[Sisaculture] The Prime Era of Older Sisters

Popular Lead Roles of Actresses in Their 50s
Diverse Genres and Characters, Few Melodramas
News Channels Also Hope for More 'Anchor Nuna' Roles

Let's line up the works currently ranking high on Netflix. "Queenmaker," "Dr. Cha Jeong-sook," "Queen of Masks," "Bad Mother," and "Paper Moon." The thumbnails all look somewhat similar. This is because middle-aged actresses in their 50s take the lead roles as the 'one-top' stars. The protagonist of "Queenmaker," Kim Hee-ae, was born in 1967; Um Jung-hwa of "Dr. Cha Jeong-sook" was born in 1969; and Kim Sun-a of "Queen of Masks" was born in 1973, all proudly showcasing the experience of their 50s. Ra Mi-ran of "Bad Mother" and Kim Seo-hyung of "Paper Moon" are also in their late 40s. They have simultaneously taken over Netflix as if forming an alliance. The movie "Gilboksoon," which enjoyed top popularity until recently, was also a solo lead starring Jeon Do-yeon, a woman in her 50s. As someone in their late 40s, seeing the older sisters I admired when I was young still looking 'hot' gives me a thrilling feeling.

Should this be seen as a cultural phenomenon? It is likely related to the preferences of the younger generation in their teens and twenties who favor short-length video content. They prefer short-form videos on YouTube and web dramas in the drama category. They also like platforms like TikTok. Content that summarizes movies or dramas into about 10 minutes is also very popular. On the other hand, the youth who were enthusiastic about movies and dramas decades ago have now become middle-aged but still remain a major consumer group of films and dramas. As a result, the stars they admired back then still hold appeal in long-form video content. Conversely, actors of that age group rarely gain popularity in short-form content.

Up to this point, analysis is possible through data, but why actresses? There is no data explaining why works starring actresses as solo leads are dominating. This phenomenon was not detected until a few months ago. Works led by Song Joong-ki such as "The Youngest Son of a Chaebol Family," omnibus-style "Our Blues," "My Liberation Notes," and going further back to "All of Us Are Dead," "Hellbound," "Kingdom," and "Squid Game" never had female leads single-handedly driving the story simultaneously occupying the top ranks. We can only guess a few reasons: increased social participation of women? Influence of feminism? Resistance to male bias in certain roles? A temporary trend? It is unlikely to be just one reason.

However, it is worth noting that the works these older sisters have presented are not monotonous. The genres range from comedy, melodrama, to thriller, and the roles are diverse. Killer, late-blooming doctor, savings bank employee, self-employed... Some are mothers, but some have no children. The melodrama line is faint or almost nonexistent. As someone involved in broadcasting, this is a phenomenon I have been waiting for. For a very long time, young actresses in movies or dramas always had romantic storylines, and older actresses were always mothers or supporting roles, which was even puzzling.

News seems to be a field that still holds conservative standards regarding gender roles. Looking at news anchors, most men are older than women. Even though news channels have proliferated since the approval of general programming channels, except for Kim Ju-ha, there are few cases where a female anchor in her 50s hosts the main evening news. If the news production field is like this while reporting on gender equality, women's career breaks, and so on, it is hypocritical. Viewers might be ready. I want to see more 'anchor sisters' who stand out for their skills and experience rather than young and pretty appearances.

Lee Jae-ik, Novelist