This review may contain spoilers
A backhanded compliment
It's amazing how insidious misogyny actually is. At first sight, this might be perceived as a drama about strong and progressive women, a feminist one, even. It couldn't be farther from the truth.
"She's not like other girls" is taken to another level by making the ML physically repulsed by all other women because he was hurt by his first love. While FL is telling us that women shouldn't be seen as the damsels in distress, ML is pilling all other women into airhead gold diggers. This does more of a disservice to women than anything else. We need to be extraordinary to be considered as human.
Even the director had a one dimensional idea of women. He changes the story once he figures out that ONE extraordinary woman exists. He, somehow, is inspired by this new breed of woman he never seen before, even if there was a woman doing the stunts before.
FL's mother made me so sad. The mother is happy her daughter is respected by her significant other. She said if she would be respected by her husband, she wouldn't have to write the book she did. Why didn't she get a divorce instead. Why show her daughter she has to endure disrespect. Instead of crying for her daughter not suffering the same fate, she could take her fate into her own hands. But only Mi Ran is an extraordinary woman, as we know these misogynistic dramas disguised as progressive only have space for one extraordinary woman, or we would all be just women with a multitude within ourselves that made us more than just stereotypes misogynistic men think all women are.
It sounds so bad talking about women as gold-diggers in a country like South Korea where, until very recently, women weren't even allowed to own property. [South Korean law decreeing women’s rights to equal inheritance came into effect on January 13, 1990 - YES, FUCKING 1990!!!!] That's mostly an incel trope, spread by men who don't even own anything worth taking. Most women who enter relationships with rich men are financially abused and controlled and a lot of them, the ones who believe the men will take care of them because they love them and bear their children, end up in either a situation of domestic violence or end up broke with children to care for.
This drama seems to try to slyly push misogynistic rhetoric that has the whole world descend into fascism, while cosplaying as representation for badass women. The writer should check his biases.
The second leads aren't any better. Her friend falls for a guy only based on his looks. She's portrayed as a shallow, defenceless woman who always gets used by men. How is the SML out of her league? He's just a player and she has low self-esteem. We all know you can't "fix" a player.
It only takes being in love to adhere to romantic stereotypes. Stereotypes exist for a reason but they're also the ones upholding the gender inequality that harms all of us and puts so many women's lives at risk.
They also managed to throw in there the trope that men are bad but NOT ALL MEN. "Don't lump me up with all the others who treated you badly just because I knowingly treat women as if they're disposable". She clearly has low self-esteem and ended up with yet another manipulator disguised and a changed good guy.
The whole drama is full of misogynistic tropes. It's almost impossible to stumble into a scene without one. Such a waste of a good soundtrack.
About the last episode, asking her to marry him in public without discussing it with her is the ultimate misogynistic move and it happened twice in this very short drama. Asking someone out or asking to marry them in public is a way of pressuring someone you know might not accept into a relationship without giving them the grace of denying it with all the freedom they should have, without feeling pressured.
Breaking up in front of the whole press is something else, that was a very predictable and unnecessary ending. Being a slut was, somehow, too much, she was doing it for the justice. That's, again, misogyny. It should be OK if she was a slut, it would be her decision and it doesn't affect her value as a person at all. Men don't band like that to defend women, like they show her co-workers doing, much less a woman's "reputation". They only do it for their bros. It felt like a "backhanded compliment" anyway. She was now worthy of dating a "good" man.
It's very disappointing to get promised a strong, badass woman and spend the whole drama showing us how she's not like other girls and ending it with the prospect of her being tamed. She said she doesn't want to get married and have children because she doesn't like the marriage culture in South Korea yet they hint she will be tamed. EVERYWHERE I LOOK THERE'S MISOGYNY! It's OK for women to not want to get married and have kids, for whatever reason or even no reason at all. This is just another attempt at seLling us the control of women as something cute and desirable. IT IS NOT!
On another note, South Korea also needs to work on their parasocial relationships. It's not normal for fans to control the private lives of actors and idols. Everyone should be entitled to their privacy and to do whatever the fuck they want with their lives, so long they're not hurting anyone.
"She's not like other girls" is taken to another level by making the ML physically repulsed by all other women because he was hurt by his first love. While FL is telling us that women shouldn't be seen as the damsels in distress, ML is pilling all other women into airhead gold diggers. This does more of a disservice to women than anything else. We need to be extraordinary to be considered as human.
Even the director had a one dimensional idea of women. He changes the story once he figures out that ONE extraordinary woman exists. He, somehow, is inspired by this new breed of woman he never seen before, even if there was a woman doing the stunts before.
FL's mother made me so sad. The mother is happy her daughter is respected by her significant other. She said if she would be respected by her husband, she wouldn't have to write the book she did. Why didn't she get a divorce instead. Why show her daughter she has to endure disrespect. Instead of crying for her daughter not suffering the same fate, she could take her fate into her own hands. But only Mi Ran is an extraordinary woman, as we know these misogynistic dramas disguised as progressive only have space for one extraordinary woman, or we would all be just women with a multitude within ourselves that made us more than just stereotypes misogynistic men think all women are.
It sounds so bad talking about women as gold-diggers in a country like South Korea where, until very recently, women weren't even allowed to own property. [South Korean law decreeing women’s rights to equal inheritance came into effect on January 13, 1990 - YES, FUCKING 1990!!!!] That's mostly an incel trope, spread by men who don't even own anything worth taking. Most women who enter relationships with rich men are financially abused and controlled and a lot of them, the ones who believe the men will take care of them because they love them and bear their children, end up in either a situation of domestic violence or end up broke with children to care for.
This drama seems to try to slyly push misogynistic rhetoric that has the whole world descend into fascism, while cosplaying as representation for badass women. The writer should check his biases.
The second leads aren't any better. Her friend falls for a guy only based on his looks. She's portrayed as a shallow, defenceless woman who always gets used by men. How is the SML out of her league? He's just a player and she has low self-esteem. We all know you can't "fix" a player.
It only takes being in love to adhere to romantic stereotypes. Stereotypes exist for a reason but they're also the ones upholding the gender inequality that harms all of us and puts so many women's lives at risk.
They also managed to throw in there the trope that men are bad but NOT ALL MEN. "Don't lump me up with all the others who treated you badly just because I knowingly treat women as if they're disposable". She clearly has low self-esteem and ended up with yet another manipulator disguised and a changed good guy.
The whole drama is full of misogynistic tropes. It's almost impossible to stumble into a scene without one. Such a waste of a good soundtrack.
About the last episode, asking her to marry him in public without discussing it with her is the ultimate misogynistic move and it happened twice in this very short drama. Asking someone out or asking to marry them in public is a way of pressuring someone you know might not accept into a relationship without giving them the grace of denying it with all the freedom they should have, without feeling pressured.
Breaking up in front of the whole press is something else, that was a very predictable and unnecessary ending. Being a slut was, somehow, too much, she was doing it for the justice. That's, again, misogyny. It should be OK if she was a slut, it would be her decision and it doesn't affect her value as a person at all. Men don't band like that to defend women, like they show her co-workers doing, much less a woman's "reputation". They only do it for their bros. It felt like a "backhanded compliment" anyway. She was now worthy of dating a "good" man.
It's very disappointing to get promised a strong, badass woman and spend the whole drama showing us how she's not like other girls and ending it with the prospect of her being tamed. She said she doesn't want to get married and have children because she doesn't like the marriage culture in South Korea yet they hint she will be tamed. EVERYWHERE I LOOK THERE'S MISOGYNY! It's OK for women to not want to get married and have kids, for whatever reason or even no reason at all. This is just another attempt at seLling us the control of women as something cute and desirable. IT IS NOT!
On another note, South Korea also needs to work on their parasocial relationships. It's not normal for fans to control the private lives of actors and idols. Everyone should be entitled to their privacy and to do whatever the fuck they want with their lives, so long they're not hurting anyone.
Was this review helpful to you?
