"She was Pretty" is a true story, so they say. It's about love - of course. The first love, too. And about being a woman in South Korea. When is a woman beautiful? And when is she not (anymore)? And what does that mean for her then? For love? For work? For social life? For your self-esteem?

That's what this KDrama is about.

Wanting to be beautiful as a woman is widespread. Needing to be beautiful as a woman is deeply Korean. In hardly any other country do women spend so much time on skin care and make-up. Impeccability of the personality is reflected (in the South Korean self-image) in the form of pure skin and so facial care is part of a comprehensive ideal of beauty. The KBeauty industry supplies innovative products for this. In Germany, there are an average of three to five care steps that women use for their facial care. South Korea has become known for its "10-step Korean Skincare Routine", which (should) lead to a flawless porcelain complexion in lengthy and loving detail work.

In my experience, series that deal supposedly critically with ideals of beauty, bullying based on appearance, discrimination based on aesthetic value judgments and norms tend to have a hard time. They can't really be critical since their sponsors often come from the KBeauty industry... And they can rarely present an "ugly", "repulsive" character as a protagonist if they want the viewer to identify with it and actually watch the series. The subject calls for compromises before the story can even be thought through, let alone be told. Most of the time, this results in a transformation process for the protagonist: she transforms into a beauty that men and women can no longer overlook, and as a result she at last gains (now well deserved) self-esteem.

That's why I'm not a fan of this type of series. Even if the actresses are usually very committed, perhaps because the topic is so important to them. But the story can't help it... In the end, the solution is the transformation - the ugly duckling blossoms into a pretty woman and thus causes plenty of "Aha!". That doesn't convince me personally, because the core of the problem is rarely shaken, at most it is touched on the shell.

Accordingly, "She was Pretty" is not among my favorite series. Still I like it. Why? After all, there is the male character of Shin-hyuk. He's a great guy, he's good-looking, he's got what it takes - but he doesn't act like the norm. He takes a close look behind the facades and encounters the human in the woman, not the image of the woman. And falls in love with the woman as she is (before some kind of transformation). I think we need more role models like this. In "She was Pretty" at least there is one. It's encouraging and also fun to watch Shin-huyk (refreshingly played by Choi Si-won) in his encounters with the 'Ugly Duckling'.

Of course, ugly is relative in this KDrama as always. The protagonist, Kim Hye-jin, was once one of the prettiest girls in her class and totally hip. However, she has inherited her father's skin, which is characterized by a noticeable redness in the cheek area. Also, her hair is naturally frizzy. Although this might disturb the eye of the South Korean viewers, it is actually nothing that cannot be remedied with a few interventions, if a woman wanted to. Hye-jin just doesn't want to. To her it's not worth it (also in monetary terms). Yet that's how she offends people and makes social life and professional life difficult.

She compensates for her flaws (and thus her lack of value as a woman) through hard work. At the same time, she and her goodwill constantly invite others to have her be exploited. There's a memorable scene in which she takes on the new job with a competitor. Her co-worker is what you might call pretty (at least she's done a lot to be). As a reward, she is given permission to manicure her nails during working hours and to work rather slowly (if at all). Hye-jin, on the other hand, is passed around, pushed and insulted. The ideal of beauty for women - beyond performance - thus influences hierarchies in the working world. Unfortunately for South Korea this is a widespread status quo.

With Hwang Jung-eum and Choi Si-won being in a cheerful mood and providing plenty of fun in the midst of the actually less funny social conditions, the KDrama becomes worth seeing. The exalted editor-in-chief of the lifestyle magazine, who changes her hair color and her outfit with the hour and constantly recites from Italian operas, also ensures a good mood.

Ah, yes, this Kdrama is first of all a rom(ance) with some com(edy) in search of a happy ending. Some things may be predictable, but some are not.

As far as the beauty-topic ist concerned: It´s never too far from the norm, but some socially critical echoes could still be sprinkled nonchalantly throughout the course of the story. ...Humor paves the way for serious messages...