Kim Ji Young Born 1982: Study on Everyday Sexism and Misogyny

Upon its publication in 2016 in South Korea, the novel had an "Uncle Tom ’ s Cabin" effect. Propelling the feminist wave, and it's easy to see why. The story of the novel's commonplace nature, sexism, and misogyny have been seen so normal that we forget to question it.

To summarize the novel, it's about a psychiatric case study of a woman named Kim Ji Young. She has a dissociative disorder which she becomes every woman she knows from time to time. Her husband said, “Jiyoung become different people from time to time. Some of them were living, others were dead, all of the women she knew. No matter how you looked at it, it wasn ’t a joke or prank. Truly, flawlessly, completely, she becomes that person. ”

For instance, the novel’ s story is not outstanding, it's full of misogyny that women face every day and it's so normalized in our society; different treatment of the male sibling, the policy of female students ’ uniform, sexual harassment, and leaving a job to raise children. Even though the setting takes place in South Korea, it resonated across cultures. These things commonly happen to women everywhere. And even though many women share Jiyoung ’ s fate, we have to question, “Is it possible for women to stay sane while they are living in a world that is full of insanity towards them?”

Kim Jiyoung has two siblings, one older sister, and one younger brother. Her parents raised her differently. Her parents never ask her brother to help with the cleaning and household duties and the reason is due to age, but obviously, we know that this is sex-based discrimination.

When she was harassed by her male classmate, it was also her to blame by her teacher and father, and the boys are always being tolerated. Her life doesn ’t get easier in adulthood, at her workplace, she can ’t even order food without mockery. The colleagues also install CCTV in the office ’ s toilet. When she married, she resigned from her job to raise the child. Her husband is supportive and wants to help, but he can do nothing. Her husband's helplessness makes a point if a man can ’t fight a man ’ s world, what about women?

Reading the novel or watching the movie should be a critical lesson for girls to learn. At home: Jiyoung ’ s grandmother gives her brother a better portion of everything and never ask him to clean, at school: skirt has to be under the knees, at university: female students experience subordination even she is a better student, at the workplace: men have less workload which makes them in ease and can stay longer at the company and it is hard for women to get promotion as seen they are going to leave when they are married and having kids, and in her marriage, Jiyoung resigned from her job to take care of her child while her husband was unaffected.

Her story is that of every woman. She becomes the woman she knows, and the women she knows become her in the process. Their life seeps one into another. There is no magic way to solve the problem, but the novel is waking up more people to face the reality.

By Nevy Widya Pangestika