[YeitSuda] Cheerful Rebellion, Confident Women Are Coming

It took 95 years to lift a small bronze trophy weighing 3.8kg and plated with 24K gold.

'Everything Everywhere All at Once' protagonist Yang Ziqiong (Yang Ja-kyung) [Photo by AFP/Yonhap]

Yang Zichung (Yang Ja-kyung), who won the Best Actress award at the Academy Awards for the film Everything Everywhere All at Once, became the first Asian woman to receive this award. As global attention focused on her, Yang Zichung stated in an op-ed for the NYT (New York Times), "Please redirect the attention on me to issues of gender discrimination and inequality." In her acceptance speech, she also urged women not to believe the phrase "your prime is over." Overcoming the handicaps of being a middle-aged woman and a foreigner, she broke Hollywood's glass ceiling by clinching the Oscar.

Although the United States was founded on the ideals of freedom and equality, gender discrimination against women in Hollywood has a deep-rooted history. A research team from the University of Southern California (USC) analyzed over 700 films that ranked in the top 100 box office hits annually from 2007 to 2014. They found that the gender ratio of actors was about 2.3 to 1 in favor of men. Among a total of 30,835 roles with at least one line of dialogue, women accounted for only 30.2%. Last year, among the top 10 global box office films, Black Panther was the only one featuring a lead role played by a middle-aged actress over 45.

The situation is even more severe in Korean cinema. Among the top 10 box office hits last year, only three films featured women in lead or co-lead roles, and none starred middle-aged actresses over 45 in leading roles. On screen, middle-aged women still remain confined to passive roles such as mothers or wives. Most high-budget films are male-led crime or action movies, and the polarization of the film industry due to the COVID-19 pandemic is another factor that has significantly reduced the presence of female-led films.

Actress Moon Hee-kyung, whom we recently interviewed, is returning to the stage after a long time with the original musical Again, Spring, which portrays the worries and dreams of middle-aged women. She expressed regret, saying it is really difficult to find works that suit our age. While dramas often cast women as wives or mothers, there are limitations in the roles available to middle-aged actresses in films, theater, and musicals.

According to the resident registration age population statistics released by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety in 2021, the 40s and 50s age group accounts for the largest proportion at 32.5% of the total population. Cultural and artistic attendance rates for people in their 40s and 50s were 89.0% and 79.4%, respectively, showing steady increases compared to previous surveys. However, in the field, there are ongoing criticisms that there is a lack of content that resonates with and can be enjoyed by this demographic. Kim Deok-hee, director of the Seoul Musical Group that produced Again, Spring, explained, "The cultural demands of people in their 40s and 50s are increasing, but there is not enough content worth watching for them, so we planned this work."

Ahead of this trend, Europe and Hollywood have also produced various works dealing with the love, friendship, and concerns of middle-aged women, receiving favorable reviews. Over the past five years, middle-aged actresses such as Meryl Streep and Patricia Clarkson have been nominated for supporting actress awards at the Golden Globes and Emmys, demonstrating their enduring presence. Philosopher Martha Nussbaum pointed out in her book Growing Old Wisely that "Racism and sexism have also been rationalized by the belief that such discrimination stems from nature. Modern society still does not regard unequal treatment based on age as discrimination because it is considered 'natural.' But that is not a rational rule." The term "middle-aged actress" carries hidden perspectives of sexism and ageism. Breaking free from the long-standing cycle of discrimination, these women, armed with solid skills, are stepping forward as confident protagonists in society beyond the stage and screen.

Editor's NoteYeitsuda (藝It Suda) is a shortened form of "talk about art," a column covering issues and trends across the arts, including music, fine arts, and performances.