Why Is Seo Yea-ji's Appearance So Important in "It's Okay to Not Be Okay"? [Kim Ga-yeon's Perspective Twist]

'It's Okay to Not Be Okay' Seo Yea-ji's 'Ant Waist' Sparks Buzz
Viewers Criticize, "Should Refrain from Comments and Judgments on Appearance"
US Psychologist Says, "Remarks on Appearance Have Negative Effects"

A scene from the tvN weekend drama "It's Okay to Not Be Okay." Lead actors Kim Soo-hyun (left), Seo Yea-ji, Oh Jung-se (right) / Photo by tvN "It's Okay to Not Be Okay" screen capture

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Ga-yeon] The tvN weekend drama 'It's Okay to Not Be Okay' has recently gained popularity, and the appearance of actress Seo Ye-ji, who plays the lead role of Ko Moon-young, has been a hot topic day after day. Keywords such as 'Seo Ye-ji ant waist' have appeared in real-time search terms on portal sites, and there are even YouTube contents analyzing her face. Viewers raised critical voices, saying that such interest and evaluation of female celebrities' appearances socially deepen the obsession with women's looks.

On the 23rd, a video titled 'Seo Ye-ji & Kim Soo-hyun Face Analysis!' was posted on the YouTube channel 'Doctor Friend [Doctor Person Friend]'. The video featured plastic surgeons analyzing whether a photo, said to be Seo Ye-ji's past graduation picture, was indeed her actual photo.

As the video spread through SNS and online communities, criticism continued. It was pointed out that the photo has not been definitively confirmed as Seo Ye-ji's past picture, and that evaluating someone else's face itself is very rude.

Also, on the 5th, when episode 6 of 'It's Okay to Not Be Okay' aired, keywords such as 'Seo Ye-ji waist CG' and 'Seo Ye-ji ant waist' appeared in real-time search terms on portal sites. The scene showed Seo Ye-ji shouting at a patient pretending to be her mother. Although it was a scene that highlighted delicate acting skills revealing past trauma related to her mother, as well as notable vocalization and pronunciation, the only thing that became a hot topic was the 'ant waist.'

As a result, viewers' voices demanding an end to appearance evaluations of female celebrities are growing louder. Viewers collectively said, "The social atmosphere of judging whether someone has had plastic surgery and evaluating what is good or bad about their appearance is too bizarre."

Some pointed out that this phenomenon is rooted in widespread misogyny in society. Misogyny refers to prejudice, contempt, disparagement, violence, sexual commodification, and objectification of women derived from a male-centered culture.

In summary, appearance evaluation and obsession toward women are included in misogyny because they objectify and commodify women. The problem lies in a society that evaluates women by their looks, where women are consumed simply as 'pretty women' rather than being recognized for their individual abilities as professionals.

A scene from the tvN weekend drama "It's Okay to Not Be Okay." Kim Soo-hyun (left) and Seo Yea-ji (right) / Photo by tvN "It's Okay to Not Be Okay" screen capture

For these reasons, social movements urging the 'cessation of appearance evaluation' have spread domestically since 2015. It means refusing to be judged by external factors and asking to be evaluated and respected for professional abilities. The Korean Women's Minwoo Association also conducted a campaign called 'Living One Week Without Talking About Appearance' from 2015 to 2016 to break the dominance of appearance-based values.

Professor Renee Engeln of the Department of Psychology at Northwestern University in the United States argued in her 2017 book 'Beauty Sick: How the Cultural Obsession with Appearance Hurts Girls and Women' that mentioning appearance negatively affects individuals. Even compliments about appearance make people more concerned about 'how others see them,' and she emphasized that such behavior should stop.

Meanwhile, Seo Ye-ji's side expressed caution regarding the excessive attention focused on her appearance rather than her work or acting. According to OSEN on the 6th, Seo Ye-ji's agency Gold Medalist stated, "The actress is feeling burdened by this situation."

'It's Okay to Not Be Okay' depicts the process of healing and comforting each other's wounds among Moon Sang-tae (played by Oh Jung-se), who has Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), his older brother Moon Kang-tae (Kim Soo-hyun), a psychiatric ward caregiver, and Ko Moon-young, a fairy-tale writer who resembles a witch from a storybook.

Director Park Shin-woo explained the meaning of the drama at an online production presentation held on the 10th of last month: "I think the world is a little crazy. Whether that is a problem or okay, I think this drama allows people to empathize and reflect on themselves. The most important message of 'It's Okay to Not Be Okay' is to look at and accept people as they are."