You're Beautiful gender issues...
Nov. 13th, 2009 12:03 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
rosdriseI've been enjoying You're Beautiful since it started. It's a show about a nun-in-training disguising herself to join a boyband. I don't see how it couldn't be funny, especially since it's being penned by the Hong sisters. Of course, I thought FlashForward was going to be brilliant and it just gets more dull every week. I may start watching Vampire Diaries in real time and saving FF for downloads. I'd really like to stick with it through the season but it's not going to be easy.
Anyway, I've seen several people that have taken issue with the character of Mi Nam. That's totally understandable, she's basically a moron. A sweet, adorable moron, but a moron nonetheless. It can be frustrating watching your supposed heroine not be able to tie her own shoes, so to speak. Personally, it hasn't really bothered me, but I can see how it would.
What I do take issue with is the combination of Mi Nam's character and the other big female roles: He Yi, Mi Nam's aunt, and Tae Kyung's mom. On their own, fine. They aren't exactly expertly flushed out characters, but it is just a silly little romcom, so I can deal with that. But the only female character that falls between these two polar opposites is the stylist. I don't even remember her name, so she's not exactly on the screen a lot. What we are left with are two examples of women: the desired and the undesired.
Mi Nam is pretty much the Victorian ideal of a woman: the angel of the house. She's passive, powerless, meek, and self-sacrificing. She heaps all the blame on herself. She is doing a favor for her brother by masquerading as a boy. While it is understandable to feel guilt over lying to those you've grown close to, Mi Nam treats it as a sin. She tries to suppress her feelings for Tae Kyung in order to keep harmony in their little family. All of her actions are focused around pleasing the men in her life.
Then we have He Yi. Who, because she lacks all of the qualities that make Mi Nam so 'good' is labeled as 'bad'. He Yi looks out for herself. She is strong, driven, and will take what she wants. For every instance of Mi Nam sitting back quietly, suffering for her supposed sins, we have He Yi ignoring the feelings of others, and focusing solely on what she desires.
OK, so He Yi is kind of a bitch. I get that, every story has a villain. I don't think it would bother me so much if Mi Nam wasn't such a pinnacle of Victorian virtue. It's such a blatant case of binary issues. He Yi isn't Mi Nam, thus she is evil. The only time people like He Yi is when she is masquerading as a girl with Mi Nam's characteristics. Once they see that is not her real self, she is no longer the angel of the house. She is the 'other' type of woman. The other that society does not want or accept.
In a way, Tae Kyung's mom is kind of a twisted version of the angel of the house. Her entire world revolves around the love she lost. The only time we are allowed to feel sympathy for her is when she is mourning the loss of that love. She only softens when she talks of that man or of his children. But she has not devoted herself fully to her family like she is supposed to (see: Tae Kyung).
This whole thing is like a fairytale come to life. Mi Nam is going to marry the prince and the evil stepmother is going to get put in a barrel covered in nails and rolled down a hill.
See my icon for a show with less cookie cutter versions of women.
Anyway, I've seen several people that have taken issue with the character of Mi Nam. That's totally understandable, she's basically a moron. A sweet, adorable moron, but a moron nonetheless. It can be frustrating watching your supposed heroine not be able to tie her own shoes, so to speak. Personally, it hasn't really bothered me, but I can see how it would.
What I do take issue with is the combination of Mi Nam's character and the other big female roles: He Yi, Mi Nam's aunt, and Tae Kyung's mom. On their own, fine. They aren't exactly expertly flushed out characters, but it is just a silly little romcom, so I can deal with that. But the only female character that falls between these two polar opposites is the stylist. I don't even remember her name, so she's not exactly on the screen a lot. What we are left with are two examples of women: the desired and the undesired.
Mi Nam is pretty much the Victorian ideal of a woman: the angel of the house. She's passive, powerless, meek, and self-sacrificing. She heaps all the blame on herself. She is doing a favor for her brother by masquerading as a boy. While it is understandable to feel guilt over lying to those you've grown close to, Mi Nam treats it as a sin. She tries to suppress her feelings for Tae Kyung in order to keep harmony in their little family. All of her actions are focused around pleasing the men in her life.
Then we have He Yi. Who, because she lacks all of the qualities that make Mi Nam so 'good' is labeled as 'bad'. He Yi looks out for herself. She is strong, driven, and will take what she wants. For every instance of Mi Nam sitting back quietly, suffering for her supposed sins, we have He Yi ignoring the feelings of others, and focusing solely on what she desires.
OK, so He Yi is kind of a bitch. I get that, every story has a villain. I don't think it would bother me so much if Mi Nam wasn't such a pinnacle of Victorian virtue. It's such a blatant case of binary issues. He Yi isn't Mi Nam, thus she is evil. The only time people like He Yi is when she is masquerading as a girl with Mi Nam's characteristics. Once they see that is not her real self, she is no longer the angel of the house. She is the 'other' type of woman. The other that society does not want or accept.
In a way, Tae Kyung's mom is kind of a twisted version of the angel of the house. Her entire world revolves around the love she lost. The only time we are allowed to feel sympathy for her is when she is mourning the loss of that love. She only softens when she talks of that man or of his children. But she has not devoted herself fully to her family like she is supposed to (see: Tae Kyung).
This whole thing is like a fairytale come to life. Mi Nam is going to marry the prince and the evil stepmother is going to get put in a barrel covered in nails and rolled down a hill.
See my icon for a show with less cookie cutter versions of women.
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no subject
Date: 2009-11-13 07:00 pm (UTC)This drove me crazy with a YA book I recently read. The heroine was tough and strong and had no interest in marriage or children (especially awesome since she fell in love with a prince; she rejected becoming a princess to be her own person instead). The guy was fine with it, madly in love with her.
Cue me skimming online reviews where readers were just incensed that she didn't "give in" because "he was so nice and understanding." They even had the gall to call it bad character development.
SCREAM.
no subject
Date: 2009-11-13 07:12 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-11-13 07:21 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-11-13 07:22 pm (UTC)In Worlds Within - I absolutely loved how they dealt with the issue - they were dating and she basically told him (the issue came up) that she doesn't want children because it would derail her career (and I love that it wasn't viewed as a horrible thing or made her a horrible person). And he was taken aback to which she told him that if he dares to break up with her over this, she is basically going to tell everyone he's a sexist (or something to that effect) but he had no intention of breaking up with her (near the end they actually barter and hash out details - as in how she can work the most if she does get pregnant or who they will get to watch the kid so she won't have to take maternity leave etc).
And that's the thing - if one party doesn't want kids and the other one does, I am fine with it being presented as a potential relationship-breaker (this lack of compatibility on several important issues was one of many reasons the characters in WW had a painful break-up for a while) but it's not evil! It's not evil to want to have a life outside the home!