In my previous piece about strong female characters in Korean drama ([HanCinema's Column] Strong Drama Women - The Norm), I talked about how the main female characters found in series, particularly of the romantic genre, suffer from gender stereotypes and trope limitations. This is not to say, however, that other types of female characters are not found. Be it in main, secondary or supporting roles, they are there. The question is, how are they presented? In order to consider their existence significant as viewers, it has to be considered significant by their creators and conveyed as such.
But in order to find the characters with potential, realized and unrealized, we have to give 'strong' a definition. The problem with the word itself is that it can give the wrong idea about the type of character we are talking about. 'Strong' is not necessarily a personality trait of the character as a fictional person. By saying 'strong female character', I do not mean just brave, tough, feisty women with good jobs, positions of power and money. Those women are "strong" within the world they exist. Now, while this is one type of strong women worth mentioning, their strength is often skin-deep and would more likely discourage women from aspiring to be like them.
Full Article: [HanCinema's Column] Strong Drama Women - The Definition.
