Latest news with #Yumi
ABC News
3 days ago
- Health
- ABC News
Botox and fillers – facing up to the new normal
Yumi Hey ladies, before we start, I want to ask you a favour. We're looking for feedback. I'd love to know what you think about Ladies, We Need To Talk and the sorts of things you want to hear about more on our show. What do you love? What topics are close to your heart? What things have we missed? And what would you love to hear less of? We've posted a survey on the Ladies, We Need To Talk website and in the show notes of the episode that you're listening to right now. If you could fill it out, it will help us to understand you more and help us to fashion the best possible episodes in future. Please take five minutes out of your day to fill out the survey. You'll be helping our show to be more your show. It's completely anonymous, so you can be brutally honest. Just don't say you love me because it'll make me cry. And thank you. Clinician So we'll probably need at least 30 units, but we'll see how we go. Should I take that personally? Yumi This is a friend of Ladies We Need To Talk who wishes to remain unnamed. She's at her local clinic getting a cheeky little bit of Botox. It's 9am on a workday. Clinician These ones can hurt a little bit because it's right where the nerve runs. But it only hurts for a second, as you can attest. OK, frown again. Now I'm doing the right side of the same corrugated muscle. Relax. So again, two injections on the right side. Anonymous friend Oof, that one hurt more. Clinician Yeah, that's right on the nerve. Yumi Just like women go to the hairdresser to get their regrowth covered, more of us are turning to injectables and other treatments than ever before. And just like covering your grey, it is about looking younger. Clinician And now I'm going to do the crow's feet. Just relax for me into a muscle called ubicularis oris. And that's the one... Yumi These treatments are really accessible. Our nameless friend got her face Botoxed and was back at her desk by 10am after handing over a not insignificant amount of money as tribute. So why are more women getting tweakments? And what motivates us to alter our faces? Polly I don't want to be an old lady and I don't want to look like an old lady. Sam I don't want to look 20 or 30 as a 40 year old. I just want to look good for a 40 year old. Jasmine If you're seeing a lot of the same faces and people are also then liking and commenting on those faces on social media, kind of endorsing those beauty ideals, then people can take them on and then also make comparisons. Polly I'd say probably 75% of my girlfriends would be getting tweaks. There is a teardrop shape to all my girlfriend's faces that I can see that's similar. So our faces start to look alike. Sam When you see young women looking in the mirror and thinking, oh my lips just aren't big enough, my cheeks just aren't big enough, my face doesn't look the way I want it to, I think we have lost a bit of track as to what is normal. Yumi I remember the first time I saw a regular non-famous person who had noticeable filler in her face. This was about 20 years ago at a work lunch and a woman there who worked in PR but was not public facing had lots of filler and an immobile forehead. I was a little transfixed and it was so weird to me at the time. Prior to that I was only ever seeing work on people like Nicole Kidman and Madonna. Yes, we were used to seeing celebrities and wealthy weirdos with blasted skin and implausible lips. But a normie? This was new. Fast forward to now and it feels like every second woman I know is getting Botox or fillers or micro-needling or ablative laser or, or, or, or. And these treatments, or tweakments as they're known, are big business. When we're talking about tweakments we mean anything that's non-surgical for the face. According to APRA, the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency, we are now spending more than a billion dollars a year on non-surgical treatments and a lot of those are happening from the neck up. It's not just women in middle age and older who are spending big. A recent survey from the International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery found that almost a quarter of people who got Botox around the world were between the ages of 18 and 34. And hey, no judgement here if you get face stuff done or not. We're just interested in what is pushing us to push clinicians to push needles into our faces. I'm Yumi Stynes, ladies. We need to talk about whether tweakments are the new normal. Sam I started having these injections at 19. Yumi Sam is a working mum of three living on the Gold Coast and at 40 years old has now been having tweakments for over two decades. The first time she got Botox as a teenager was to treat her migraines. Sam The wonderful side effect was that I really liked what it did for my appearance. I did notice that the expression lines on my forehead were really reduced and I liked it. And I thought, oh, OK, I want to see what that does. Yumi Happy with this smoothing side effect, Sam started getting Botox around her eyes as well and then gradually in other areas of her face as she got a little older. Sam And now I have a significant amount of treatment that has nothing to do with headaches. So when did you start getting filler? Um, mid-20s, I got filler around my lips for the first time. My partner, who is now my husband, didn't even notice. Perfect. That's always been my approach. So really soft, gentle little enhancements that kind of just push that age line back a little bit without going, oh, I can see your lips from across the street. Yumi Yeah. Sam It's terrifying. Yumi After a lip tweak, Sam started getting filler in other parts of her face too. Sam I have had filler over the years in my jawline, in my temples and in my nasolabial folds. Not all at once at different times. Another treatment that I get is something called Profhilo, which is injected into the face as a regenerative type product. It's not a filler, but it regenerates the skin and the tissue. Yumi When you first started choosing to do these treatments for beauty reasons, did you sort of have a threshold where you're like, okay, I will stop at X or I won't go beyond Y? Sam I think that that's an ever evolving, I guess, finish line. Because as you age, you have to have treatments that are age appropriate. Also, as you gain and lose weight, having had two pregnancies, you know, your face changes as you age. So I think for me, it was about having really considered discussions with the practitioner that was working on me and taking advice and really looking to make sure that I looked like me. They wasn't changing my appearance, that I was simply softening things or even preventing things. I don't like it when people don't look like themselves. And I don't like it when you can tell that people who had work done. If someone who knows me sees me and thinks, oh, oh, you look different. That is the line. That's one I've always been really aware of, is wanting to look natural and like myself. Yumi Sam lives in a part of the world where a specific and highly curated look has become the norm among some people. Now, I know this look. I see it in my feet and when I'm walking down the street. It's almost like there's a very short catalogue of the perfect face that women are choosing from. Big lips, straight, narrow nose and glossy skin. And they somehow end up looking the same, like tweakment Barbies. Sam There is a uniform on the Gold Coast right now. It is tiny little gym shorts that are high-waisted. It is a matching bra crop top. They have to be pastel, apparently. No other clothing is to be worn except for high ribbed socks and runners with a very tight ponytail and your face must be completely overdone. I feel like half of the Gold Coast has dysmorphia and we've lost track of what's normal. Yumi But what is normal? It used to be normal to watch older women wrinkle and sag and quote, look their age. Now we're living in a new normal where a 20-year-old gets so-called preventative Botox and a 50-year-old has a face as smooth as the skin on my custard. But how the hell did we get here to this tweakment heavy normal? And will the quest for perfection ever stop? Jasmine Social media use is linked to interest in cosmetic surgery and dissatisfaction with appearance and dissatisfaction with facial appearances. Yumi Dr Jasmine Fardouly is a psychologist and expert in body image and social media from the University of Sydney. She says the rise in social media means that we're now more focused on our faces than ever. Jasmine Before social media, a lot of the places where people consumed images and actually were faced with beauty ideals was in magazines and television. And a lot of the research in body image was really focused on weight and shape. When social media became popular, it also was at the same time that we had smartphones and cameras on our smartphones and then selfies became popular. And that meant that there are a lot more portrait images and a lot more images of people's faces on social media. Yumi As the focus has zoomed in on our faces, Jasmine says that unsurprisingly, we have become more critical of how our own faces compare. Jasmine And then Instagram brought in filters where people could very easily change their facial features to match a beauty ideal. Yumi Even though filters aren't real life, we can't help but compare ourselves. And research has shown that the use of filters is connected to an increase in cosmetic procedures. Jasmine If you're seeing a lot of the same faces and people are also then liking and commenting on those faces on social media, kind of endorsing those beauty ideals, those facial ideals, then people can take them on and then also make comparisons to the people in those images, judge themselves to be worse. And it's kind of like these processes that can make these filters have a negative impact on how people feel about their faces and their appearance generally. Yumi Wow. So where once we used to be quite fixated on our bodies, it's now much more about the face. Jasmine It's still about the bodies, but we're exposed to more faces. And there is a trend in the literature showing that facial satisfaction does seem to be really important to consider with social media. So there potentially is a bit more of a shift to facial beauty ideals since social media was created. Yumi That's fascinating. And the idea of filters is fascinating because it's not like you really engage or care that much about what filter you use. You just whack on a filter and then suddenly you're immersed in this sort of way of thinking about your own face. Jasmine In some filters, you can just press a button and then there's of course, there's other apps like Facetune where you can put more specific focus on aspects that you want to change. But the ease with which these filters are available is an important thing to consider. And I think that's why it's also so widely used. Yumi And Jasmine, what does the current beauty ideal that filters can help create? What does that look like? Jasmine Generally, in our research, we find that kind of the ideal face has larger eyes, a smaller nose, sometimes straighter nose, larger lips, less wrinkles, clear complexion. There is some research suggesting there's like Eurocentric beauty ideals and Western standards and lighter skin. Yumi Do you think we're more dissatisfied than we used to be with how we look? Jasmine So there is maybe some evidence that we're more dissatisfied with how we look, but it has been a problem for a very long time. It is not a new problem. And the reasons it's harmful is similar. I come back to the same two things that ideals are really specific and unattainable and the pressure people put on appearance is being important for them. That has been the same for a long time. But with social media, we're just exposed to so many more faces, so many more people's match these beauty ideals, just the sheer volume. And then of course, there's all the context, there's the comments and the likes and all of that, which can really emphasize that as well. Yumi Okay, so let me just say this back to you. If you're seeing a sea of beautiful looking unattainable faces, you feel like that's quite normal and you fit, you're outside of this population as an outlier or an ugly person. Jasmine Yeah, I mean, that's the kind of comparison aspect of it. You think that most people look more attractive than you, whereas it's not the same when you go offline. Yeah, so we've got studies that have shown that as well. In person, they're more varied. So some people might think that others look more attractive than them, but some are similar and some might be perceived as less attractive. On social media, because people do present this most attractive version of themselves, research shows that most of the time people think other people look more attractive than them and particularly in regard to facial appearance. Polly I don't want to be an old lady and I don't want to look like an old lady. Yumi This is Polly. She's 62 and started getting Botox when she was 47. Polly So when I first went, I said to the doctor, I just want to feel fresher. And I was single, nearly single. And I wanted a boost to confidence and maybe a boost to fun and a boost to there's still life in me yet. And maybe it was a preparation. It was a part of the mating game. I don't know. I haven't thought about that. Yumi Well, let's unpack that a bit, Polly, because you mentioned being single in the absolute same sentence as starting to get things done. Yeah, maybe. So surely that must play. Polly It must. I didn't think very much about beauty when I was a lot younger. I had a mum who never thought about beauty. She was almost a natural feminist, didn't shave her legs, didn't shave her underarms, didn't even think about it, never wore makeup. I actually thought I was a really hairy person until I was about 21 and understood that everybody else shaved their legs, shaved their bikini lines. I didn't even know that. I didn't know that. Yumi So how, Polly, did we get from this young girl and a young mum to here where you're in the studio looking at me to talk about tweakments? Polly I don't get tweakments to be beautiful. I don't feel like any miracle is going to suddenly make me. And why would I suddenly look beautiful at my age in my early 60s? That's not even what I'm trying to achieve. I just get a little tweaky bit of Botox to stop frowning. Since I was a little girl, people, my mum used to say, stop frowning, stop frowning, stop frowning. I, even in all the way through my professional life, people would say to me, oh, you know, she's really scary. You know, those people are intimidated by you. And I think intimidated by me. Yumi You've said that you've never traded on your beauty. And I believe you. I know exactly what you mean. But can you be a woman in the world, age 60, age 16, without sort of needing to care about your face and how you look? Polly No, probably not. If I stopped caring, I'd stop caring about a lot of things, wouldn't I? You know, caring about your face and caring about how you present yourself to the world is part of, it's still part of my work. It's still part of showing up for my kids. It's part of showing up for my friends. Yumi The clinic that Polly has been going to for the last 15 years is chic. It's well lit. There's champagne if you want it. It's like a high-end day spa. She's been seeing the same doctor the whole time whom she trusts implicitly. Polly A lot of people, I think, go to clinicians and say, do this, do that. I never have. I don't talk to the hairdresser either. I say, you tell me. And the first thing she said is, well, how do you feel about your jawline? Because I think it's the first sign of ageing. And I said, I hate my jowls. I've always felt a bit jowly here. And she said, no, well, that's, you know, we can do something about that. And I was thrilled when I first, I can really feel when that starts to wear off the jowl line. People never talk about that, but I can really feel that. Yumi You're making me self-conscious. You haven't got any jowls. Touching it. Not yet. So she's looking at you while you're talking and she's politely sussing out your face. It's hard to be objective about your own face. So Polly has an agreement with her squad. Polly I have a pact with my girlfriends. There's no point in, you know, we have a pact. We have the same pact about clothes with my closest girlfriends. If you see me wearing something that I look terrible in, say, not really working for you. But when it comes to Botox or fillers, it was like no point saying just after I've had it done that it looks ridiculous. But just before I tell you I'm going again, that's the time to say don't do it again. I don't know if this is a common thing in aging. Maybe it is. My girlfriends and I, we go out to dinner and I'll see somebody my age, so another 62 year old, and I'll think, you know, we don't look like that. And then I look at us and think, of course we do. Of course we do. We must look exactly like they do. Because I totally get that old story of you walk past the mirror and you go, who is that person? Because I want my face and my clothes and the way I present myself to the world. To match what I feel on the inside. Yumi Yeah. Why don't we want to be seen as old ladies? Polly Because I'd probably fight just as hard against the image that an old lady that I should be sitting at home on my couch watching telly with a blanket over my knee. So I'm fighting that. That sounds great. Well, if you're watching a good show. Yeah, I think there's a lot of, I guess, it's staying relevant. It's staying part of. Yumi Culture? Polly Part of life. You know, I've got a place here. I'm not going to, maybe it's fighting that too. Fighting this idea that women of our age should be at home now, don't try and do this. Yumi Polly, is looking old connected to death for you? And is Botox about looking more alive? Polly Oh, that's a very interesting question. That may be actually right. Looking more alive may be exactly what I'm trying to do. Looking healthier, looking happier, looking more relaxed, looking more relevant, looking more part of life. I don't know if I associate it with death, but I guess I do associate it with ageing. And I do associate that with death. Yeah, so maybe. Yumi I want you to meet Tingting. When she was growing up, Tingting considered herself pretty. But as the child of Chinese immigrant parents, she was more focused on her studies than her face. Tingting The biggest honour I can give for my family is being that studious, good girl. And being a good girl kind of meant not paying attention to beauty. There's a Chinese saying, it's called 身体发福受之父母, means your body is given by your parents and hence, like you should take care of yourself. Yumi Taking care of yourself in this context means not tampering too much with your body, no tattoos, no cosmetic interventions. Trusting what nature and your parents gave you. My mum, who's Japanese, not Chinese, has the same idea. Why muck with what was divinely given to you? But for Tingting, nature didn't necessarily deliver when it came to mainstream beauty standards. I wanted to know what is the conventional look that everybody wants? Tingting White. V-face. Big eyes. Yumi This V-shaped face that Tingting is talking about, with a sharp jawline and defined cheekbones, has become popularised by K-pop stars and is seen as desirable, particularly in Asian cultures. A couple of years ago, Tingting gave up her safe job in engineering to dance to K-pop music on TikTok, where she makes money as an influencer. She soon realised that the better she looked, the more likes and follows she would get. Tingting got Botox for the first time. Tingting And I wanted to have a smaller face. And I've always had this insecurity. And I looked up, it's safe. Then it's like, why not? Yumi After this initial Botox experience, Tingting went to Seoul, the cosmetic capital of the world, with her Korean-born husband and mother-in-law for a glow-up family holiday. Tingting When I went to Korea, I did a little filler. The filler under my eyes is like the most painful thing I've ever experienced. Because your skin is so thin. Oh, yeah. So your skin was like, oh no, what's happening? Yumi So you went to Korea and your souvenir was some face zapping? Tingting Tax-free. Yumi Why was it tax-free? Tingting Because the government is pushing it. Yumi Stop it. Tingting Of course. Yumi What? Tingting And the other thing I did was this salmon sperm. Yumi Salmon sperm? Yeah. Tell us about it. What's salmon sperm? Tingting It plays a similar sort of role where they inject many, many, many, many holes in your skin. And then it's supposed to like activate your skin to be like, hey, we need more collagen. We need to self-generate collagen. So imagine it's just like skincare, but injected into your skin. That's how people sort of see it now. Yumi So tell me about becoming more online, more on TikTok. Has that made you more exposed to K-pop beauty ideals? Tingting For sure. Yumi Right. Tingting For sure. I think maybe 50% of the reason I glowed up like in one year. Yumi Oh, own it. Own it, Ting Ting. You had a glow up, yeah! Tingting Is because I'm creating content around this area. And it's kind of a positive reinforcement. If you're on social media and then you kind of look prettier and then you get the positive feedback and it's useful. Yep. So to grow your audience or just for your own ego boost, I'm not sure. Yumi Can I ask you, do you notice a difference? And I guess by difference, I mean a benefit in how people treat you when you kind of got the polish on. Is it worth it? Is there a payoff? Tingting The biggest benefit isn't from, for me, it's not people treating me different. It's just like me feeling better about myself. Yumi What about being an Asian woman online? Like, does that add an extra layer of pressure? To look pretty? To look perfect? Tingting Yeah, I think the Asian beauty standard is more uniform and more strict. Yumi Even though she's creating this kind of content herself, Tingting knows that it's easy to forget most faces online are probably not as perfect as they seem. Tingting Because what people see on the internet, especially celebrities, they have insanely perfect shape. Flawless, like actually flawless. And it's hard to take into the account that the photos are not perfect. The photos are edited. And when you look at yourself in the mirror, it's very easy to make comparisons with them and feel bad about yourself. Yumi Tingting has noticed a shift in how women talk about altering their faces. Tingting I remember back then when I was in uni, people would refrain from talking about plastic surgery and stuff. But now it's almost like, hey, what are you getting done? Like, what? Oh, really? Like, oh, what do you think about this? Yumi Remember Sam? She's the 40-year-old mum of three who started injectables at 19 years old. Sam has 12-year-old twin girls and wants them to know that a face like hers requires intervention and maintenance. Sam I'm very, very open with my kids about everything that I do in regards to my body and my face, because I want them to understand that it's not normal or natural to look a certain way. I feel like they'd be thinking, well, why don't I look like this or that in the future if I hid that information from them? Yumi Sure, yeah. Sam, you sound really confident about these choices that you've made and you sound happy in your skin and in your body. The next thing that's coming is aging, which really lands, I think, in your 40s and 50s, where you have no control. But there is a universal disapproval of us getting old. Sam Yes. I think ageism is definitely alive and well in our society. And I do also think that there is this kind of lack of respect for women ageing, because men age and we all go, ooh, silver fox. Women age and we go, ugh, old. And we're like, why? That's really unfair. Like, what's going on there? Yumi Would there be consequences if you stopped getting filler and Botox? Sam I mean, yeah. When I was pregnant, in both my pregnancies, I stopped. And then with breastfeeding, I didn't love what I saw. And there was lots of products that I couldn't use during pregnancy and breastfeeding, like a lot of the lasers and a lot of the topical stuff. So my skin quality really was impacted. Yumi So you didn't like it, but do you think there'd be professional consequences or social consequences, or maybe even romantic consequences? Sam No, not at all. I mean, my husband could not care less whether I do it all or don't do it at all. He was kind of quite resistant and a little bit like, what on earth? When I first started kind of divulging the treatments I was having when I was younger. But again, if I stopped doing it all, I can't see him caring at all. There's only so much you can do to make a 40-year-old look 30. And I don't want to look 30. I just don't want to look like an old 40-year-old. Yumi Sam, how open are you with the people around you about the stuff that you've had done? Sam Brutally. I'm really brutally, brutally honest. I think that if you are going to do stuff like this, you have to own it. Otherwise, I'm a little bit worried that you're not actually that convicted about doing it and that you have your own concerns and your own questions that you personally haven't worked through. If it's bringing up feelings of guilt or worry, then maybe you shouldn't be doing it in the first place. You really have to be on board 100 percent or maybe go back to the drawing board. Yumi How common is this in your friendship group? Like, are all your friends having Botox and filler and needling? Sam I mean, I have friends who have nothing at all. Like, literally not a single thing. And then I have friends who have more than me. And then I think probably most of my friends, I'd say probably 60 to 70 percent of my friends have at least some kind of treatments regularly. Polly I'd say probably 75 percent of my girlfriends would be getting tweaks. Yumi This is Polly again, our 62-year-old tweak veteran. She's seen the transition from tweakments being something that you were super secretive about to it becoming a casual, everyday brunch topic. 15 years ago, her cosmetic doctor had measures to keep the identities of her clients secret. Polly She used to have a back door. She used to have a back door. A back door and once or twice you'd see the celebs. And they spaced out the appointments so people didn't see each other. Right. I've noticed that's changed. Now you can sit in the waiting room with lots of people and we'd just all chat to each other. Yumi This openness also extends to Polly's friendship group. Polly I think that one of the nicest things about all our girlfriend groups is, you know, that's pretty much no judgment, whatever works for you. Yumi But Polly has noticed something else in this group of friends. Polly When you have a bit of Botox shaping your face, there is a teardrop shape to all my girlfriend's faces that I can see that's similar. And that has got to be from years of shaping of our jaw lines. So our faces start to look alike. What? I don't know that anybody else sees it, but when we take a photo of us all, we go, wow, you know, are we starting to look more and more alike, even though we used to look very, very different? Yumi Being candid about the work we do and the expenses we incur to fit in, to look and feel better, that openness seems kind of like an improvement over the past 20 years. No, do not shuffle me out your back door of shame, Dr. Face Zap. But if this new normal means we all look like a more generic version of each other than ourselves, our natural, weathered, sun damaged and uniquely wrinkly selves, then that seems like a bit of a shame. I don't love to think that as we age, we'll all be injected into a uniformity of face like an army of Joan Riverses. Dear God, it's evidence of gendered beauty standards still chasing us, even as we gallop past menopause, past trying to attract a mate and slow down to trot into what is meant to be our tranquil old age. I asked my mom, Yoshiko, who's in her 80s, if she wanted me to take her to get our faces injected with hot burning lasers next time she visited. And she said, why, Yumi, why? And ladies, I didn't have an answer. Hey ladies, we're planning an episode about what happens to your dating life when you decide to ditch the apps. Have you signed yourself up to a running club? Have you started watching men's football? Have you, heaven forbid, started watching male sports? Have you taken up line dancing to find love? Or are you like going out to bars and trying to talk to real people in real life, in real time? We want to hear from you about your experiences. Please send an email or a voice note to ladies@ This podcast was produced on the lands of the Gundungurra and Gadigal peoples. Ladies, We Need To Talk is mixed by Ann-Marie de Bettencor. It's produced by Elsa Silberstein. Supervising producer is Tamar Cranswick and our executive producer is Alex Lolback. This series was created by Claudine Ryan.
Tatler Asia
21-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Tatler Asia
The next Hallyu wave? 10 films that show the best of Korean animation
2. 'The King of Pigs' (2011) Directed by Yeon Sang-ho, this intense psychological drama explores the dark underbelly of school bullying and class disparity. Two former classmates reunite after years apart, triggering harrowing memories of their traumatic school days. The film delves into the psyche of the oppressed and the oppressors, revealing how past abuses can manifest into present-day violence and moral ambiguity. 3. 'Sky Blue' (2003) Set in a post-apocalyptic future, humanity is divided between the elite inhabitants of the ecological city Ecoban and the labourers of the wastelands. When a rebellion brews, a love triangle unfolds amidst the chaos, challenging notions of loyalty, survival and environmental responsibility. The Korean animation, directed by Kim Moon-saeng, features stunning visuals and intricate world-building that offer a compelling commentary on societal structures and ecological degradation. 4. 'My Beautiful Girl, Mari' (2002) Nam-woo, a lonely boy in a seaside village, discovers a magical marble that transports him to a dreamlike world where he meets the ethereal Mari. As he navigates the challenges of adolescence, the line between reality and fantasy blurs, offering a poignant exploration of loss, friendship and the bittersweet nature of growing up. 5. 'Seoul Station' (2016) A prequel to Train to Busan , this animated horror-thriller by director Yeon Sang-ho follows the outbreak of a zombie epidemic in Seoul. As the city descends into chaos, a runaway girl, her estranged father and her boyfriend struggle to reunite amidst the carnage. Beyond the gore, the film offers a scathing critique of social neglect and the marginalisation of the homeless. 6. 'Green Days: Dinosaur and I' (2011) This coming-of-age tale directed by Ahn Jae-hoon and Han Hye-jin is set in the 1970s and follows Yi-rang, a high school girl grappling with self-doubt and the pressures of adolescence. Through her interactions with a new transfer student and a budding athlete, she learns about love, ambition and the courage to pursue one's dreams. The film's hand-drawn animation evokes a sense of nostalgia and authenticity. 7. 'Yumi's Cells: The Movie' (2024) Based on the popular webtoon, Lee Sang-yeob's film delves into the inner workings of Yumi's mind, personifying her emotions and thoughts as individual cells. As Yumi quits her job to pursue writing, her cells navigate challenges like anxiety, love and creativity, offering a humorous and insightful look into personal growth and self-discovery. 8. 'The Satellite Girl and Milk Cow' (2014) In this whimsical fantasy directed by Chang Hyung-yun, a satellite named Il-ho transforms into a girl after hearing the melancholic song of Kyung-chun, a heartbroken musician turned into a milk cow by dark magic. Together, they evade a menacing incinerator and a wizard trapped in a toilet paper roll, embarking on a surreal journey of love and transformation. 9. 'Yobi, the Five-Tailed Fox' (2007) Yobi, a mystical fox spirit, lives in seclusion with stranded aliens. When one alien is captured, Yobi ventures into the human world, disguising herself as a student. As she forms bonds and confronts a fox hunter, Yobi faces choices about identity, sacrifice and the essence of humanity. See more: 8 fantasy K-drama characters we love: goblins, fox spirits, mermaids 10. 'Lost in Starlight' (2025) Han Ji-won directed Netflix's first Korean original animated film, which is perhaps the pinnacle of Korean animation. It tells the poignant story of Nan-young, an astronaut embarking on a Mars mission, and Jay, her Earth-bound lover. As they navigate the challenges of a long-distance relationship across galaxies, the film explores themes of love, longing and the sacrifices made for ambition. With stunning visuals of futuristic Seoul and space, it's a testament to the emotional depth of animated storytelling.
News18
20-05-2025
- Entertainment
- News18
Hierarchy's Kim Jae Won To Star Opposite Kim Go Eun In Yumi's Cells 3
Kim Jae Won to star as Shin Sook Ro, a new PD at Julie's Publishing's editorial department, in Yumi's Cells 3. Kim Go Eun's beloved K-drama Yumi's Cells is officially returning with a brand-new season, following the success of its first two installments. Based on a hit webtoon by the same name, the K-drama tells the story of an ordinary office worker named Yumi from the perspective of the many brain cells in her head that control her thoughts and actions. As the new season has now been confirmed, one question that remains unanswered is who the male lead is. Well, recently, the makers have announced the name of the male lead for Yumi's Cells 3, and it's none other than the rising actor Kim Jae Won. One may recognise him for his roles in shows like Our Blues, King the Land and Hierarchy, among others. As reported by Soompi, Jae Won has been roped in to play the character of Shin Soon Rok, a character who is set to bring a refreshing change to Yumi's life and her now-quiet inner world after her past heartbreaks. In the new season of Yumi's Cells, Kim Go Eun is reprising her role as Yumi, who has now achieved her dream of becoming a successful romance novelist. Her career is thriving, but when it comes to love life, things are a little less perfect. The village of her cells is in a quiet state until Shin Soon Rok enters the storyline. The new character awakens Yumi's dormant cell village. Soon Rok is the new PD (producer) at Julie's Publishing's editorial department, who is known for his sweet looks and sharp honesty. Although Soon Rok seems cold and is only ruled by logic, there is a hidden charm beneath his stoic appearance. And once he starts working with Yumi, his secret soft side comes to the surface. His charming personality and sincerity slowly awaken Yumi's dormant emotional cells. As quoted by the above-mentioned outlet, Kim Jae Won expressed his excitement about joining Yumi's Cells 3 as the male lead. He said, 'It feels new to be joining a project that has received so much love. I will do my very best to create a wonderful Soon Rok in this series as well. I would be grateful for your continued support and love." Directed by the OG director Lee Sang Yeon and written by Song Jae Jung and Kim Kyung Ran, Yumi's Cells 3 is expected to premiere in the first half of 2026 on TVING. Other than the two leads, there has been no confirmation on the supporting cast. First Published:
Pink Villa
19-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Pink Villa
Who is Kim Jae Won and what do we know about his character Shin Soon Rok in Yumi's Cells 3?
Yumi's Cells is making a much-anticipated return for Season 3, and with it comes a new face — actor Kim Jae Won, who will star alongside Kim Go Eun. On May 19, it was officially announced that the two actors will be sharing the screen, igniting excitement among fans of the popular series. The upcoming season will continue to follow Yumi' s journey, this time as a successful writer whose life takes an unexpected turn with the arrival of a new romantic interest. As always, the story will unfold through the unique lens of her brain's cells, bringing both humor and emotional depth to the narrative. So, who is Kim Jae Won playing in this new chapter? He takes on the role of Shin Soon Rok, a new producer at Julie Publishing's editorial department. On the surface, Soon Rok comes across as composed and logical, often guided by his "rational cell." However, beneath that calm exterior lies a quiet charm and warmth that slowly begins to surface. He's a man of routine, living a peaceful and predictable life — that is, until he's assigned to work with Yumi, whose emotional cell is anything but calm. This contrast sets the stage for a compelling dynamic between the two characters, as Yumi's vibrant emotional world meets Soon Rok's grounded and measured personality. Speaking about his role, Kim Jae Won shared, 'It's a fresh experience to be part of a project that's received so much love. I'll do my best to portray a memorable version of Soon Rok. I hope viewers continue to support and love the series.' Based on the beloved webtoon by Lee Dong Geon. Yumi's Cells is known for its innovative storytelling, combining live-action with 3D animation to explore the emotions inside Yumi's mind and brain. Premiering in 2021, the series quickly built a strong fanbase, followed by a successful second season in 2022. Yumi's Cells 3 is expected to premiere in the first half of 2026 on TVING. With new characters, deeper emotions, and more heartfelt cell-driven storytelling, the series promises another unforgettable season.
Pink Villa
19-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Pink Villa
Kim Jae Won joins Yumi's Cells Season 3 as male lead opposite Kim Go Eun; know details about his character
After months of speculation and anticipation, the hit K-drama Yumi's Cells has finally found its new male lead for the upcoming third season. It's none other than rising actor Kim Jae Won. The actor is set to bring to life the character of Shin Soon Rok. He is a pivotal figure who will stir things up in Yumi's heart and breathe new energy into her once-quiet inner world. Yumi's Cells, which made waves with its first two seasons, is based on the popular webtoon of the same name. The story cleverly brings live-action and animation together to explore the emotional and psychological landscape of its heroine, Yumi. The animated 'cells' represent her different emotions, thoughts, and instincts. In the upcoming third season, Kim Go Eun reprises her role as Yumi. She now transformed from a humble office worker into a best-selling romance novelist. Though she's reached a professional high point and is enjoying public recognition for her writing, Yumi's love life remains far from perfect. Her inner cell village, once bustling with energy, has grown silent and uneventful following her past heartbreaks. That changes with the arrival of Soon Rok, a new editor at her publishing company. Shin Soon Rok, played by Kim Jae Won, is described as a logical and soft-spoken individual with a calm presence. He is the kind of person who values routine and keeps his emotions under control. But behind his cool and collected exterior lies a hidden warmth that gradually reveals itself through his interactions with Yumi. His unexpected charm and quiet sincerity slowly awaken Yumi's long-dormant feelings and offer a gentle, healing kind of love. The previous two seasons were filled with emotional ups and downs, heartbreak, and dramatic breakups. However, Season 3 is shaping up to be a story about quiet growth, emotional maturity, and the slow blooming of affection between two very different people. Speaking about his casting, Kim Jae Won expressed both enthusiasm and gratitude about joining such a well-loved project. He added that he's committed to portraying the character of Soon Rok with care and sincerity. He also conveyed appreciation for the support the series has received and hoped viewers would continue to show love for the upcoming season. Moreover, Yumi's Cells Season 3 is set to premiere in the first half of 2026. With a fresh storyline and a promising new male lead, the upcoming season is set to capture viewers' attention. The return of Kim Go Eun and her cells also hints at an emotional and satisfying continuation of Yumi's story.
