[Current & Culture] Why Must It Be “Young Women Aged 18 to 24”?

The ‘Yeongyang Chili Pepper Miss Contest,’ which had been temporarily suspended due to COVID-19, was held again after four years. I learned about its revival this year, despite a poor chili pepper harvest, from an article criticizing the event. As I read the article without much thought, I found myself puzzled. The reason given by a Yeongyang County official in response to a reporter’s question about why the contest was held exclusively for “unmarried women aged 18 to 24” was the cause. They said men don’t have time due to military service or employment, and married women find it difficult to participate after marriage, so the contest targets young unmarried women. I’m not sure if there are other circumstances unique to that local government, but I find it hard to agree with this statement. Are young unmarried women exempt from working? Shouldn’t we rather support married women’s social activities more?

There was a time when various beauty pageants, led by Miss Korea, were held in rapid succession. Companies used them for marketing purposes, and local governments judged and scored young women’s faces and figures under the pretext of promoting local specialties. At local festivals, it was not uncommon to witness sexual harassment remarks on stage under the guise of evaluating speaking skills. As someone who often directed live broadcasts at local government events, I witnessed this several times. Times have changed, and beauty pageants have gradually been phased out. So, the news of the revival of the Chili Pepper Miss Contest was surprising, and the organizer’s insistence on targeting only “young unmarried women” was even more astonishing.

We categorize people by gender and age: bachelor, agassi (young unmarried woman), ajumma (married woman), ajusshi (middle-aged man), grandmother, grandfather... But there is no reason why a local specialty like chili peppers should be paired specifically with agassi. Thinking about it, another place famous for chili peppers besides Yeongyang is Eumseong. Upon checking, I found that Eumseong also had a Chili Pepper Miss Contest, but it has been changed to a Chili Pepper Ajumma Contest! There is also a Mister Chili Pepper Contest held together.

Curious, I looked into other local governments. In Yeongcheon, Gyeongbuk, famous for grapes, the Grape Miss Contest was changed to the Grape People Contest, and the target was expanded to include both men and women, not limited to unmarried women. However, there is still an age limit, so I cannot become a Grape Person. Oh well, I like grapes too. The Namwon Chunhyang Contest, the second most famous beauty pageant after Miss Korea, still exists. In fact, this contest has consistently produced 21st-century Chunhyangs even during the recent years of the COVID-19 pandemic.

There is also a contest honoring Queen Jeongsun, who remained faithful for 60 years after her husband, King Danjong, died when she married young. Perhaps aware of criticism about encouraging women’s fidelity in modern times, the event emphasizes autonomous femininity instead of fidelity in its purpose. Queen Jeongsun’s tragic life is unfortunate, but I’m not sure if she was truly an autonomous woman. Unless you consider the other Queen Jeongsun (there were two in the Joseon Dynasty), who entered the palace as King Yeongjo’s consort, who was 51 years her senior, and later served as regent. Anyway, the Queen Jeongsun Contest was held until last year, but it was not held this year due to the reduction of in-person events. Since there is a notice asking to look forward to next year, it seems it will continue.

Dear readers, what do you think about these contests? There are criticisms that they are anachronistic, and defenses that say they are just festivals and that the standards are too strict. Hopefully, unless absolutely necessary, the target should not be limited by specific gender and age. Let’s not regress, even if we cannot lead the times.

Lee Jae-ik, Novelist