Fashioning fan culture and identity with K-pop dolls through affective labour

This article examines how K-pop dolls materialize what might otherwise be ephemeral experiences into objects that can be possessed and shared among fans, thereby expanding possibilities for community building and becoming an alternative space for fans to reflect upon the individual and communal feelings, relationships and sense of community that their affective labour creates. K-pop dolls also become a means of community building through digital labour. At the same time, the dolls become objects that both bring and relieve fans of shame and social stigma. To elaborate on this dynamic, I examine my own experiences with consuming fan-made K-pop dolls, as well as analyse these activities by reviewing discussions about them that have appeared in online fan communities and social media.