Lee Kyung-sil: "My daughter isn't called pretty" — Son Su-a: "Personality is enough"

Comedian Lee Kyung-sil has delivered a blunt assessment regarding the appearance of her daughter, actress Son Su-a. However, rather than being offended, Son Su-a laughed it off, saying, "It's enough to be charming and have personality." The candid conversation between mother and daughter drew attention as it naturally revealed conventional views on beauty and generational aesthetic standards.

On the 15th, Lee revealed her trip to Busan with Son in a video titled "What happens when you go on a trip to Busan with your mom during a heatwave warning," posted on her channel "My Mom Lee Kyung-sil."

In the video, Lee remarked on the daily life of the mother and daughter traveling together, saying, "Everyone dreams of traveling with their mother and daughter, but it seems people are envious because it is actually difficult to put into practice." The main content of the video featured the private conversations shared by the mother, who has been a broadcaster for a long time, and the daughter, who is active as an actress, while traveling together.

While reading subscriber comments together, the two discovered a comment mentioning Son's appearance. When reactions such as "Su-a's voice is charming" and "Su-a has personality" appeared, Lee used her signature direct way of speaking to say, "That means she isn't pretty."

Despite the unexpected evaluation, Son's reaction was calm. Admitting, "I don't hear that I'm pretty," she countered with a laugh, "Is it necessary to be pretty if I'm charming? Even if I don't hear that I'm pretty, I like having personality."

While the conversation surrounding appearance could have turned sensitive, Son did not view "prettiness" and "charm" as the same standard. Her attitude was that it is more important to have one's own impression rather than fitting into standardized beauty standards. Rather, the scene served to reveal the honest relationship between mother and daughter, triggered by Lee's direct evaluation.

Lee did not end the conversation with just evaluating her daughter. Looking at Son's face, she showed affection, saying, "Since it's a bare face, it's truly soft." Following the joking evaluation of her appearance, the mother's affection for her daughter followed naturally.

In another comment, there was a reaction saying, "I wish I had a daughter like that." Son brought laughter by jokingly responding, "That's because you don't know my temperament yet." Regarding a comment stating, "The feeling of treating a son and a daughter is different," she shared her thoughts, saying, "Especially in homes with only sons, people envy the mother-daughter relationship a lot."

The conversation between the two revealed during this trip is also a typical slice of a mother-daughter relationship. It is a way in which a mother throws a more honest evaluation to her daughter, and the daughter accepts those words with humor and self-awareness. Given the nature of content being released to the public, the level of expression may draw attention, but the two in the video exchanged stories about appearance or personality relatively without hesitation.

Born in 1966, Lee debuted as a first-generation comedian for Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation in 1987. After going through a long period of obscurity, she made a name for herself through the "Madam Dorumuk" segment of "Good Fortune Comes When You Laugh." Since then, she has built a unique character by moving through various broadcasting fields such as variety shows, radio, and educational programs with her signature direct way of speaking and quick wit.

In particular, Lee's broadcasting style is characterized by direct questions and uninhibited talk that can even make others flustered. This recent remark about her daughter's appearance can be seen as an extension of that style. However, since evaluations of appearance vary according to individual taste and social aesthetic standards, there is no need to accept Lee's remarks themselves as an objective evaluation of appearance.

Born in 1994, Son is walking the path of an actress, unlike her mother. She made a name for herself by reaching the finals of the Supermodel Contest in 2016 and subsequently expanded her field through acting activities. While a model contest is a stage that uses external image and physical conditions as important evaluation factors, her career change is also interesting in that acting requires much more complex capabilities, such as character interpretation, expression, and delivery of lines, in addition to appearance.

The part where Son said, "Even if I don't hear that I'm pretty, I like having personality," also connects to this identity as an actress. This is because what is needed for an actress on screen is not just uniform beauty, but a unique impression and expression.

Recently in the entertainment industry, the term "visual" is frequently used, but the standards of beauty themselves have continued to change across eras, media, and generations. While there was a strong tendency in the past to present a certain face shape and body type as ideal aesthetic standards, there is an increasing number of cases where a unique atmosphere, personality, or individual style is presented as a competitive advantage.

In that sense, Son's reaction goes beyond a simple response to a joke about her looks. She did not define the lack of being called "pretty" as a deficiency, but instead translated it into different values: "charm" and "personality." It is an attitude of not allowing an evaluation to define her, rather than completely denying the opinion of others.

Ultimately, the most impressive scene during this Busan trip was not Lee's blunt remark, but Son's attitude in responding to it. The mother threw a joking, direct remark to her daughter saying she "isn't pretty," and the daughter responded in her own way, asking, "Is it necessary to be pretty?"

While it is common for mothers and daughters to stand before the camera in the glamorous entertainment industry, a relationship where they can resolve weaknesses through jokes rather than hiding them holds a special meaning. Son's words, valuing her own personality and charm over the single standard of "prettiness," remained the most vivid scene of this mother-daughter trip.