Aging, femininity and class: reimagining the ‘halmeoni’ in contemporary South Korean cinema

This article explores the representation of elderly women, termed 'halmeoni' in Korean, in contemporary South Korean films to discover traces of departure from previous modes of representation of aging femininity on screen. The discussed films feature elderly female characters onto whom the persisting double standard of aging between men and women is projected. Additionally, the films convey the harsh realities faced by these female characters, reflecting socio-cultural anxieties surrounding the increasing social concerns about aging underclass single women in Korea's context. Prompted by the global recognition of Korean actress Youn Yuh-jung in her 70s, the article calls for a re-evaluation of the portrayal of the 'halmeoni' in Korean cinema, with the conviction that this imperative may extend beyond the confines of Korean media. The interpretation of the five films—three of which feature Youn as an aging underclass woman—seeks to mediate feminist discourses critiquing age-related marginalization in cultural representation as a universally gendered issue while highlighting the specific historical and cultural underpinnings for aging femininity found in the onscreen Korean 'halmeoni.' Through a close analysis of the elderly female characters, the article urges critical engagement with new modalities of representing aging femininity.