Every human being you see probably has a complex life story of their own. Always remember that no matter how perfect someone appears or is, you truly never know what is happening in their life. So always be kind to others.
The above sentence summarizes my overall review of the Kdrama “Oh My Venus”. Directed by Kim Hyung Suk, Oh My Venus is a 16-episode Romantic-Comedy South Korean Television Series that aired on the Korean Broadcasting System (KBS) from 16 November 2015 to 5 January 2016. The drama tells the story of Kang Joo-eun (Shin Min-a) who was very famous and envied by her peers during her teens because of her pretty face and stunning figure. However, in the present, she is now a thirty-three-year-old overweight lawyer who struggles constantly to lose weight but to no avail even after trying various weight loss programs and diet. Furthermore, due to her weight gain, she was jilted by her boyfriend of 15 years, Im Woo-sik (Jung Gyu Woon) who felt she was no longer attractive. Her life took a new turn after meeting Kim Young-ho, also known as John Kim (So Ji-sub), a renowned personal trainer for Hollywood stars and celebrities, who was also obsessed with adopting a healthy lifestyle because of his childhood experience. After a series of encounters with him, most of which have to do with him saving her from embarrassing situations, she enlists his help and that of his friends, Ji-woong and Joon-sung to help her regain her former looks, health, and figure. The rest of the drama is about how she overcomes her health problems, and loses her weight, while also starting a love relationship with Kim Young-ho, who she also helped overcome his own challenges.
As someone who listens to music and watches dramas not just for fun but also for educational purposes, I am very picky about the movies and songs I watch or listen to, mainly because they have an influence on my mind. Thus, one of the things that drove me to start watching Kdramas, regardless of genre, is the message that they provide to the viewers. Oh My Venus stands out among almost all of the kdramas I’ve seen since it addresses numerous societal concerns, including discussions about body positivity, fitness, and mental health. I particularly like how the drama confronts the pressures that women experience to comply with conventional beauty standards, as well as the toll that this can take on their physical and emotional health. Watching this drama exposed me to many things that I often take for granted, which in retrospect may have unintentionally hurt the feelings of others.
We now live in a world where people are frequently judged based on their physical appearance rather than what they have to give in terms of capability or inner beauty (character, for example). When you look at Kang Joo-eun’s life at work, you will observe that she is frequently ignored, ridiculed, and overlooked by her coworkers because of her appearance. Similarly, in today’s society, many bright people are overlooked or given roles that are unrelated to their competence simply because of their appearance, while others who meet the favored “beauty standard” are granted such roles whether or not they have the capacity to execute the work.
One thing I learned from this Kdrama, which I now constantly ponder on, is that we are often too ready to criticize others without giving them the benefit of the doubt or making a concerted attempt to understand what they are going through. Like most individuals in the drama, I was perplexed at the beginning of the series as to how Kang Joo-eun allowed herself to become so obese given how slender she was as a teenager. We later learned that she has hypothyroidism, a condition in which the thyroid gland does not generate enough thyroid hormones to meet the body’s needs, which can cause fatigue and weight gain.
Another thing I learned from this K-drama is that appearances and looks can be deceiving. At first sight, Kim Young-ho appears to have the ideal life that many people desire: he is tall, wealthy, nice, and gorgeous. However, as we saw throughout the drama when you dig further into his life, he has his own challenges that he is struggling with. The same can be said for Joon-eun’s ex-best friend Oh Soo-jin, who used to be overweight but now has the ideal ‘super-model’ body form. Despite her beauty and gorgeous shape, Oh Soo-jin still has body insecurities that undermine her self-esteem.
Overall, from this drama, I learned the significance of kindness, self-esteem, body positivity, self-care, healthy living, and ensuring that we receive frequent health checkups since we may appear fine physically, but our bodies may be going through a lot.