What Is A Bias And How Do You Find One?

Bias is a word I was vaguely familiar with before I got into K-pop three years ago, but not in the way I use it today. Ultimately, being biased towards a person, group, object or whatever is leaning more towards their side not because they're always better but because you decided they are. In that case, having a bias means you're biased towards a person and think they're superior in all aspects, or to put it really simply: your favorite member of an idol group.



I don't know how the term bias evolved, but as long as I've been around it's been around too, and probably existed long before that as well. It makes perfect sense as to why you'd call someone your bias, but it does feel like it's a term exclusively for members of the K-pop fandom if there is such a thing. At least I have never heard it elsewhere in other fandoms.

Of course, having a bias can mean different ideas to different people, and how much you unconditionally love your bias is very individual. We've all heard of the "Oppa didn't mean it!" type of fangirl, the one that will defend her bias even if they've done something wrong, but those are quite extreme cases yet more common than you'd think.If you're a rational person however,  you'll accept that even your bias have flaws, and it's possible for you to like them anyway if you can acknowledge that they, too, make mistakes. Granted, some mistakes are worse than others and some might make you lose respect for the person you once held closest to your heart.


It's not strange for you to switch biases every now and then, because just like people you know in life you can never promise that a relationship is definite. Whether it'll be friends or lovers there are possibilities that you'll grow apart someday because you develop individually as people, and that can happen with biases too. Trust me, I've been there. Realizing that you might not have equally as strong feelings for someone can be difficult, but it happens and it's fine. You'll survive.


I have myself changed biases within groups several times and is still doing to a certain degree. I have no idea whether my biases now will still remain this time next year, and there's a bit of an excitement to that. Falling in love and growing fond of new people is, to me, good for you because it means you are changing and developing. Most "first" biases I had when I got into a group are not the same as the ones I have now, but some are.

When I first got into Infinite I was crazy about Sungyeol, based on first impression of course, but it soon changed to Sunggyu and has remained that way since. Additionally I first took a liking in 4Minute's Jiyoon because she stood out and had a cool aura about her, but it was later made obvious that Hyuna was the one and only for me. Nana and Yunho on the other hand are still my favorites and have not been replaced even once.


Finding a bias is a tricky job indeed, and if you're getting into a new group at first there is nothing to go on but that initial impression because you don't know anything else about them yet. You might think that one member is really cute or sexy and take an interest in them, only to find that you're drawn to another member that has a personality that appeals more to you. At least for me that's the case. Looks matter at first, yes, but personality is the key to longevity. My advice is to try and spend time with the group and find out more about them, and you might find that there's one that stands out to more than the others depending on what type of person you like.


The time it takes to find a bias can vary quite drastically though. Sometimes you find one instantly, and other times it can take years. Let me give you an example. Seohyun is my main bias in Girls' Generation, but it wasn't until they promoted with "Mr. Mr" last year that I discovered it, two years in the making. Same thing goes with SHINee's Jonghyun, who it also took a good year for me to realize that it was indeed him I would be proudly stanning. It doesn't mean that I like them less than the ones I fell in love with straight away, but it means it took me longer to realize it. To this day there are still many groups where I don't have a bias the way I do with other groups, and I've come to realize that it's totally fine not to have one too. Maybe in some groups there isn't a person who you connect with on a deeper level, and that's because you don't in everyday life either.


It's a jungle indeed, and like with real-life situations it isn't always an easy road to take when it comes to picking and having biases. They can make you the happiest person on the planet but they also have the power to make you feel sadder than you'd ever imagine. I personally share quite deep bonds with my biases (one-sided I know but still), but of course there are some who take it a lot less serious and that's fine too. If you like someone for being hot, go for it. You don't have to feel as emotionally involved either to be able to call someone your bias because as I said, it's different for each person.


Enough about me ranting now, because I want to hear your opinions on the topic. How do you feel about the phenomenon of having biases, and who are yours? Feel free to share your thoughts below!