Older Women Are the Fresh Faces of South Korean Influencers

The newest faces among South Korean influencers are no longer the usual young celebrities¹ in their 20s. Instead, people in the entertainment industry and on social media are becoming interested in a different generation: the older generation.

Influencers are people who gain popularity² through their social power. They use social media to create interest in something -- usually products for sale.

In 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.

But recently, older women are front and center in advertising³ and entertainment series.

A 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.

In a recent advertising campaign, Youn is the face of a South Korean beer company. The ads for Oriental⁴ Brewery⁵ 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."

With a beer in her hand, Youn says she makes friends by being her true self. She suggests that the beer helps people socialize better.

South Korean producer Kim Sehee said Youn's Oscar win earlier this year influenced his entertainment series, "Wassup K-Grandma."

Kim 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.

Kim said the series was one of the first Korean shows to have grandmothers as the main characters.

Park Makrye is a popular South Korean media maker⁶ on YouTube. She is 74 years old. Park's YouTube channel, "Korea Grandma," has over 1.32 million followers⁷.

Park'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."

Park 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."

She said, "I would like to tell grandmothers to try everything they want to do and not be concerned with their age."

She added, "For young people...You'll be OK as long as you are healthy."

Words in This Story

celebrity⁸ –n. a person who is famous

beer – n. an alcoholic⁹ drink made from malt and flavored with hops¹⁰

character – n. a person who appears in a story, book, play, movie, or television show

gender¹¹ – n. the state of being male or female

once upon a time – idiom at some time in the past

lifestyle – n. a particular way of living: the way a person lives or a group of people live

1 celebrities   

n.（尤指娱乐界的）名人( celebrity的名词复数 )；名流；名声；名誉

参考例句：

• He only invited A-list celebrities to his parties. 他只邀请头等名流参加他的聚会。
• a TV chat show full of B-list celebrities 由众多二流人物参加的电视访谈节目

2 popularity   

n.普及，流行，名望，受欢迎

参考例句：

• The story had an extensive popularity among American readers.这本小说在美国读者中赢得广泛的声望。
• Our product enjoys popularity throughout the world.我们的产品饮誉全球。

3 advertising   

n.广告业；广告活动 a.广告的；广告业务的

参考例句：

• Can you give me any advice on getting into advertising? 你能指点我如何涉足广告业吗?
• The advertising campaign is aimed primarily at young people. 这个广告宣传运动主要是针对年轻人的。

4 oriental   

adj.东方的，东方人的，东方文化的

参考例句：

• China is an oriental country with a long history.中国是一个有着悠久历史的东方国家。
• They maintain a very powerful fleet in Oriental waters.他们在远东海域保持着一支非常强大的舰队。

5 brewery   

n.啤酒厂

参考例句：

• The brewery had 25 heavy horses delivering beer in London.啤酒厂有25匹高头大马在伦敦城中运送啤酒。
• When business was good,the brewery employed 20 people.在生意好的时候，这家酿造厂曾经雇佣过20人。

6 maker   

n.制造者，制造商

参考例句：

• He is a trouble maker，You must be distant with him.他是个捣蛋鬼，你不要跟他在一起。
• A cabinet maker must be a master craftsman.家具木工必须是技艺高超的手艺人。

7 followers   

追随者( follower的名词复数 )； 用户； 契据的附面； 从动件

参考例句：

• the followers of Mahatma Gandhi 圣雄甘地的拥护者
• The reformer soon gathered a band of followers round him. 改革者很快就获得一群追随者支持他。

8 celebrity   

n.名人，名流；著名，名声，名望

参考例句：

• Tom found himself something of a celebrity. 汤姆意识到自己已小有名气了。
• He haunted famous men, hoping to get celebrity for himself. 他常和名人在一起, 希望借此使自己获得名气。

9 alcoholic   

adj.（含）酒精的，由酒精引起的；n.酗酒者

参考例句：

• The alcoholic strength of brandy far exceeds that of wine.白兰地的酒精浓度远远超过葡萄酒。
• Alcoholic drinks act as a poison to a child.酒精饮料对小孩犹如毒药。

10 hops   

跳上[下]( hop的第三人称单数 )； 单足蹦跳； 齐足（或双足）跳行； 摘葎草花

参考例句：

• The sparrow crossed the lawn in a series of hops. 那麻雀一蹦一跳地穿过草坪。
• It is brewed from malt and hops. 它用麦精和蛇麻草酿成。

11 gender   

n.（生理上的）性，（名词、代词等的）性

参考例句：

• French differs from English in having gender for all nouns.法语不同于英语，所有的名词都有性。
• Women are sometimes denied opportunities solely because of their gender.妇女有时仅仅因为性别而无法获得种种机会。