Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Liberating The Woman: Feminism In Korean Dramas, Emma Mackey

Scholars Day Conference

In my ventures throughout Korean dramas, or k-dramas as they are less formally known, I’ve noticed how poorly many of the female characters are treated in their romantic relationships, depictions of violence being glorified as something the male characters are doing out of love rather than selfishness. These abusive behaviors have waned out of popularity in recent years, though there are still underlying elements of patriarchal values in modern k-dramas, the female characters having to adhere to strict societal standards like chastity, modesty, beauty, and so on to be deemed worthy of a man’s love. I explored these themes in …