How I Became an Ajumma

The Korean version [http://news.khan.co.kr/kh_news/khan_art_view.html?artid=201502122122475&code=990100&s_code=ao211] of this essay appeared in the Kyunghyang Shinmun on 12 February 2015. The English version here has been published with the permission of the newspaper and the author. I have lived in many countries, but the ajummacharacter seems rather unique to South Korea. In case you don’t know, the Korean word ajumma refers to a stereotypical middle-aged woman who dons a garish perm and col