#SeriesInFocus: 'Oh My Venus', is mushy, romantic and perfect winter-companion
On the surface, all romantic Korean dramas seem to be cut out from the same stencil. The couple has a troubling past and the relationship saves them. So Ji-sub and Shin Min-a starring 2016 drama Oh My Venus isn't any different, and yet it is. The show which aired from November'15 to January'16, is available on Netflix, and could be your perfect winter partner.
After being left by boyfriend, the protagonist finds herself again
Min-a's character Kang Joo-eun is a 33-year-old lawyer, whose road to working at firm comes at a cost. The popularity she enjoyed in high school, fizzles out and her fat-shaming longtime boyfriend Im Woo-shik (played by Jung Gyu-woon) dumps her. So Ji-sub plays the role of Kim Young-ho/John Kim, an heir to an influential family, who battled illness as a kid and chose to train celebrities after growing up.
From first-meeting to wedding, everything follows the cliched path
Unexpectedly, Joo-eun meets Young-ho, and the latter pushes her on a path to healthy living. They work out together, eventually, fall in love, face roadblocks before their wedding, and by the end walk towards sunset holding one another's hands. Just like the cliched rom-com plot, everything falls in place in this show too. But a closer look proves the series is so much more.
Unrealistic beauty standards need to be smashed, this show highlights
For far too long, women in South Korea have been living with the pressure to be perfect and Oh Soo-jin, essayed by Yoo In-young, shows this. A successful lawyer, who looks like a model, Soo-jin's life revolves around 'perfection'. To an extent, that she gets anxious thinking an extra pound or unkempt hair would shatter everything she has achieved. She chooses not to visit a doctor when ill as she can't let others see her 'sick'.
Thankfully, some women did something about this mindset
On a related note, a few weeks ago South Korean women decided to fight the rules set in the patriarchal society by destroying their make-up. The women set on a path to accept themselves, sans the eyeliners, concealers, and foundations, and got global attention.
The series also shows victim-shaming is the easiest path
Oh My Venus also highlights victim-shaming. Because divided by borders, united by misogyny, right? When Joo-eun is stalked and she complains to police, the officers tread the fat-shaming path, wondering why would anyone harass her. This, of course, breaks her and she starts questioning her sanity. The gist is: Regardless of the country, women will always be probed and not believed. 'All hail patriarchy'!
And what is workplace without sexism?
While it stays true to its theme of romance, for the most part, this Kim Hyung-suk directed series serves as a commentary on the society. It also deals with sexism at the workplace showing how Joo-eun has to work harder than other colleagues, and knowingly or not even the female employees join in making the work atmosphere toxic for her.
Get cosy inside the quilt, and watch this series
One of the best aspects of Oh My Venus is its underlying review of the South Korean society, and the standards, sometimes harsh, set for all. If you are looking for an easy-breezy watch, this 16-episode series should be your choice.
