Comic Kang Yu-mi acts like a luxury-clad, son-obsessed middle-aged “nammisae,” fussing over males whereas casting a chilly, judgmental gaze on the ladies, in a YouTube skit. Captured from Kang Yu-mi’s YouTube
A hyperreal role-play skit by comic Kang Yu-mi has gone viral on YouTube, touching off an emotional debate over pervasive gender bias and internalized misogynistic attitudes in Korean society.
On Jan. 1, Kang uploaded a video titled “Center-aged nammisae” to her YouTube channel, portraying a well-off, image-conscious mom obsessively dedicated to her son and notably indulgent towards males. Nammisae is a derogatory Korean slang time period, shortened from a phrase that means somebody “loopy about males.”
Sporting luxurious labels from head to toe, the character lavishes consideration on male colleagues with mock concern — “Why are you dressed so evenly? You’ll catch a chilly” — whereas harshly judging feminine co-workers as “pretend innocents” and “women who flirt with their eyes.”
The character’s doting angle towards her son and replica of patriarchal norms within the workplace have drawn criticism, with strains like “Women are too emotional” and “If a lady hits you, hit her again” cited as normalizing gender stereotypes and trivializing male violence.
Since her 2004 debut on a well-liked TV comedy present known as “Gag Live performance,” the veteran comic has advanced from a TV star right into a pioneer of “hyperreal” on-line satire. Her YouTube skits — meticulous role-plays of contemporary archetypes like predatory cultists and narcissistic “new city” socialites — recurrently go viral, together with her newest office villain character amassing over 1.4 million views in a single day.
Followers and critics alike have lauded what they describe as her “completely vicious” consideration to element, cementing her standing as a number one voice in Korea’s character-driven comedy scene.
Comic Kang Yu-mi adopts the style of a predatory cult recruiter, leaning in with a chilling smile and soft-spoken assurances that make her hyperreal role-play unsettlingly acquainted to Korean viewers. Captured from Kang Yu-mi’s YouTube
Her close-up digital camera work, whispered supply and fixation on verbal tics have helped her carve out a particular area of interest as what followers name the “No. 1 in observational comedy,” typically even likening her to an anthropologist for her portrayals of strange — and infrequently controversial — Koreans.
Some on-line customers argued that Kang’s newest character exposes how internalized misogyny can flip girls into enforcers of male-centered hierarchy.
“I’m a cram college instructor and there are actually many moms like this,” one commenter mentioned, whereas one other wrote, “You begin to marvel what occurs to brains after having a son,” pointing to the entitlement granted to boys.
But backlash from parenting communities and on-line boards has additionally been fierce.
Posts in “mother cafes” — on-line communities run by moms — complained that the time period “middle-aged nammisae” itself is hateful, with one consumer asking, “If a dad refuses to marry off his daughter as a result of she is just too treasured, is he ‘yeonmisae’?” and one other saying, “This turns all boy mothers into nammisae.”
