everywhere. They have full autonomy whatever actions they choose to engage in. They know how to deal with adults. Pretending they exist in some unreal bubble of innocence is actually uncomfortable and unrealistic, honestly infantilizing. They are NOT elementary school kids.
What has been really weird to watch is how normalized it has become to shame adults just for being fans. People openly say they felt guilty discovering CORTIS. Others say adults are automatically strange for liking the group. I have even seen comments where someone said they liked CORTIS then found out their ages and decided to put themselves on a time out. Like y’all are weird as hell too. That is not normal or healthy behavior and it does not make you morally superior.
People have been fans of younger artists than them for decades. This is not a new phenomenon. CORTIS are artists, not personal acquaintances nor your little cousins. They release music, perform publicly, and are marketed to a wide audience. They clearly appeal to more than one age group. Saying adults should not be fans at all does not protect the members. It only turns fandom into a moral purity contest and shrinks the audience for no real reason.
There is also the argument that adult presence in fandom spaces creates an unhealthy power dynamic. In certain situations, this can be true especially when adults cross boundaries. But adult presence alone is not inherently predatory. Enjoying music, performances, or creative work is not the same as being attracted to the artists. Assuming otherwise says more about the person making the accusation than the fans being judged.
This is where projection often happens. There is an unspoken belief that being a fan automatically equals attraction. That mindset already sexualizes idols. Not everyone consumes art in a sexual way. Many people simply enjoy the music, the performances, the personalities, or the creative direction. That has always been normal in pop culture.
Also, some can argue that infantilization is safer than sexualization. This is a false choice. Over sexualization is harmful but infantilization is also harmful. One reduces idols to objects, the other strips them of autonomy and agency. Neither treats them as full human beings and neither actually protects them.
Others claim the industry exploits young idols, so adults should disengage entirely. While the concern is understandable, it ignores how the industry functions. Adults are the primary paying audience. Albums, merchandise, concerts, and sponsorships rely heavily on adult consumers. Pretending adults do not exist in this system does not stop exploitation. It simply shifts responsibility away from companies and places it onto fans who are behaving normally.
Protecting minors means setting clear boundaries, calling out actual harmful behavior, and holding people accountable for what they do. It does not mean treating artists like children indefinitely or assuming bad intentions from every adult fan. It is possible to condemn predatory behavior without turning fandom into a space where adults are automatically viewed with suspicion and idols are treated like little kids.
Let artists exist as people, not objects and not children.
submitted by /u/Aritzia_
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