Sisain - Women in Their Twenties
- How I found out: I was deeply impressed by Sisa In Journal Book's first series, 'Thinly, Longly, Fondly,' and also watched Cheon Kwan-yul's '20s Male Phenomenon' video with great interest. So, as the '20s female' protagonist, I couldn't help but back the Tumblbug funding. I backed the project, which included an online book talk, and waited eagerly ever since.
- How I got it: I backed it on Tumblbug and was among the first to receive and read it.
- Reading period: February 14, 2022 ~ February 23, 2022
Feminism Has Not Been Defeated
I wanted to write about this book before the 20th South Korean presidential election. I finished reading it the moment it arrived, and though I had a mountain of thoughts piled up, I ended up writing not a single line. And I, too, entered the polling station with the resolve of cutting off my own arm. Since gaining the right to vote, I'd only cast ballots once each for local elections, general elections, and presidential elections—hardly extensive experience. Yet never before had I agonized so much right up until stepping into the polling booth. What made it more painful was that this anguish stemmed not from seeking progressive change for society, but from merely hoping the world wouldn't get worse. It even tormented me to think: Why must I be forced into this choice?
Whoever becomes president, my life might not change much. I have a regular job, I work under my own name, and I've built up some small assets of my own. But what about those who don't? My friends with jobs where they don't know if their employment will continue? My friends who haven't even entered society yet? People relying on support from the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family? I thought that person absolutely should not become president.
But even while thinking that, I couldn't bring myself to choose another option. There was Ahn Hee-jung, and there was Park Won-soon. The guilt and anguish I felt back then came flooding back. I vividly remembered the days after Park Won-soon died when I felt like I was going to vomit every single day at work. I remembered staring blankly at Kim Ji-eun one night in the newsroom as she sat there, just sighing deeply. All those days when I wished Ahn Hee-jung would become president, when I admired the civic movement Park Won-soon created—my past self, who felt nothing but anguish, came flooding back. I couldn't bring myself to vote for candidate number 1 with a clear conscience.
I thought of Representative Ryu Ho-jeong, a female worker at a Pangyo game company, and Representative Jang Hye-young, who pinpointed every corner of society needing attention with clear language. Candidate Sim Sang-jung, who used her time in every presidential debate to speak for the stories of small places, flickered in my mind. In the end, I became that 'woman in her twenties' who voted for candidate number 1 and sent a donation to the Justice Party.
Feminism, which I discovered at twenty-two, gave me courage. It allowed me to change the perceptions I had held until then. It stopped me from rejecting my own body and face. 'For those who find no one trustworthy in the world, feminism is the one thing women can still trust' (p. 179). And I don't believe this election result means feminism has lost. What lost is merely the unresolved generational divide in perceptions and the conflict between the Yeongnam and Honam regions. Rather, I see it as the political sensibility of a changed generation emerging. 'Women in their 20s are highly interested in politics and possess great enthusiasm for political participation, but they do not believe their demands will be realized in the political sphere' (p. 111). They were merely 'floating arbiters' who temporarily pooled their strength. They can disperse at any time, or gather again at any time. This began after Megalia, or rather, from the countless women's movements that preceded it. It's impossible to know when or how this movement will end, or if it will ever truly end. But at the very least, it confirmed two things: people don't want those who reinforce social inequality, and anti-feminism cannot dominate the mainstream narrative. While this outcome isn't entirely satisfying, perhaps a glimmer of hope remains.