All famous Korean dramas have heart-warming love storylines that leave us with butterflies in our bellies making us want a love story like that. Even after the story ends they leave us with a life lesson to be learned which remains with us for a long time. The main topic which Korean dramas address nowadays is the beauty standards set in today's world. People are expected to be slim and have a spotless face. The top ten K-dramas which address beauty standards are.
1. Oh My Venus
Kang Joo-Eun, despite being a 33-year-old successful attorney, still faces taunts and disrespect from her colleagues due to her weight. She seeks the help and assistance of Kim Young-ho, a well-known Hollywood personal trainer to change her life after she was dumped by her boyfriend of 15 years for the same reason. Woo-Shik lost all interest in Joo-Eun as she has gone through several changes and is no longer attractive as she once was.
2. My ID Is Gangnam Beauty
My ID is Gangnam Beauty, a South Korean drama released in 2018. It follows the life of Kang Mi-rae, who after getting bullied because of her appearance gets plastic surgery. It was successful at first but she has to be a pretty girl all the time and she is criticized and tagged as a Gangnam plastic surgery monster. She tries to gain her self-esteem as she starts to get to know her classmates and former schoolmate, Do Kyung-Seok.
3. Birth Of The Beauty
The story revolves around Sa Geum-ran's sad existence. Her husband who is working abroad is having an affair. One day she has an accident and several people, including her husband's relative, believe that she has passed away. Geum-ran however survives and comes up with a plan to get revenge. She lost weight and underwent cosmetic surgery to achieve her ideal form. In addition to this, she changes her name to Sara and makes an effort to restore her relationship with her husband.
4. She Was Pretty
She was pretty is a romantic comedy which is based on a true story. Kim Hye-jin, is a beautiful woman from Chas, a wealthy family. After her family’s company went bankrupt, she goes through hardship and loses her beauty too. Ji Sung-Joon is an unattractive boy who has low esteem but grows up to be a handsome editor. They meet again as adults but she doesn't recognise him. She is ashamed to meet her first love and asks Ha-ri, her best friend to meet at her place. When Hye-jin gets assigned to work in his office he openly mistreats her.
5. Perfume
Min Jae-hee, a middle-aged housewife who is betrayed by her husband’s extramarital affair, attempts to take her life. Before she could, she received a mysterious perfume that magically restored her youthful beauty. She agrees to work as a model as Min Ye-rin and meets a successful fashion designer, Seo Yi-Do who has multiple fears and allergies.
6. The Beauty Inside
The story revolves around Han Se-gye, a famous actress who has a secret. She is considered a troublemaker and revolves around many rumors. Every month she changes her appearance to a different identity. Seo Do-Jae, an executive director of an airline company, is intelligent and attractive but suffers from prosopagnosia. These two eventually fall in love.
7. True Beauty
The drama is about Lim Ju-Kyung, whose appearance causes her to have low self-esteem. She suffers criticism from her family and pressure from her friends because of her lack of beauty. She is fed up with this and learns how to do makeup through online tutorial videos. She changes to school and her schoolmates then looked at her as a goddess once she changed her appearance.
8. Miss Korea
The story is set in the year 1997 when a cosmetic company is in bad financial shape due to the IMF crisis. To save the company, Hyung-Joon with his fellow employees attempts to make Ji-young, a 25-year-old into Miss Korea. She was the most popular and beautiful girl back in their high school days but is now working as an elevator girl.
9. Miracle
Sh-Yeon and Kwon Shi-ah are opposite. Shi-Yeon, in contrast to Shi-ah, the well-known and idealized K-pop idol, is an obese recluse who never leaves her room. The only time Shin-Yeon leaves the house is to see the mysterious tarot reader. When one day the twin sisters wake and find their souls have switched bodies, their whole world is turned upside down.
10. My Lovely Sam Soo
Kim Sam-soo is a talented pastry maker who is in her 30s and is laughed at due to being overweight. She often worries about heartbreak as once she was abandoned by her loved one. She however never gives up trying to live her best life. One day she meets Hyun Jin-hun, a charming businessman who has a troubled past. They find they are compatible with each other, in terms of their ability to be genuine friends.
