OPINION: 5 Times ‘Love In Contract’ Breaks Gender Stereotypes
Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers and gender-related ideas. Read at your own risk
Media has an undeniable power to manipulate and influence one’s beliefs and cultural understanding. For that exact reason, media became a tool for representation. The persistence of gender stereotypes in movies and television shows reveals a basic knowledge of how individuals view gender. However, a lot of people decided to stand up and fight for a genuine representation.
That includes ‘Love In Contract’, a newly-released South Korean drama starring Park Min-young, Go Kyung-pyo, and Kim Jae-Young.
Here are a few of my observations while watching the said Korean drama.
Jung Ji-ho’s Timid Personality
In contrast to the typical portrayal of traditional men in films and dramas, the main character in ‘Love In Contract,’ Jung Ji-ho (Go Kyung-pyo), has a timid personality. Despite his outward masculinity, the character’s personality is rather vulnerable. Ji-ho’s upbringing molded and caused him to keep his words to himself and conceal his genuine intentions. He appeared to be more afraid to speak up than the female lead character. Furthermore, his temperament also defies the gender stereotype that men do not do household chores since he uses it to distract himself from troubling thoughts.
Woo Gwang-nam’s Clothing Preference
South Korean LGBTQ members, like those in other countries, endure severe discrimination, making it difficult to come out. Despite the perception that most gays are crossdressers, feminine, and have a flair for fashion, the drama focused on their purpose and offer genuine representation. People frequently overlook the fact that LGBT individuals have distinct personalities. They pursue their interests regardless of whether they are considered masculine or feminine.
Kang Hyung-seok’s portrayal of Woo Gwang-nam breaks the gender stereotype that all gays are crossdressers and feminine. In fact, in several scenes, (s)he still has to reveal and admit his/her sexual orientation for people to know. In addition, contrary to popular belief that gays are cowards, (s)he frequently appears to save Choi Sang-eun every time she is in trouble.
Submissive Male Character
After playing golf with his colleagues, Choi Sang-eun (Park Min-young) praised Jung Ji-ho (Go Kyung-pyo) for being excellent in Episode 8. “I think the ladies think really well of you,” Sang-eun said, “the opinions of their wives are very influential.” she added. Jung Ji-ho’s character does not get along with others, but since Sang-eun came into his life, he has gradually learned to communicate and please others around him. That includes pleasing his Principal Manager’s wife, who thinks highly of Choi Sang-eun, since her husband always submits to her. With this, it is best to say that the drama also breaks the gender stereotype that all men are dominant. There are cases where females fall in love with submissive males.
Madam Yoo and Choi Sang-eun’s Strong Personalities
Despite the fact that these two women are not related by blood, they have one thing in common: a strong personality. Throughout the previous drama episodes, I believe we can all agree that Madam Yoo and Sang-eun have dominant personality. They resist to just follow anyone and tend to lead and decide on their own. They seem to be the ‘authority’ themselves. Although there are several scenes in which they show up vulnerable, their characters still appear to be powerful. As can be seen by this, these two characters defy the gender stereotype of women being subservient, weak, and gentle.
Kang Hae-jin Befriending Woo Gwang-nam
One of the most common gender stereotypes associated with men is “straight guys should not have gay friends.” However, not everyone holds the same opinion. Men have a high level of homophobia, yet this does not exclude men from befriending gays. Some males simply refuse to. Despite Kang Hae-jin’s (Kim Jae-young) strong denial when accused of being gay in this drama, he told Woo Gwang-nam (Kang Hyung-seok) that he has gay friends as well. He just doesn’t like being suspected of being gay. Kang Hae-jin said those when Woo Gwang-nam almost didn’t take the job because he was terrified of being accused of something just because he was gay while he was only working hard.
Media messages influence viewers in both positive and negative ways. It has an impact on people’s knowledge of culture, race, gender representation, and much more. This is why, when people claim that media is powerful, we couldn’t agree more. It has the ability to change our beliefs, inform and lead people to awareness, or manipulate them. In any case, I hope that the media will continue to provide truthful representation in order to improve the lives of the marginalized.
Do you watch Love In Contract and notice all of these things? Let us know what you think!
