Gangnam Beauty is a 2018 starring Im Soo-hyang, Cha Eun-woo, Jo Woo-ri and Kwak Dong-yeon. The series is based on the webtoon of the same name published in 2016.
Throw in a love triangle with the most handsome boy at uni, a popular girl with a dark side and some classic uni shenanigans, and this is must watch tv!
Here’s some reasons you should be watching My ID is Gangnam Beauty.
1. Based on
“My ID is Gangnam Beauty” is based on a webtoon about a woman who undergoes plastic surgery after having been bullied due to her perceived ugly appearance. After surgery she is mocked for having done it. This is the story of how she rediscovers her self-esteem through true love.
2. The love triangle will have you in fits of giggles
Kang Mirae catches the eye of both her TA, Yeon Woo Young, and her former schoolmate-now-university student Do Kyung Seok. The tension keeps building the more they bump into each other at uni and near home, with the two male leads engaging in everything from vein-popping arm wrestling to competitive meat grilling.
3. Eunwoo’s acting
ASTRO’s Eunwoo playing Do Kyung Seok is the definition of tsundere: cold on the outside but secretly warmhearted. His quiet interest in Mirae is adorable as he tries to win her affections in the most subtle ways. Not to mention his great sense of judgement that makes him able to sniff out the people who don’t want the best for him.
4. A classic popular girl vs underdog plot
It is a uni drama after all, of course there’s some tension. The most popular freshman, Hyun Soo Ah, begins undermining Mirae’s life from early on, and it’s morbidly fascinating to watch her not-so-innocent mind come up with cunning plans that only Kyung Seok seems to see through.
5. A true look into sexism
The men in this show continually objectify the women, often talking about the girls’ beauty and comparing them by physical standards. Many of the characters show exactly what women deal with every day, like the sense of entitlement some men feel towards ‘owning’ a woman. It works the other way too, showing how men are taught to be strong and not show emotion from a young age, with it being considered weakness rather than strength.
6. Frank conversations about beauty standards
Plastic surgery is common in South Korea but still carries a stigma, as proven by the way Mirae is gossiped about. The women in this show all have their insecurities which they talk about openly, from the girl who is considered to be ‘chubby’ and therefore not attractive, to another who is judged for her less-feminine appearance.
7. Strong female characters supporting each other
There’s a wealth of amazing women in this show, from the lead to her supportive best friend, the girls she joins on the student council and Do Kyung Seok’s CEO mum. They’re flawed but fully rounded characters, and when the student council girls see the way they’re being treated by men, they stand up for themselves. A true rarity in K-dramas.
8. University aesthetic everywhere
Long walks through campus, immaculate classrooms, exchanging long glances over beakers in the science lab: what is it about university romances that make us giddy? Also why doesn’t anyone look like they just rolled out of bed and ran to a lecture? Guess that’s the difference between K-drama uni and irl uni.
