Anyone who cares to look will be able to see the sheer optimism that pulled these girls -- when they were still only girls -- through these past eight years to where they are now, at the pinnacle of the K-Pop industry. They're a group of lovely, mature women who have seen more than their fair shares of hardship, endured more than their fair share of loss, and battled through it all to end the day with a smile. Sure, making it this far takes an incredible amount of hard work, diligence and grit. But without the right attitude, can you truly say you’ve succeeded? That optimism and hope is what shines through and keeps us planted firmly in this fandom.
Then there's the fandom itself. We certainly aren’t the only ones to boast a large international community, though we are proud that we’ve raised over $100,000 for various charities, subtitled countless Korean shows for fans around the world to understand, and helped Girls’ Generation take home the 2013 YouTube Music Award for music video of the year. With all our accomplishments we’ve also had our struggles. But at the end of the day, those who can say that we are truly fans of Girls’ Generation (“Soshi” for short: an abbreviation of their Korean name, “Sonyuhshidae”) are the ones who can draw from that incredible well of optimism and appreciate it -- and maybe even do a little bit with it ourselves. And because we have taken to heart the ideals Soshi embodies, we, as fans, are truly “Soshified."
With that, "Soshified" became the name of Girls' Generation’s largest international fan community. But they have a name for us as well: "SONE." Which, among other more subtle things, is "wish" in Korean. And really, what better way is there to share that endless faith -- that great mountain of positivity Girls’ Generation stands on top of -- than to wish it upon anyone who might need it?
And the other meaning of SONE? It also shows the fact that "S(oshi and their fandom are) one." So through this united front, we will go forth together, to wherever the future might take us. So yes, we can’t necessarily say that we've been there since the beginning, but we can make sure we are here until the end.
-- moonrise31 (Caroline) and Soy of Soshified.com, the largest international source for Girls’ Generation boasting over 300,000 members. Follow @soshified on twitter for more updates on Girls’ Generation.
