In Part 2 of Representation in Dramaland, we analyze the trend of very young female leads in contrast with their far older male counterparts, fat-shaming and beauty standards, and ableism, with specific examples of good and bad representation. We reflect on how K-dramas have evolved since we've started watching them, and conclude our exploration of representation with some thoughts on how these conversations often play out in the fandom (or don't), and how we might all approach these stories with more nuance, and our fellow fans with more kindness and respect.

TIME STAMPS:

SEXISM
00:03:00 The infantilization and/or sexualization of young female leads
00:03:32 Kim Yoo-jung & Ji Chang-wook in Backstreet Rookie
00:04:35 Kim So-hyun & Yoon Doo-joon in Radio Romance
00:05:30 The ickiness of waiting for child actresses to "turn legal"
00:09:47 Jung Eun-ji & the creepy second male lead in Reply 1997
00:22:05 Park Shin-hye & Kim Rae-won in Doctors
00:23:42 Drama representations vs. real-life relationships
00:30:14 Kim Go-eun and Gong Yoo in Goblin
00:37:20 But why are we often okay with noona romances with high school male leads?

BODY IMAGE
00:43:20 Beauty standards and fat-shaming in Korean entertainment
00:46:52 Kim Sun-ah in My Name is Kim Sam-soon
00:51:00 Shin Min-ah in Oh My Venus
00:54:45 Ha Jae-sook in Perfume
00:57:55 My ID is Gangnam Beauty
01:02:56 Eating disorders, Seo In-guk's struggle
01:05:11 Birth of a Beauty
01:05:52 Lee Young-ja in Hello Counselor

ABLEISM
01:11:00 Fox Bride Star/Where Stars Land
01:19:50 The Secret Life of My Secretary
01:22:50 The Beauty Inside
01:24:35 Trauma and mental illness
01:28:00 What makes a drama "too problematic to watch"?
01:32:00 The importance of creating space in fandom for these conversations
01:34:30 Who we valorize on TV, and how that affects society, and who's responsible
01:40:47 Context, change, and conclusions

In our extended show notes, you can find links to the articles we reference in the episode, additional points from us that we forgot to mention during the recording, and a complete list of listeners who sent feedback. Read them here: https://wp.me/p99pCS-uo

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Episode edited by Anisa. Support this podcast