K-Dramas That Reverse Archetypical Representations

While some K-dramas portray gender prejudices, others break gender standards by opposing the traditional ideas of femininity, as seen in ‘Coffee Prince,’ ‘Hyna,’ ‘My Name’ and more

- Debashree Dutta

According to a common school of thought, a girl is expected to be “feminine,” “naive” and “weak,” traits of the so called “desirable woman.” I imagine that occasionally a strong female character is deliberately made to look incompetent or helpless (in particular situations), possibly to allow a male character to step in and save the day. An assertive badass woman? Not very alluring. While some K-dramas commonly portray these kinds of gender prejudices and preconceptions, there is a clear break from the gender standards that many other K-dramas have been promoting by opposing the traditional ideas of femininity. Coffee Prince, for example, was a major hit in 2007. It showed the strength of an atypical heroine, setting a new standard by questioning gender expectations. It sharply demonstrated a woman’s power while tackling social concerns in Korea. By flipping conventional gender roles, the female protagonist’s unique portrayal as a tomboy, in contrast to many K-dramas where the plot revolves around a feminine makeover to attract attention, contributed to its appeal.

Go Eun-chan (Yoon Eun-hye), the heroine in Coffee Prince, is a martial arts expert and the family’s primary provider. She is unapologetic about her appearance or circumstances. Till the very end of the drama, Eun-chan chooses to wear baggy clothes and short hair and despite difficulties, never gives up on her dreams. I admire her fortitude since, at one point in the drama, she declines to wed Choi Han-kyul (Gong Yoo) before pursuing her career while also insisting on repaying her loan to him with interest even though they are dating. The best part? Han-kyul loves her for who she is and never coerces her into changing anything.