Anat Biol Anthropol.  2024 Jun;37(2):121-124. 10.11637/aba.2024.37.2.121.

Features of Ugly Eccentric Women and the Methods of Overcoming Ugliness in Korean Oral Literature

• Jung SG
• Hwang K
• Hwang YJ

• KMID: 2562486
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.11637/aba.2024.37.2.121

Abstract

The aim of this study was to analyze how “ugly but capable women” in Korea looked and how they overcame adversities. “Compendium of Korean Oral Literature” edited by the Academy of Korean Studies contains 146 tales categorized as “eccentric women”. Among them, nine tales featuring specific manifestations of ugly and/or deformed women were collected. The texts were analyzed to examine how their ugliness or deformity was portrayed. The nine women exhibited specific physical manifestations. Among the discernible body characteristics, the most common was blindness, affecting 44.4% of the group. This was followed by short stature and unattractiveness, each present in 33.3% of the cases, and limb deformity, which was noted in 22.2%. Less common features included smallpox scars and cleft noses, each occurring in 11.1% of the women. The nine women possessed distinct abilities. The most common among these were sewing and foreknowledge, each exhibited by 33.3% of the women. Wisdom and good housekeeping skills were also noted, with each ability present in 22.2% of the subjects. Less common were running a bar and finding hidden gold, each reported in 11.1% of the cases. We assume that in 19th-century Korea, blindness, short stature, and limb deformity were considered elements of ugliness. Women who were perceived as ugly but capable harbored the desire to overcome adversity through their abilities in sewing, foreknowledge, wisdom, and good housekeeping skills. The ultimate aspiration for these women, particularly those with deformities, was to elevate their sons to high official positions and thereby enrich their families.

Keyword

Physical appearance; Body; Women; Literature; Modern; Korea