KJCKorea
Journal Central

GL(Girls’ Love), which deals with romance between women, is considered a small, minor culture in the sub-culture market. Nevertheless, recent ‘reboot feminism’ in the voice of women in the epic that appears to be the central protagonist is increased, and interest in naturally glIncreasing. It encourages those who declare “post BL” to consume GLs featuring female characters instead of male characters. In an atmosphere where female creators consume female dictionaries who write women’s stories and argue that they should expand the scope of their female counterparts, “Her Simcheong,” a webtoon that won the 2018 Our Comics Award, explores the possibility of female epic through rewriting myths. Gender norms given to women, such as filial piety and nirvana, all get new names in <Her Simcheong>. A good daughter is a liar, and a good wife has a woman she loves. Besides Simcheong, hit-and-run mothers, Jang Seung-sang’s wife and Jang Seung-sang’s daughter-in-law also focus on female characters’ stories, highlighting solidarity among women to survive in a male-dominated society. In this process, solidarity among women naturally leads to GL imagination. Her Simcheong describes direct sexual contact, such as kissing and hugging among women, as beautiful illustrations, and shows romance between women in a manless world. While solidarity among women is always regarded as ‘undangerous’ friendship or girlish sensibility, the romance between women in <Her Simcheong> breaks the cultural rules of women’s growth novel and women’s trade. This reveals the inconsistency of the conspiratorial male solidarity, which has been trading women around hegemony.

<Her Simcheong>, GL, 'Feminism Reboot', Post BL, Feminist reader