Archana Goswami, Delhi

My ID is Gangnam Beauty follows the life of Kang Mi-rae, post her plastic surgery and her journey of realizing and dealing with her insecurities. It stars Im Soo-hyang as Kang Mi-rae and Cha Eun-woo as Do Kyung-seok in the lead roles. This K-Drama aired in 2018 and became an instant hit with its light but strong portrayal of the social issues like sexism and discrimination based on beauty standards.

This JTBC drama is one of those college romance dramas that takes you back to your college days with its lively setting. Other than that, the series also makes a statement on deeper issues such as self-acceptance and loving one’s inner beauty. Plastic surgery is a fairly common practice in South Korea due to the stereotypical mentality of some people that a pretty face can grant you a better future. This series sheds light on the harmful effects of such mentality.

The female lead of the drama, Kang Mi-rae undergoes plastic surgery in order to meet the beauty standards, that according to her, could be acceptable in the society. She is forced to take this major step because she had been bullied all her life due to her looks. Even after she underwent plastic surgery, she was still scared of people calling her out for having done a surgery. This drama manages to subtly highlight the hypocrisy of people.

The male lead of this show Do Kyung-seok, is a handsome college heart-throb, who is also a very practical person. He does not believe in pretty faces but looks for the inner beauty of a person. He has a cold personality as a result of his broken family ties but has a warm heart. Along with dealing with his own problems, he helps Kang Mi-rae realize her true worth and helps her towards the journey of accepting her real self and following her heart.

The chemistry between the two warms the hearts of viewers. Do Kyung-seok’s charms are sure to leave them mesmerized. Even though the story line seems simple, the beautiful encounters and engaging plot of the drama is sure to keep the viewers hooked. The series has a fun and lively theme along with interesting sub-plots that add colors to the story.

Kwak Dong-yeon plays the role of Yeon Woo-young, a teaching assistant in the Chemistry department, who is also Kang Mi-rae’s neighbor and Do Kyung-seok’s roommate. The love triangle between the three is quite interesting, as it is filled with a lot of funny and jealous moments that show a new side of Do Kyung-seok. Yeon Woo-young also plays an important role in helping Kang Mi-rae realize her feelings and insecurities.

The beautiful and heartwarming OSTs of the drama adds a subtle element of charm to the scenes and leave a deep impression in the hearts of the viewers. The OSTs are sung by some of the talented artists such as Weki Meki, Junggigo, Kang Hye-in, George, RUNY, and Celine. Cha Eun-woo has also sung an OST called ‘Rainbow Falling‘ for the drama.

This is a much-recommended series for all the rom-com fans as it will surely not disappoint anyone. This 16-episode series is available on Netflix. Don’t forget to comment down your views after watching it!

From a scene from the drama, we can see Im Soo-hyung dancing to PSY’s New Face!

If you have watched this drama, comment below and let us know about your thoughts!