'Oh My Venus' May Have An Empowering Message, Despite Its Premise
"Oh My Venus" chronicles the compelling tale of Kang Joo Eun (Shin Min Ah), a 33-year-old woman who used to be renown as a stunning beauty.
In her dogged pursuit of a law degree, Joo Eun traded in her looks for endless hours of studying. Now a successful lawyer, she possesses most of the things she once dreamed of, but her boyfriend of 15-years, Im Woo Shik (Jung Gyu Woon), has yet to pop the question.
Rather than receiving a romantic proposal, she becomes immersed in the harsh reality that Woo Shik is cheating on her with Oh Soo Jin (Yoo In Young), a fellow lawyer who was once overweight, but is now a poised beauty.
When her situation appears to be hopeless, Joo Eun has several chance encounters with Kim Young Ho (So Ji Sub), a conglomerate heir-turned-Hollywood personal trainer, who nurses his own childhood wounds. Young Ho or John Kim, as he is known by his high-profile clients, slowly helps Joo Eun reclaim her self-confidence and Miss Korea-worthy body through rigorous exercise.
While plastic surgery is often the fictitious go-to fix for women in her situation, as exemplified by the drama, "Birth of a Beauty," "Oh My Venus" emphasizes the power of fitness. The series has the potential to impart a message of empowerment to female viewers, even if Joo Eun initially views Young Ho as her knight-in-shining-armor, who repeatedly comes to her rescue.
Even as an adult, she entertains the notion that she would the Cinderella of the legal world, with her ex-boyfriend serving as her prince charming. However, her first encounters with Young Ho demonstrate that he could lead her towards a happy ending, even if it is not the conclusion she always imagined.
Joo Eun collapses on an intercontinental flight, after digesting a quick-fix cocktail of diet and caffeine pills, in her last ditch effort to lose weight. Rather than lauded her attempt to drop the pounds, Young Ho chastens her for her unhealthy approach to weight loss. But his advice goes unheeded, as Joo Eun harps on the past and her former appearance.
The drama wields a double-edged sword, through flashbacks, where Joo Eun is portrayed as a gorgeous co-ed, who uses her beauty to influence others, even though she desires to succeed on her own academic merit. Through these glimpses into the past, she is painted as an anti-heroine, who flirted with Soo Jin's crush, even though she could have dated any other guy.
As Joo Eun becomes introspective about her former deeds, she begins realizes that she needs to change, in order to truly achieve happiness.
K-Dramas continue to embrace increasingly progressive views regarding female empowerment. "Twenty Again" and "She Was Pretty," began with the premise that the heroines needed to change to make the male protagonists happy, but concluded with the women finding their own path to enlightenment.
Hopefully, "Oh My Venus" will continue this trend, demonstrating that there may be ups-and-downs to weight loss and maintaining a healthy lifestyle is more valuable than any failed relationship.
Adrienne Stanley is a contributing editor at KDramaStars. She is also a contributing music writer at KpopStarz, MTV Iggy and other publications. When she is not listening to "Rhythm Ta," she can be found on Twitter. (@retrogirladdy).
