ANALYSIS OF AUDIENCE RECEPTION OF KOREAN DRAMA TRUE BEAUTY REGARDING BEHAVIORAL IMITATION

Abstract

Korean drama “True Beauty” stars Moon Ga Young and Cha Eun Woo in the leading roles. The drama tells the story of a high school girl who is mocked and ridiculed for her unattractive appearance, leading her to learn makeup skills to become beautiful and gain social acceptance. The aim of this study is to understand the audience's reception of the Korean drama “True Beauty” in relation to behavior imitation. This research employs a constructivist paradigm and uses reception analysis methodology along with Stuart Hall's Reception Theory. Data collection techniques include in-depth interviews, documentation, and literature review. The participants were selected using purposive sampling, with five respondents. The results indicate that the audience's reception of the messages conveyed in the Korean drama “True Beauty” about behavior imitation varies according to individual perspectives. The diverse backgrounds, education, social environments, psychological states, and experiences of the respondents lead to differing interpretations. Consequently, the five respondents in this study do not exhibit consistent dominant, negotiated, or oppositional positions.