Sex talk? Bikinis? Gorgeous models shakin’ what their mommas gave them? That would be unheard of on Korean TV just a decade ago.
But now a racy new show is fast becoming the talk of Korea, and highlights the fast-changing social norms of a country where, not long ago, such blunt talk of sexuality was, at least in public, taboo.
“I don’t’ remember what number (of men) I slept with because I’ve had many boyfriends,” said Lee Jina, a racing model, with a smile, on one episode.
The sexy model further went on to talk about a Brazilian boyfriend, describing how passionate he was in bed “just like the stereotypes of Brazilian men.”
The show, called “No More Show,” has become all the rage in the last few years, totaling six seasons since it first aired in 2014. In spite of a heavy social stigma attached to public discussions of sex, the show is light-hearted and comic in nature, incorporating games and demonstrations that hook the viewers’ attention right away.
In Korea, where topics of sex are often not openly discussed in public, the show serves as a platform for many women to freely and openly discuss their sex and dating lives.
This show has helped to not only reduce negative social stigma surrounding open discussions of sex, but has also helped women in Korea relate to one another in their private lives.
“When I am sitting next to my boyfriend while he drives, that’s when I want to have sex the most,” said Seula, a woman on another show, when asked about when she feels the most sexual.
In response to Seula, another woman said: “That happens to me too. Once I was so tempted that I tried some things with my boyfriend while he was driving. So he couldn’t drive straight and when we looked back, a police car was following us thinking that my boyfriend was drunk driving.”
One young woman describes a changing sex culture in South Korea. She talks about how the time that a couple has sex for the first time is becoming shorter. She said: “Rather than waiting for a long time, I think more couples are having sex for the first time quicker. Maybe they wait one month on average.” In response to that another woman responds: “Back when I was younger, I waited maybe three months. Now, I think maybe it’s better to sleep with someone before dating them.”
The show features gorgeous women with wide-ranging backgrounds from popular Korean racing models, divorcees in their 30s to Russian models.
These women not only talk about their dating and sexual experiences, but they go far as to demonstrate exercises that could improve sex lives or to teach sexy dance moves.
A Korean actor who is known for his humorous but blunt personality, Ji Sang-Ryeol and a long time comedian, Kim Kyung-Jin, are the two hosts of the show. The dynamic between the two personalities adds a lively and easygoing feel in a topic that is not widely nor publicly discussed in South Korea.
As of 2014, the show has gained extreme popularity—though not publicized openly due to conservative social views regarding sex—to the point that one of the episodes uploaded on YouTube received about 1 million views.
Just as the title says, it’s not a show. The women are extremely open to the point that they can be seen as outright blunt when talking about their sex and dating lives.
This has created controversy, as some viewers criticized the show for its lack of discretion and perhaps even for encouraging the sexual objectification of women.
Despite both the growing popularity and the controversies surrounding the show, “No More Show” perhaps points to a change in Korean dating and sex culture and its openness to discuss these topics in a public platform.
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