[INTERVIEW] Let's keep talking about feminism: Webcomic artist spotlights women in family

Self-caricature illustrated by Soo Shin-ji

By Jung Hae-myoung

Awareness and discourse about feminism could continue to spread with the help of several fictional characters and some skillful storytelling. With an Instagram account called "min4rin," Soo Shin-ji, the creator of webcomic "Myeoneuragi" shows feminism through everyday scenes related to society, school and work amid the patriarchal family system in Korea.

"Myeoneuragi" ran from May 2017 to January this year through the "min4rin" Instagram account. This fictional ― but incredibly relatable ― story earned over 410,000 followers, and was published as a book with more than 20,000 copies sold.

According to Soo's definition, Myeoneuragi is a period during which a married woman feels a certain "aura" or pressure to become a good daughter-in-law. It can last several months, years or forever, depending on the person.

In the series, Min is a recently married woman who used to be a clever and responsible student representative in college. After she marries Moo Goo-young, Min finds herself naturally working in the kitchen at her parents-in-law's house, and Moo thanks her for being a good daughter-in-law. Min realizes she has been volunteering to become a worker in the house and Moo starts to understand her.

To those who doubt "That wouldn't happen in my family, would it?" the comics respond, "Don't even ask."

On Nov. 9, Soo published a commentary book titled "No, Thank You," containing interviews with her mother, husband and mother-in-law.

Soo has been working as a professional illustrator over 10 years, but this work was especially meaningful because she really felt like she reached out to the public.

"Illustrating can be a one-way communication sometimes, but when I uploaded the comics on Instagram, I got feedback instantly," Soo said. "I had no bridging editors or publishers, and it was fun to communicate directly with the readers."

The book cover for Myeoneuragi series / Courtesy of Soo Shin-ji

After being rejected by several publishers, she just wanted her work to spread like a meme on social networks to get the message out. But the account became popular, overloaded with comments and sometimes controversial.

"I liked how comments complemented the story," she said. "To those who couldn't understand what the problem was, some people stood up to explain what I really wanted to convey in specific episodes."

There were also some comments that blamed her for making them uncomfortable about "ancestral rites," but the saddest comment was: "I know what the problem is but I cannot change it. I just hope my daughter doesn't live like that."

"I do not think the problems change naturally as time passes," Soo said. "It is important what children see from their parents. If the older generation doesn't change, the current generation won't."

Although she started light-hearted at first, the work influenced more people, and this made her study the issue harder. Soo said she could expand her interest into other human rights issues and have more responsibility for her work.

In September, eight months after the end of the series, special episodes were uploaded to show how Min spent the Korean Chuseok holiday, in which the scenery remained the same ― men watching television and women cooking the meal.

"I was going to end it as it was, but I started to hear the same stories again as Chuseok approached this year," Soo said. "I felt I could do something.

"Of course, feminism is not an easy subject, but it is also not a topic that should be discussed when one is fully prepared. I hope the readers can see the work without strict standards but with tolerance in order to continue this talk."

Soo had an unforgettable experience during her exhibition in Seoul in April, when a foreign woman married to a Korean man said she had given Soo's book to her husband to deliver her unsaid feelings. The woman said she could not talk about her feelings to her husband due to the language barrier but Myeoneuragi really spoke for her.

"I think this issue does not only linger in Korea," Soo said.

She will post the series in English on Instagram and Facebook at the beginning of next year, to keep the talk on feminism ongoing. "I'm curious what people in other countries will say after reading my work."

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