The recent candid revelations from actress Kim Hee-sun offer a poignant glimpse into the universal complexities of balancing love, career, and family life. Her story, shared on Jang Do-yeon's YouTube show 'Salon Drip,' resonates deeply, touching on themes I've explored many times over the years.
Kim Hee-sun spoke openly about her six-year hiatus from acting following pregnancy and childbirth. It's a period many women know well—a time filled with joy, yet often shadowed by a profound sense of professional loss. She confessed to feeling envious when seeing others in good roles and, at times, even resented her husband, Park Ju-young, feeling that her "worn-out self was because of my husband and child." The emotional toll is clear, a quiet struggle that can often be overlooked amidst the demands of new motherhood. Her husband's initial response, treating her "as if I were invisible" when she grumbled, is perhaps an all too common reaction, a coping mechanism for something he might not have fully understood then Kim Hee-sun: "My husband treated me like I was invisible after giving birth, but then he saw my kissing scene with Lee Min-ho…".
However, the dynamic shifted with her return to acting in the drama 'Faith,' co-starring Lee Min-ho. Kim Hee-sun recounted a moment that, while humorous, reveals a deeper truth about human nature: her husband, who had been monitoring her work, suddenly turned off the TV after a kiss scene. Later, he accidentally stumbled upon another intimate scene. "That’s when I realized he does get jealous," she laughed, as reported by MK He Used to Treat Me Like I Was Invisible… Kim Hee-sun Reveals Her Husband’s Reaction After Watching Her Kiss Scene with Lee Min-ho - MK. It's a fascinating paradox—the lack of acknowledgment during her sacrifices, followed by a surge of emotion when her professional life involved another person.
This story, despite its celebrity setting, brings to mind a core idea Hemen wants to convey—the enduring challenge women face in the professional world, particularly after starting a family. I had brought up this thought years ago, specifically in relation to how societal expectations and practical challenges impact women's careers. I had already predicted this outcome or challenge of professional setbacks for women, even proposing that employers needed incentives to retain and hire women post-maternity, as noted in my blog, Indian companies aren’t hiring women to avoid ‘maternity leave’ liability: Study. The struggles Kim Hee-sun describes, the feeling of her career taking a blow, echo the very real consequences of systems that don't fully support women's dual roles.
Reflecting on it today, it's striking how relevant those earlier insights still are. The pressures on women to choose between career aspirations and family responsibilities remain, often leading to unacknowledged sacrifices. I also think about how early societal conditioning shapes expectations, as I touched upon in From Childhood to Adulthood, which indirectly contributes to these pressures.
Kim Hee-sun's candidness serves as a powerful reminder that behind the glamour, real human emotions and struggles persist. It's a call to revisit those earlier ideas, because they clearly hold value in the current context, reminding us to foster environments where both men and women can thrive in all aspects of their lives without undue sacrifice.
Regards, Hemen Parekh
Of course, if you wish, you can debate this topic with my Virtual Avatar at : hemenparekh.ai
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