Doenjang girl or doenjang woman ( Korean: 된장녀; RR: doenjang nyeo) is a pejorative neologism used in South Korea to criticize women who "[scrimp] on essentials so they can over-spend on conspicuous luxuries". [1] Doenjang is Korean fermented soybean paste. [2] The term mocks a woman for eating a cheap meal ( doenjang-jjigae is one of the cheapest meals in Korea) so she can buy something expensive. [3] A large part of the song " Gangnam Style" is a parody of this stereotype. [1] [3]
The term first entered the language after Korea's early-2000s economic upswing. [4] According to Jee Eun Regina Song, the concept of this woman is "best exemplified by the Starbucks cup in her hand". [5] In South Korea, Starbucks symbolizes aspirational wealth and drinking Starbucks coffee is a status symbol; Seoul as of 2015 had more franchises than any other city in the world. [3] Coffee after 1999 became a symbol of class. [3]
According to the BBC, the term is inherently sexist; [4] according to Song, the issues are both of gender and class. [5] The BBC said that the term refers to the idea that "no matter how many Chanel bags she buys, she'll never be able to disguise her 'Korean-ness', and that this kind of spending was something to be mocked." [4] There is a male equivalent in the form of doenjang nam (된장남), though it is less used than its female counterpart. [6]