Have you ever heard of this word? It’s generally known as Golden Miss in Korea and the number of alpha girls is tending upwards. As a woman who wishes to be one of them, I would like to write something down about it.
Alpha girls are so-called women who have high educational backgrounds and afford to do anything they want. They usually don’t get married and live alone enjoying their gorgeous lives. Moreover, their common interests are fashion, beauty, and cosmetic and leisure activities. At first, I thought they are pathetic because it seemed like an excuse to me for not being able to find perfect men for them. However, as time goes by and I’m getting older, I believe that being an alpha girl is pretty much cool and is exactly what I want to be.
First, they can enjoy and work without any responsibilities about husbands and kids. It’s not quite surprising that many of women especially in Korea stop working after getting married and too busy with the care of their families to spend some time for themselves. They can whatever sports they want to do and go wherever they want to go which they would’ve never had chances to do if they just get married. Moreover, they also can work as much as they want and that will give them wealth as well as good position in their workplace.
Second, they have power over men. I believe that the only reason why men have more authorities in society is because they make more money than women. However, it doesn’t apply to alpha girls because a lot of these qualified women earn much more fortune than any other men. They even can speak up on certain issues and insist their opinion against men.
Women have to be competent for special areas in order to enjoy our lives and not to be controlled by men. An age of patriarchy and gender discrimination has gone and it’s time for women to speak their voice up. To do so, being an alpha girl can be one of alternatives.
Alpha girl looks great. However, I believe, as long as a human being, they also want to love from men someday. How do you think about that?
I’m not saying that alpha girl must not marry. I’m just saying that a qualified woman doesn’t necessarily have to rely on a man financially. A real alpha girl will definitely find her love someday not for money or other reasons but for herself. That’s what I want to be.
I have discussed this topic when I was a member of a English conversation member. We also talked about ‘Beta man’. Some of old generation members were surprised at this phenomenon. However inmy view, when people live their own lives keeping pusuit of their happiness then it’s fine. In terms of confidence in life, Alpha girls look good and sometimes I envy them.
Biryong,
Love and marriage are different things, aren’t they? There are places where couples tend not to marry buty stay together for a long time. (Quebec is only one example.)
What I’m most curious about, Eun Suk, is the male reaction to this. What you call an “Alpha Girl,” I imagine certain men will call “된장녀” or whatever that is. Are men in general impressed by them and inspired to also lead independent, single lives? Or are they tending to criticize such women and insist that they conform to the “normal” life pattern of the past?
The really interesting thing to me is that the traditional nation-state system requires women to reproduce to some degree: at least enough to maintain a steady or growing number of workers. Since young Korean women aren’t doing this, foreign women are coming to Korea and filling that role as mail-order brides, and foreign workers are here to fill the gaps. So really, in not having children, aren’t these “Alpha Girls” also helping to radically change Korean society?
Finally, is the age of patriarchy and gender discrimination really gone? I would think that we wouldn’t need a name for “Alpha Girls” if this were true. They wouldn’t be unusual, just like men who live this way are not really unusual.