Random Thoughts on ... Yoochun and the Sexy Girl
After reading about how some Yoochun fans vehemently oppose one of his co-actresses (Jang Min-in-ae) in the upcoming drama I Miss You due to some, hm, smexy pictures (and, as some claim, bad acting in the past), I started thinking about purity, or the image of it, in KPop and KDrama. And about super-scary-crazy fans (Xiahpaws, Chunsas and Jaeharems? And they have hymns, code names, hierarchy ranks, and spies? Really??), but that's another topic. To be honest, the complete lack of sex scenes in KDrama that make you appreciate even just the 'eyeloving' and crave even for the smallest touch between a potential couple is one of the reasons why I like KDrama so much more than US shows.
In that sense, there are a lot of similarites between KDrama and British period pieces like Pride & Prejudice or North & South (my husband calls them "lady films"). Romance is not shown in the form of sweating, grunting bodies, but as a pure and noble venture, always connected to a lot of suffering and struggle, but ultimately a journey leading to bliss. And it is a kind of heavenly, eternal bliss, not the short-lived bliss of an orgasm. And because this type of god-given love is pure, it comes with the paradox of sexlessness (guess we have to be kinda glad this is not how it works in real life, because who would make babies then?)
I am not qualified to write about South Korean culture beyond what I see projected through KPop MVs and KDramas and the ripples they create, and I do also not pretend to understand it, let alone judge it. However, it is clearly a very conservative culture. And conservative cultures usually come with strict behavioral rules - especially for women. Such rules always try to reinforce gendered stereotypes of purity and humbleness and timidity. This obviously does not go well together with women openly living and sharing their sexuality. Potentially aggressive sexuality of women logically becomes a threat to the very foundation of society.
Though I do not understand what the Yoochun fans are really worried about (that she will seduce him? jump on him? make babies with him? or that she will sully his pure image?), I do understand that a Korean actress doing half-naked (and entirely naked) modelling and filming puts more on the line than an actress in a culture where sex-scenes are shown on TV every night. And even though I simply couldn't care less what Korean-actor-X and Korean-actress-Y do when they're not in a drama I'm watching (well ... apart from Park Shi-hoo, probably, or Lee Jun-ki, or ... nevermind), I also, in a way, admittedly, do not want the pure images I am after spoilt by sex and sex-related and remotely-sex-related things.
That's why I'm glad that most other Korean actresses keep their bras on. Then again, I am very grateful to Jang Mi-in-ae for showing me my first Korean female breasts and butt. And very attractive samples at that. Anyway, I hope Yoochun enjoys himself with her, err, filming with her and I also hope this drama isn't as sad as it looks like it's going to be because I do like Yoochun, too.
Though I do not understand what the Yoochun fans are really worried about (that she will seduce him? jump on him? make babies with him? or that she will sully his pure image?), I do understand that a Korean actress doing half-naked (and entirely naked) modelling and filming puts more on the line than an actress in a culture where sex-scenes are shown on TV every night. And even though I simply couldn't care less what Korean-actor-X and Korean-actress-Y do when they're not in a drama I'm watching (well ... apart from Park Shi-hoo, probably, or Lee Jun-ki, or ... nevermind), I also, in a way, admittedly, do not want the pure images I am after spoilt by sex and sex-related and remotely-sex-related things.
That's why I'm glad that most other Korean actresses keep their bras on. Then again, I am very grateful to Jang Mi-in-ae for showing me my first Korean female breasts and butt. And very attractive samples at that. Anyway, I hope Yoochun enjoys himself with her, err, filming with her and I also hope this drama isn't as sad as it looks like it's going to be because I do like Yoochun, too.