I rewatched Likey for the first time in a while and just watched Allergy for the first time, and they feel like two sides of the same coin.
Lyrics:
On the one hand, the girl in Likey is the pretty, instagram-savvy who is very aware of how she looks, what she wears, how thin and pretty she is. She hides her feelings and all the other negative things in order to present a perfectly curated version of herself that every one likes. It is clear though that all of this is just pretense. Her life isn’t perfect nor does she perceive herself to actually be perfect. Keeping up that facade is also a lot of pressure.
On the other hand, Allergy is from the perspective of an “ugly girl” who is so very insecure in herself in large part due to all the “pretty girls” she sees on social media like Instagram and tiktok. She wants to be pretty and preppy like them but feels like that kind of look and lifestyle is impossible for her to achieve. Failing to be like the pretty girls on sns has led to a lot of self-loathing and insecurity in the girl in Allergy. Our girl in Allergy pretty expressly compares herself to pretty girls from Likey
She’s so pretty, yeah, so lovely
She got everything, why am I, not her?
It’s actually very interesting to juxtapose their lyrics to each other because these two songs by and large talk about the same concerns. In many ways, these two songs are in conversation with each other, as I provide examples for below.
On their feelings about SNS
Likey:
I keep wanting to show myself off, again and again
Every single little thing, want to share it all
Inside the small screen, I wanna be the prettiest
Allergy:
Faceless feed, slacking followers
I’m a hater of Instagram, hater of TikTok
Locked gallery, ugly fit
On the effort it takes to be “pretty”
Likey:
It takes so much effort to get the perfect look
But it is something I can never give up
—–
I hold my breath to pull up the zipper
Once more, suck in my waist
—–
BB cream, pat-pat-pat, put on some lipstick mam-ma-ma
Pose for the camera, aren’t I pretty? (Pretty!)
Allergy:
What’s wrong? Not even doing any exercises
Not even knowing how to put any makeup on
Yeah, even I think of myself as ugly
On wanting to be liked on sns
Likey:
When you see this, smile at it and don’t forget to press hard
On that cute red heart heart down there (Heart, heart)
Allergy:
Why ain’t I pretty? Why ain’t I lovely?
Why ain’t I sexy? Why am I me?
Love me, love me, love me, love me, love me, want
Love me, love me, love me, love me, love me, want
On wanting the attention of a specific love interest in SNS
Likey:
Uh, today I’m just feeling down
I pretend I’m fine, but I feel blue
Because of you, no response at all, I’m sulking
And cluelessly, my friends call me out
Ooh, wait a minute, wait a minute
I finally got an answer, woo
Allergy:
I also want to dance Hype Boy
But on the screen, I’d look like TOMBOY
Yeah, I’m sure that boy would laugh at me, oh-oh
Another interesting point about this comparison is that Likey (2017) and Allergy (2023) were actually released six years apart. That they hit almost the exact same points of concern is quite depressing especially when you consider how vastly different the landscapes of these songs were. The pandemic changed the world in fundamental ways and yet there are still concerns that remain the same – especially for young women. It will be interesting if we get (or maybe there is already) a fifth gen version of this song. It’ll be interesting to see just how these kinds of feelings have evolved since.
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