Latest news with #DongtanMissy
South China Morning Post
07-05-2025
- Entertainment
- South China Morning Post
In South Korea, dolls modelled on married women spark complaints about ‘over-sexualised' image
A doll based on a stereotype of married women from a South Korean city has resulted in numerous complaints regarding its over-sexualised image and demands that it be taken off the market. Advertisement The doll, which has been selling for about 90,000 won (US$65), is based on the 'Dongtan Missy' caricature made famous in memes that have themselves been criticised for sexually objectifying women. A Dongtan Missy refers to an attractive young married woman living in the up-and-coming Dongtan town in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi province. The Missy – a word likely derived from the English 'missus' – is stereotyped as a voluptuous woman wearing tight or revealing outfits in the memes. Dolls sold as 'Dongtan Figures', as well as other similar ones called 'Misaiden' or 'Mi-Rook', are all clad in provocative dresses with plunging cleavages and clingy silhouettes, according to the Maeil Business Newspaper. Advertisement Since the Dongtan Missy dolls appeared in January, internet users have been filing complaints with Hwaseong city and local police stations asking them to stop the sale of such figures over concerns that they are sexually commercialising women and instilling a negative image of the region.
Korea Herald
06-05-2025
- Korea Herald
Complaints target ‘overly sexual' dolls modeled on married women
Multiple civil complaints have been filed recently over what many are describing as overly sexualized dolls based on images of young, attractive married women, demanding that the municipal government take measures to remove them from the market. According to Yonhap News Agency, the city government of Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province, has received 100 petitions and has conducted a legal review of the case, but concluded that the sale of such dolls does not constitute defamation or insult as stipulated by the Criminal Act. Variations of the dolls are being sold as "Dongtan Style," stemming from the internet meme of "Dongtan Missy," which refers to a caricaturized image of young and attractive married women who live in the rapidly developed area of Hwaseong known as Dongtan New Town. The meme features images of women wearing tight or revealing outfits and describes them as "missy," a term derived from English. "Supreme Court rulings state that insults consist of 'contentious expressions that can damage the social reputation of a certain individual or organization, and thus the victim must be specified,' which means (the dolls) do not constitute the crime of insult. Also, there is no specific victim, and sexual harassment does not apply," said Hwaseong city officials in an official response reported by Yonhap. Officials were quoted as saying they will provide legal and administrative aid to Dongtan residents if they are directly victimized in relation to the sale of the dolls. Dongtan, encompassing most areas of districts from Dongtan 1-dong to Dongtan 9-dong, had been a rural area but underwent rapid development in the 2000s. The planned urban area is a combination of commercial, residential and industrial areas, with an average resident age of 34.7 -- nearly 10 years younger than the national average of 44.2 as of 2023. The youthful public image of the district possibly contributed to the Dongtan Missy meme, which has been criticized as sexually objectifying women.
