Beauty in Crisis in the Korean Drama True Beauty

This exploratory paper focuses on the Korean Drama True Beauty in relation to gender, body image, social comparison and impression management. Social comparison theory and impression management are key themes throughout this Netflix show. The drama focuses on a high school girl named Lim who is bullied because of her imperfect skin and the fact that she wears glasses. In the first episode, social media exacerbates this bullying, leading to Lim thinking about committing suicide. However, after learning how to apply make-up she transforms her looks whilst starting a new school. With her newly made-up perfect skin and contact lenses, her peer group now call her a goddess and she becomes the focal point of various love interests. The drama highlights the differences between her backstage and front stage performances with Lim removing her perfect make-up by the end. The television series reveals that there is also some pressure for males to conform to beauty standards and to be ‘cute’ rather than having flawless skin. The drama draws attention to the continual crisis that is reinforced by social media as well society in relation to looks, body image and self-esteem, especially for young people.