“True Beauty” ~ Was I Always Truly Beautiful?

“True Beauty” is 2020-2021 Korean drama series, based on a webtoon of the same name, with 16 episodes, and can be categorized as Idol Drama, High School or Youth, Romance and Comedy (Rom-Com).

SUMMARY: In “True Beauty”, a teenager who is bullied in high school for her horrible looks, moves to another high school. By then she has mastered make-up skills and transforms herself into a true beauty. But the guy who likes her doesn’t care about her looks. He has known her from when they were much younger. He knew what she looked like without the make-up. But it didn’t matter. He always liked her because she was the only one who comforted him. She was genuine. Not fake.

♦ Make-Up Works Wonders

In “True Beauty”, Im Ju-kyung, is a typical high school teenage girl. That means she wants to be accepted. But that’s not possible because … simply put … she’s ugly. Everybody knows what the “beauty standards” are and by those standards, she’s ugly! Her face is so awful, that they bully her about her looks. But she had to transfer to a new school because her parents relocated. After watching videos, she learned the art of transforming your looks with make-up. In this new school, even if there was somebody from her old school, they probably would not even recognize her. She had become a “true beauty”. Although, is it really “true”? Without the make-up, she’s as plain-faced as they come. OK! All she has to do is make sure nobody ever sees her without her make-up. The “new and improved” Ju-kyung no longer struggles with low self-esteem, and she is now confident and popular at her new school.

But Ju-kyung kind of has to maintain a dual identity and it’s exhausting. She now has a problem she never imagined she would have. Two guys are attracted to her and they are friends with each other. (Sort of.) There’s kind of complication with their relationship history.

• Lee Su-ho is extremely good-looking and popular, but he has some emotional scars.
• Han Seo-jun is also extremely good-looking and could be popular, but he does not like the attention. He also has some emotional scars.

All the girls would love to get the attention of either or both of these two guys. But they both have eyes for Ju-kyung . As her relationship with both Su-ho and Seo-jun grows stronger, Ju-kyung is constantly afraid of revealing her true appearance to them or anyone else, for that matter. What would think of her if they knew what she really looked like? Would they be OK with accepting her for her “inner beauty”? Can she hide behind make-up forever? Ultimately, Ju-kyung must confront her insecurities and choose between the facade she has created and just being herself. Because living a double life is really hard!

Main Characters:

• Im Ju-Kyung (played by Mun Ka-Young, “Killer Toon”)
• Lee Soo-Ho (played by Cha Eun-Woo, “Wonderful World”, “A Good Day to Be a Dog”, “Island 1 and 2”, “Rookie Historian Goo Hae-Ryung”)
• Han Seo-Joon (played by Hwang In-Yeop, “Why Her?”, “The Sound of Magic”)

Where to Watch

Viewership and Rating:

• IMDb: 8 out of 10 stars
• MyDramaList: 8.3 out of 10 stars
• Google users shared a public rating: 4.9 out of 5 stars
• Viki viewers rated this series 9.6 out of 10 stars

My personal rating is the same as the Viki viewers.

For teens who have a problem with building their self-esteem, because they think they are never ever good-looking enough … this K-drama series was made for them. The female lead in “True Beauty” found a way to go from being the ugly duckling to the beautiful swan. And … she ended up being the girlfriend of the best-looking guy in school. But here is a reality check for you teenagers. Even if you finally accept yourself as beautiful, both inside and out, you might not end up being the love interest of the best-looking kid in school. Hey! Don’t be disappointed. The person whose approval you are seeking is YOU. To borrow a quote from an old movie “The Nutty Professor” (which starred Jerry Lewis): “You might as well learn to love yourself because you’re going to live with yourself for the rest of your life.”

LINKS OF INTEREST:

After poor reviews in Korea, K-drama True Beauty catches the fancy of global audience | Times of India

Now That Was A Long And Wild Ride – True Beauty | hallyureviews

Review: Finding the meaning of beauty in ‘True Beauty’ | HS Insider | Los Angeles Times

An Honest Review Of ‘True Beauty’ | Cosmopolitan.ph

TRAILERS/TEASERS:

Viki Global TV. “TRUE BEAUTY – OFFICIAL TRAILER 2 | Korean Drama | Cha Eun Woo, Moon Ga Young.” YouTube Video. YouTube, December 10, 2020. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rq3Afp1XGm0.‌