Posted at 03:05h
in
미분류
by 이오스인테리어
They grope me and try to have sex all the time
Our chats often took place over a meal. Occasionally, I would interview them as we walked to and from clubs and bars – or even in the clubs and bars as the women attempted to meet guys. Some of these women were fluent in Korean, while others were able to communicate by mixing Korean and English. Many of them claimed to have learned Korean by consuming hours of Korean popular culture.
In pursuit of ‘soft' masculinity
“Romantic,” “gentle,” “handsome,” “knights in shining armor” are just some of the terms that the tourists used to describe their idealized Korean man. It was a stark contrast to the men back in their home countries, whom they tended to describe as emotionally stunted and hypermasculine.
“I feel so safe around Korean men,” one Swedish woman told me. “Men back home are so [sexually] aggressive. I do not like that.”
A certain type of man does tend to appear in romantic K-dramas. They're usually depicted as well-groomed, romantic and gentle – a type of masculinity that's sometimes called “soft” masculinity. As Korean studies scholar Joanna Elfving-Hwang explains:
“... men in popular dramas and romantic comedies are portrayed as attentive, sensitive and ready to express their feelings if needs be. They are well-groomed and fashionably dressed, accessorised with the latest man-bag, and excessively concerned with their looks.”
Some of the tourists did, in fact, find their ideal partners, marrying and settling in South Korea. Their photos and stories circulated among some of the other tourists, giving them hope that they, too, might find and marry a Korean man.
Most of the tourists I interviewed and stayed in touch with left the country somewhat disappointed.
