tripleS(트리플에스) LOVElution ‘Girls' Capitalism’ (2023)

What is Girls' Capitalism?

Girls' Capitalism is a dance-pop song by LOVElution, an eight-member sub-unit of tripleS consisting of Seoyeon, Hyerin, Yubin, Kaede, Dahyun, Nien, Sohyun, and Xinyu. The track serves as the title song from the group's debut mini album LOVElution <ↀ> (also known as MUHAN), released on August 17, 2023. This release marked the fourth title track by tripleS and the debut appearances of members Nien, Park SoHyun, and Xinyu.

The song spans 3:38 minutes and was written by Jaden Jeong and Jeon Jieun from lalala studio. Production credits include composers EL CAPITXN, VENDORS (Louis), VENDORS (Nano), Maria Marcus, Jonna Hall, and Jongsoo Kim, with arrangements handled by EL CAPITXN and the VENDORS team. MODHAUS released the track through Kakao Entertainment as the distributor.

Girls' Capitalism explores the realistic thoughts of young women navigating a capitalist society, conveying that while appearance matters, financial independence remains essential for creating one's own future through self-reliance. Furthermore, the song gained critical recognition by ranking 12th in Billboard's "25 Best K-pop Songs of 2023". The track also appeared in Clash Music's compilation of "The 25 Best Women-Led K-Pop Songs of 2023".

In fact, the Chinese release underwent significant modifications due to political considerations and local regulations. The song was retitled simply as "Girls" for distribution on Weibo, with certain scenes from the original music video removed from the official Chinese version.

Girls' Capitalism Lyrics and Meaning

The song's message about capitalism

The track depicts young women navigating a capitalist society with realistic perspectives on appearance and financial independence. Member Park stated the song addresses thoughts girls might realistically have in modern capitalist contexts. While outer beauty receives attention, the members emphasized their determination to build inner beauty first and present that to the world. The music video features the Mad Money Club, where LOVElution members attempt to manifest wealth using crystals and religious idols before finding happiness in authenticity.

Key lyrics breakdown

The chorus contains the repeated lines "Call me beauty, cute is now boring / Call me beauty, all that's pretty is mine / Call me beauty, gonna love myself in the mirror / I'm beautiful, love me better". Additional verses emphasize self-priority with "Selfish, whatever they say, my feelings come first / For that to work, gotta work on my account care / I am my own standard, oh, I love myself".

Inner beauty vs outer beauty theme

The song transitions from materialistic focus to personal fulfillment, with members singing "Inner beauty, gonna cherish my inner heart / Inner beauty, aesthetically confident attitude / Inner beauty, gonna love myself the most". Member Yoon recalled the group's initial surprise at using "capitalism" in a girl group song title, noting it could leave a strong impression despite being unconventional.

tripleS Members in Girls' Capitalism Sub Unit

LOVElution represents the fourth sub-unit formation within the tripleS structure, following Acid Angel from Asia in October 2022, +(KR)ystal Eyes in May 2023, and Acid Eyes in June 2023. The eight-member configuration includes Yoon Seoyeon, Jeong Hyerin, Gong Yubin, Kaede, Seo Dahyun, Nien, Park Sohyun, and Xinyu. At the time of this release, tripleS had revealed 16 members total out of an eventual planned roster of 24.

Five members experienced their individual subunit debuts through LOVElution, while three had previously performed with either AAA or KRE. Park Sohyun holds the position of eldest member within the subunit. She characterized LOVElution's strength as the distinct charm possessed by each member, noting that the EP's eight tracks encompass individual member strengths and colors.

The group's structure includes an inversely named counterpart, EVOLution, scheduled to debut in October with the remaining eight eventually revealed members. Yoon Seoyeon gained additional performance experience through her participation in Queendom Puzzle prior to the LOVElution release, while the other seven members already possessed established performance capabilities.

Girls' Capitalism Music Video and Performance

Official music video release

The visual released on August 17, 2023 at midnight KST opens with school clubs posing for yearbook photographs, introducing LOVElution as members of the "Mad Money Club". Within their designated clubroom, the members attempt wealth manifestation through crystals and religious idols before discovering contentment through authenticity. The video portrays three distinct impulse categories: money-related, dance-related, and game-related activities, with monetary themes dominating the visual narrative.

A notable sequence features the members hosting a dance party inside a fast food restaurant where one member previously worked, tossing dollar bills during the celebration. Money appears throughout as party decorations, tissue substitutes, and food items, with gummy candy salads incorporating currency. The closing sequence shows all members wearing matching outfits within a large crowd. Christian symbolism appears through nine crosses displayed on a wall near the beginning. EVOLution makes a brief appearance through SeoYeon's phone, potentially linking her transition between the +(KR)ystal Eyes Dimension and LOVElution Dimension.

Dance performances

The group performed the track on Music Bank, broadcast on August 18, 2023.

Chinese release differences

The official Weibo release underwent modifications, retitling the track as "Girls" without the capitalism reference. Scenes featuring members interacting with cash were removed from this version, reducing the runtime to 2:57 compared to the original.