Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Abstract: Korean TV dramas are believed to be the battlefield of the Korean feminism. Previous research has paid great attention to media’s representations of female gender roles in Korean TV dramas. However, there is an absence of study on representation of males, the indispensable counterpart in the social negotiation of gender roles. This study aims to examine the redefining of masculinity in two South Korean TV dramas, My Lovely Sam Soon and Full House, with consideration of the social cultural environment of the country. The textual analysis of the main male characters of these two TV dramas show a transformation is occurring in the representation of male gender roles. The “new man” and the “new lads” under the Korean context are observed, as well as the recurrence of the “old man” and the traits of the “hardline masculinity”. These findings indicate a negotiating process of the masculinity in today’s Korean society.