#K-Drama: Celebrity, the Dark Side of Being Famous

Celebrity | 셀러브리티 (2023)

NETFLIX | Celebrity 

Ever wondered how a person would change if they gained celebrity status and the lengths they would go through to maintain that fame and love? Celebrity, a K-drama on Netflix shows all that which captured my attention from the very first episode! Especially, when Seo A-Ri (Park Gyu-Young) goes live to her audience and uses hook lines asking that same question we are all curious about - what is it like to be an influencer/celebrity and what is it like to hold that kind of power?

NETFLIX | Celebrity

This drama is in a story telling method with two timelines where the narrative is split into the present and the past. A-Ri was not always the glamorous celebrity she is now. Up until not long ago, she was a door-to-door cosmetic sales person who once was from a rich-family but ended up broke. For the past 13 years, she and her mother have been surviving in a humble environment where A-ri even had to give up her Ivy League opportunity in America. She lives a quiet life, maintaining her pride and dignity until one day, she bumps into her old high school friend Oh Min-Hye (Jeon Hyo Sung) who has become a power influencer. Back in the days she was the poor one who received A-Ri’s hand-me-downs but now, Min-Hye is the one buying the luxurious bags and jewels. Ari sees that the tables have turned, making her curious about this online world of influencing, marketing and potential business opportunity to become rich.

South China Morning Post

Min-Hye is unaware that A-Ri is now broke and still believes that she is a rich, popular and an Ivy League graduate. So there’s no reason to not be nice to her! Finding it beneficial to have A-Ri back in her life, Min-Hye invites her to a party for the rich and famous. She also introduces A-ri to the influencer group. This is the start to the change in her life where she is pulled into all the drama, chaos and fame.

NETFLIX | Celebrity

Unlike the traditional romance K-dramas we may be used to, this K-drama is suspenseful and offers a different and fresh perspective. The storyline will keep you on-edge wanting to binge watch the whole 12 episode series! The drama shows the potential dangers of social media and the power it holds on someone. Being an influencer may seem like fun, from being showered with gifts to invitations to exclusive events and parties. But this k-drama reminds us that there are consequences with everything, including fame.

Yeonhap News

I personally really enjoyed this different take and insight into the accessible world of social media. We keep up with the influencers but never think of the consequences behind the rich and famous. I found myself finishing the series in a couple of days without sleep! There are also famous celebrity cameos who appear in some episodes - I won’t spoil it for you but you can watch the trailer for this K-drama series or watch the full series on your Netflix account!