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39 They have all come to accept that they can’t force Western ideals onto a Korean system. The Kore- an entertainment culture has some elements that might not be considered fair elsewhere, but they have learned to use those things to their advantage. Bronwyn acknowledges that with her own pale skin and slender physique matching Korea’s ideal of beauty, she has had a certain advantage. But that same leg-up is what enforces a glass ceiling for women on TV. “It is extremely difficult to get on a panel or to get an emcee seat as a foreigner or as a woman,” and it’s a double-whammy if you’re both, she says. “If you look at my shows, always, even the talk shows, it’s three emcees of two men and one woman. If it’s two emcees, it’s one man and woman or two men. So we are still, as women, considered to be a support emcee.” Behind the scenes, gender and office politics could keep her off the air if she refuses to go to din- ner and drinks after work. “As a young female, you are really not allowed to turn this stuff down. If they say, ‘We are going for dinner Friday,’” she explains, “you’ll be there or you’re not in the next show, guar- anteed.” When she once turned down such an invita- tion from her colleagues on her first talk show because she was busy filming a commercial, she saw her- self shafted from the show for the next week. She was disheartened by the discrimination at first, but is seeing gradual im- provement, she says. Now there are a few more shows that are catered to women or offer them a better opportunity that doesn’t re- inforce the traditional cutesy, inferior feminine role. “There’s definitely a glass ceiling … but hopefully it’s gonna change.” The glass ceiling ‘Working in the korean entertainment industry is a real blessing and honor. you also have a lot of responsibility, but it’s a responsibility you should be happy in taking and indulging in.’ Jake pains