Hangul 된장녀 | Hanja 된醬女 | |
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Revised Romanization Doenjang Girl, Doenjang Woman McCune–Reischauer Toenjang Girl, Toenjang Woman | ||
Doenjang girl or Doenjang woman (hangul:된장녀) is a satirical expression used in South Korea "for their propensity to scrimp on essentials so they can over-spend on conspicuous luxuries". These girls and young women are addicted to luxury and vanity. The Hangul spelling is Doenjang Nyeo (된장녀).
Doenjang (hangul:된장; hanja:된醬) is Korean fermented soybean paste. The idea behind the phrase is that such a girl will eat a cheap meal (doenjang jjigae is one of the cheapest meals in Korea) in order to buy an expensive latte at Starbucks (Starbucks drinks in South Korea are among the most expensive in the world). The expression became popular on the Internet in South Korea in the early 2000s. Cartoons satirising Doenjang Girls became famous on the internet from 2005.
A large part of the song "Gangnam Style" is a parody of this stereotype.