Older Women Are the Fresh Faces of South Korean Influencers
2021-07-06
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1The newest faces among South Korean influencers are no longer the usual young celebrities in their 20s.
2Instead, people in the entertainment industry and on social media are becoming interested in a different generation: the older generation.
3Influencers are people who gain popularity through their social power.
4They use social media to create interest in something -- usually products for sale.
5In the past, older women were mostly unseen in South Korean entertainment.
6The industry held onto firm, traditional female parts in films and on television.
7Older women were often only seen playing loving mothers.
8But recently, older women are front and center in advertising and entertainment series.
9A leader in the movement is Oscar winner Youn Yuh-jung.
10The 74-year-old actor starred in the film "Minari."
11The film is about a Korean-American family that moves to a rural part of the United States to start a farm.
12In a recent advertising campaign, Youn is the face of a South Korean beer company.
13The ads for Oriental Brewery make note of the unusualness of its spokesperson.
14Youn says, "For someone like me to be on a beer ad, the world has gotten so much better."
15With a beer in her hand, Youn says she makes friends by being her true self.
16She suggests that the beer helps people socialize better.
17South Korean producer Kim Sehee said Youn's Oscar win earlier this year influenced his entertainment series, "Wassup K-Grandma."
18Kim said South Korean young people have a new interest in the older generation.
19They created a new word "harmaenial."
20It is a combination of the South Korean word "harmoni," or grandmother, and the English word "millennial," used to describe the younger generation.
21Kim said the series was one of the first Korean shows to have grandmothers as the main characters.
22Park Makrye is a popular South Korean media maker on YouTube.
23She is 74 years old.
24Park's YouTube channel, "Korea Grandma," has over 1.32 million followers.
25Park's success has helped others follow.
26Ninety-year-old Jang Myung-sook offers fans clothing and lifestyle advice on her channel, called "Milanonna."
27Another popular YouTube channel is "G-gourmet." It follows a 76-year-old Korean woman's "single life."
28Park said the country's opinions on women and age have been changing quickly.
29She told The Associated Press, "Back in the days, people thought women were supposed to be only housewives cooking at home but that's once upon a time."
30She said, "I would like to tell grandmothers to try everything they want to do and not be concerned with their age."
31She added, "For young people...You'll be OK as long as you are healthy."
32I'm Gregory Stachel.
1The newest faces among South Korean influencers are no longer the usual young celebrities in their 20s. Instead, people in the entertainment industry and on social media are becoming interested in a different generation: the older generation. 2Influencers are people who gain popularity through their social power. They use social media to create interest in something -- usually products for sale. 3In the past, older women were mostly unseen in South Korean entertainment. The industry held onto firm, traditional female parts in films and on television. Older women were often only seen playing loving mothers. 4But recently, older women are front and center in advertising and entertainment series. 5A leader in the movement is Oscar winner Youn Yuh-jung. The 74-year-old actor starred in the film "Minari." The film is about a Korean-American family that moves to a rural part of the United States to start a farm. 6In a recent advertising campaign, Youn is the face of a South Korean beer company. The ads for Oriental Brewery make note of the unusualness of its spokesperson. Youn says, "For someone like me to be on a beer ad, the world has gotten so much better." 7With a beer in her hand, Youn says she makes friends by being her true self. She suggests that the beer helps people socialize better. 8South Korean producer Kim Sehee said Youn's Oscar win earlier this year influenced his entertainment series, "Wassup K-Grandma." 9Kim said South Korean young people have a new interest in the older generation. They created a new word "harmaenial." It is a combination of the South Korean word "harmoni," or grandmother, and the English word "millennial," used to describe the younger generation. 10Kim said the series was one of the first Korean shows to have grandmothers as the main characters. 11Park Makrye is a popular South Korean media maker on YouTube. She is 74 years old. Park's YouTube channel, "Korea Grandma," has over 1.32 million followers. 12Park's success has helped others follow. Ninety-year-old Jang Myung-sook offers fans clothing and lifestyle advice on her channel, called "Milanonna." Another popular YouTube channel is "G-gourmet." It follows a 76-year-old Korean woman's "single life." 13Park said the country's opinions on women and age have been changing quickly. She told The Associated Press, "Back in the days, people thought women were supposed to be only housewives cooking at home but that's once upon a time." 14She said, "I would like to tell grandmothers to try everything they want to do and not be concerned with their age." 15She added, "For young people...You'll be OK as long as you are healthy." 16I'm Gregory Stachel. 17Juwon Park reported this story for The Associated Press. Gregory Stachel adapted it for VOA Learning English. Ashley Thompson was the editor. 18_______________________________________________________________ 19Words in This Story 20celebrity -n. a person who is famous 21beer - n. an alcoholic drink made from malt and flavored with hops 22character - n. a person who appears in a story, book, play, movie, or television show 23gender - n. the state of being male or female 24once upon a time - idiom at some time in the past 25lifestyle - n. a particular way of living: the way a person lives or a group of people live