Blog Post 3

 

• Discuss something related to toxic masculinity and/or sexual orientation that you've recently observed in a film, tv show, book, videogame, or podcast. What did you notice? Analyze your observation, discussing its broader implications and significance.

I recently finished watching My Name on Netflix. It’s a Korean show about a girl(the main character) who works with a mafia organization while being a police officer (I would say more but I really don’t want to spoil anything). 

There were a lot of messages about the discrimination a policewoman can face as a police officer in Korea, as well as the misogyny and toxic masculinity in physical environments, and especially the underestimation and objectification of women. Showing vulnerability is seen as weakness, men being reluctant to get help when they seriously need it, etc.  I know from my parents that women in Korea are reluctant to become police officers because of the harsh discrimination and sexual harrassment that happens; it is such a male-dominated field and perpetuates quite a bit of toxic masculinity. Same thing with the Korean military (of course, this isn’t just limited to Korea, this happens everywhere). While I was in Korea over this past summer, I remembered seeing coverage on the news about this woman who committed suicide. She was working in the military and someone had sexually harassed her multiple times, and despite reporting it, nothing was done to prevent any future action from the perpetrator. She became depressed because of the situation and ended up taking her own life, and only then was the case fully investigated. 

Going back to My Name, there were no women other than the main character who had a role in the drug trafficking/mafia organization (I don’t know if it reflects similar organizations in reality), which was pretty telling of how isolated the main character must’ve felt. And to try to fit in, she also succumbed to the culture of toxic masculinity to feel like she could be accepted.  The idea of “being tough” meant refusing to get help because it would show weakness/incapability of being able to figure out your own problems, it meant not showing feelings/being emotional because then you would be making yourself vulnerable and therefore weak; toxic masculinity affected not just the male characters in the show, but also the main character who grew up in that environment, despite being a woman. I thought that was pretty interesting. Anyways, I would recommend watching the show, not only for the meaningful messages about toxic masculinity, but for enjoyment too :)