The Sexuality of Cookie: A Holistic Approach to Art
The word “cookie” means “a small sweet cake, typically round and flat and having a crisp or chewy texture,” by definition. However, it can hold a multitude of meanings for different people. In fact, this is true for every word; each carries its unique significance to an individual shaped by their own experiences, cultural backgrounds, and perspectives. Therefore, just because an artwork holds a certain meaning to someone doesn’t necessarily mean it represents that same meaning in general. In 2022, the song Cookie by NewJeans, a K-pop girl group, was released. As soon as it gained much popularity, a big controversy arose around its lyrics. Some English-speaking audiences claimed that the song contained sexual meanings and thus it’s inappropriate for NewJeans, all of whom were teenagers from 14 to 18. Since the controversy, the audience became more cautious with the song, undermining its original value. This incident clearly shows the risk of overinterpreting art, as the audiences stretched the meaning of the lyrics which ultimately hindered them from experiencing the art as it is. Sontag’s argument in her essay “Against Interpretation” becomes relevant here, as she points out that we should pay attention to the form within a broader context rather than fixating on the content (Sontag 8). Such a perspective encourages a more holistic approach to interpreting art.
At the time, a lot of people contended that the lyrics of Cookie were incredibly obscene for minors to perform; they argued how it is commonly used as sexual slang in English-speaking countries. However, this situation arises from studying only the lyrics while neglecting all the other elements accompanying the song. The overall narrative of the song is evident, especially in the music video. The music video starts with a cookie rolling across the screen and ends with their CD rolling out, hinting at the concept of a CD. None of the visual elements in the video, such as members’ outfits, the choreography, and the setting of the performance, connotes sexual references—they dance in a simple-looking studio, wearing formal mono-tone blazers and shirts. The vibe of the music video rather gives a sense of innocence to young students along with the child-like tone of “cookie.” Notably, the innovative idea of making the package of their physical album into an actual CD player bag should resolve the controversy. Designed like a cookie bag, it apparently demonstrates the connection between the cookie and the CD. Given all the narratives that Cookie presents beyond lyrics, it is hard to say that the song gives suggestive nuance. Instead, the audience seems to be delving deeply into the lyrics excessively, exemplifying Sontag’s idea of a “philistine refusal to leave the work of art alone” (Sontag 5). As a result of the debate around its interpretation, ADOR, NewJeans’ official agency, ended up sharing their director’s note about what vision they had behind the song, including the details about the CD’s presence in the music video and the package design. According to them, the cookie is a metaphor for a temptation that attracts the audience to listen to their song, expressed as a CD here. The lyrics “no dinner, no water” imply that the audience will choose dessert over the meal or drink, showing off confidence in their musicality (Kim). As observed in ADOR’s lengthy statement, coming to the modern days, “from now to the end of consciousness, we are stuck with the task of defending art” (Sontag 2).
Since artistic value naturally stems from the artists’ background, it is necessary to take NewJeans’ background into consideration when interpreting Cookie. From the time of their debut, they have been an icon of “innocent elegance and their pure, effortless charm” (Kim). In other words, their overall branding is never associated with sexual concepts. Emphasizing the members’ youthfulness, their image primarily expresses genuineness in their identity. This particular distinction has set NewJeans apart from other K-pop groups, serving as a key to success from the outset. Moreover, factoring in their previous works, known as refreshing natural themes, it seems impossible to expect sexual themes in the following song, Cookie. This reflects how people are dissecting the art unnecessarily. For instance, you would not impose an inappropriate meaning on a children’s cartoon. If Peppa Pig (a character in a kids’ show) were holding a cookie and saying, “Take it, don’t break it, I wanna see you taste it,” would you consider that as sexual lines? Aligning with Sontag’s suggestion, over-interpretation poisons our sensibility towards art distorting its true value (Sontag 4). The audience should be essentially taking the entire form of art—in this case, NewJeans’ background—into account when experiencing it, yet it is often overlooked today.
The fact that the word “cookie” doesn’t mean anything more than a dessert in South Korea suggests that an understanding of linguistic and cultural elements plays a significant role in the interpretation of art. Indeed, most Korean audiences were unaware of sexual references when the song was released, just until the controversy came up. That can be said that the producer of the song also had no such purpose, as that kind of interpretation is not natural in Korean. Rather, in the ADOR’s statement, they elaborated that Koreans use the expression “baking a CD” to mean “burning a CD,” sharing the same conceptual verb (Kim). Although it’s true that NewJeans’s songs are consumed globally including in English-speaking countries, it is not necessary to generalize English slang at the expense of their common definitions. Slang, by its very nature, is supposed to be a term used within specific groups and is not standardized at all. Even if we assume that we should consider the usage of slang, searching up every word to make sure whether it has a hidden meaning is beyond impractical. ADOR mentioned that they found upon research that “everyday words like cake, biscuit and rice, strawberry, and melon” could possess wildly different meanings (Kim), which might lead to a flawed logic where any word can be problematic when interpreted with intentions. Sontag argues that “to interpret is to impoverish, to deplete the world—in order to set up a shadow world of meanings” (Sontag 4). Just as the popular analysis of Cookie’s lyrics detracted from appreciating the song itself within its cultural context, today’s overinterpretation is stripping away the authentic richness of art.
The controversy surrounding the meaning of Cookie explicitly proves to us that artwork loses its original value when the audiences weigh heavily on interpreting the content. This not only downplays the art but also may alter the behavior of the audience reacting to the art. These days, people tend to impose the meanings that are not coming from the art itself but in their rush of personal interpretation. It is just like seeing art through tinted glasses. With their intellectual-heavy approach, audiences are becoming more and more distanced from the experiential and emotional core of the art. The change in audience would consequently lead to changes in artists as well, forcing them to be well-prepared to defend their work even before it’s questioned about the content. To maintain the true value of art without any unnecessary engagement, audiences should allow themselves to interact with it more openly and holistically: looking into the form, not dashing to conclusions by focusing solely on the content. Balancing with the broader context of the art is significant in the process of interpreting the art.
Works Cited
Sontag, Susan. “Against Interpretation.” Against Interpretation, Picador, 1966, pp. 1-10.
Kim, L. “Ador Gives Detailed Explanation Following Controversy over Newjeans’ Song ‘Cookie.’” Soompi, 27 Aug. 2022, www.soompi.com/article/1542507wpp/ador-gives-detailed-explanation-following-controversy-over-newjeans-song-cookie.