GLORY

While both parts of The Glory have been released and its storyline concluded, there is one part of the storyboard that viewers are still speculating about—that is, the mystery of the green shoes. Perhaps it is due to international language barriers that my research was unable to pull direct quotes from the writer, Kim Eun-sook, but according to Gabriela Silva, Kim asserts that there is no hidden symbolism of the shoes and that they merely "suited the personal color of the top of Yeon-jin’s feet."

I chose green because it suited the personal color of the top of Yeon-jin’s feet. The shoes had a secret, didn’t it? Yeon-jin goes to the back and scrubs it clean, right? It isn’t easy for anyone to look good in those shoes," explained the K-drama writer.

-Bold font added by me; take note Silva did not provide a source citation for the quote above.

Kim alleges that any writer can add superfluous details and not have them lead to any assumptions about their meanings. If The Glory had been a book, I might have agreed, as there is more effort to signify the importance of an article via the written word, but as it is a visual drama, I fail to understand why the directors would have been so invested in capturing the apparel directly, several times. While green ties into Ha Ye Sol and Jeon Jae Joon’s colorblindness, the most common type according to the National Eye Institute, it doesn’t seem a coincidence that three of the four female characters have the exact same pair of green heels.

Before we dive into the theories, we must first look at the shoe itself.

From appearance alone, the heels look to be part of a vintage Manolo Blahnik collection due to their distinctive Swarovski crystal ensemble rounding the toe of the shoe. I was able to procure a similar type via the website Vestiaire Collective. The similarities between this and the title image, which portrays a recent variation called Nadira, cannot be ignored, but still, neither is the shoe in question.

This leads me to believe The Glory created a custom pair using patent leather, as can be seen in the glossy shine of the heels, and specifically rearranged the formation of the Swarovski crystals to a sweeping side embellishment rather than a center piece. It is then surprising that, given the popularity of the Blahnik Hangisi with its diamond-encrusted square buckle heel, they would design a seemingly understated pump. Just what did they think they were doing this for?

Well, I look to Blahnik instead of writer Kim to understand this question, specifically the company's values. While I may be reaching, their foundational statements spoke to me:

"We strive for timeless beauty and quality craftmanship. We promote a culture of equality, diversity, inclusion and respect. We do not tolerate bullying, discrimination, harassment or victimisation of any form ."

*spelling of victimization is incorrect on the official website*

Imagine if the creators of The Glory had decided on the infamous red bottom heel, Louboutin. It would have still adhered to the necessary colorblindness of Ye Sol and Jae Joon, and it would have been beautiful against the graphic bloody shots, etc. While any shoe can make a statement, sometimes it's not just the shoe but the name behind it that matters more. Anytime someone wears Blahnik, they should feel as though they are embodying the values of the man behind it. We will explore this more in the two theories below.

Theory One

A Nod to Little Women (Literary Theory)

One Reddit user, Telos07, has imagined the green shoes to be parallel to the red shoes of Little Women, another Netflix K-drama that follows the lives of three unlucky sisters as they vie for power amongst the rich. *Spoiler ahead* Having not watched this drama, I have read that the shoes come into play when one of the sister's coworker/friend commits suicide in her closet after embezzling a hefty sum. The sister finds her dangling with a bright pair of red heels still on her feet.

What this symbolism parallels in The Glory I can only speculate, as the user did not clarify, but perhaps it is a glimpse into the lives of the destitute - that attaining that shining beacon of light at the top only leaves you with an emptiness that can only be filled by either another passion or death. As Moon Dong-eun said in response to Ha Do-yeong's question of whether revenge would make her happy, she only wanted to be happy enough to die. As humans, we often never imagine what a day will look like when everything we have aspired for is achieved. The question of living then becomes an option rather than a necessity.

Fun fact: This drama is supposed to be loosely based on Alcott's classic novel, which my brain immediately went to.

Theory Two

The Colorful Identities (Color Theory)

Although some may have been caught up on the symbolism, I instead looked to the color of the heel. Green can be breathtaking when it resembles the iridescent colors of a raven or is elegant, as in emerald; these are, however, more cool tones. Chartreuse, sometimes thought to be yellow, can also be thought of as green but is a putrid color when worn. While each color has its own theory in accordance with psychology, green in particular has always been associated with nature, especially growth as seen during springtime. As the years have gone by, more and more characteristics have been tacked on to the color, including a few that align with all the female characters in The Glory who associate with the shoe.

• Green around the gills -- Park Yeon-jin

The main antagonist, Yeon-jin is undeniably jealous; it is the only emotion that could possibly be relatable in the viewer's eye and thinly separates her from being a cold-blooded psychopath. For some, her fears come from an unstable childhood wherein her mother (father is unknown) enlisted the help of shamans to cope with reality. She engages in bullying behaviors to feel in control and important, but the extreme lengths she goes to, even to the point of death, separates her from the others who participated. She hides her insecurities behind a facade of calmness, and that ever-present smirk belittles anyone who is in its presence.

Green around the gills not only embodies jealousy but also sickness. For someone who has it all, not only is she mentally suffering, but she also appears to be suffering from physical disorders that affect her view of her body. She became hysterical over the idea that the surgeon, Joo Yeo-jung, had operated on her. Her narcissism extends to her daughter, whom, as other Reddit viewers have noted, she uses as an extension of herself. Her daughter's only flaw is her color blindness, another physical weakness.

All of this is to say that when Ha Do-yeong gifts Yeon-jin with the green shoes, it is a foretelling, even a curse, rather than the beautiful show of love that Do-yeong thinks it is. This is even more apparent when she finally wears the shoes, only to kill Son Myeong-oh at Siesta. She furiously scrubs them clean of blood, places them on a pedestal in her closet, and appears to never wear them again as she knows they are now evidence of not love but blood, death, and murder.

• All out of green -- Lee Sa-ra

I struggled between which of these two girls, Sa-ra and Hye-jeong, I should place first as they are in constant competition with each other; however, I placed Sa-ra first for one reason: she continually reminds Hye-jeong that if it hadn’t been for Moon Dong-eun, it would have been her. Sa-ra enforces the pecking order among the girls, as she has the most to lose by being second to Yeon-jin. She never competes with Yeon-jin but always belittles Hye-jeong, making fun of her low-class ways and speech impediment. Sa-ra, however, is the poorest of all the girls. While her family makes enough money embezzling from the church funds and she sells her paintings for high prices, her drug addiction leaves her depleted.

When Moon Dong-eun blackmails her, she is overwhelmed and continually wonders aloud amongst the girls why this is happening to her and not the other wealthier people; they do not supply any help, not even an answer to her questions. This is why I theorize that Sa-ra is actually the most ostracized member of the group. We see this as she furiously paints a giant green heel against a dark red background alone in her art studio. She cannot have the power she wants—the power to say no to Moon Dong-eun—because of the consequences of her addiction. She’s covered in green paint; the bag of money is partly filled as she struggles with withdrawal from the drugs and the support of her friend, but it’s all due to her own decisions.

• Only a second -- Choi Hye-jeong

Green is a secondary color, resting in between blue and yellow. Variations then come from adding more or less of each. Hye-jeong embodies the definition of "secondary." She is constantly vying for first place, and while Sa-ra continues to try to keep her in her place, she reaches for Yeon-jin’s position like it’s a competition. While Hye-jeong may think this, Yeon-jin barely spares her a passing glance until Hye-jeong starts an intimate relationship with Jeon Jae-joon.

Hye-jeong remarks to Myeong-oh after a flight that while life may have invisible classes, an airplane has the most visible divisions: first class, business class, and economy class. She is constantly reminded of her low tier middle class status due to Sa-ra, who bullies her because of her parents' modest income as dry cleaners, but she fails to realize that she continues to portray her low class through various things, such as needing to be reminded how much money to give to the deceased. She expresses the wish to live above her class and believes in her ability to do so through marriage, while simultaneously acknowledging that Myeong-oh will not be able to cross that line. It is then no surprise that she also has a pair of heels, as she is a true copycat, but she denies it, stating that she bought them in London after a flight and only found out Yeon-jin had a pair afterwards.

Green has been found to lure people in through the comfort of its rich hue. Unlike crimson or even blue, a green item speaks of a certain high quality that comes naturally, without any accents. Many companies ensure that some of their products contain a touch of green as it brings these qualities to customers. If Hye-jeong had truly bought the pair out of simple buyer's delight, then it stands to reason that the color would reach out to her. She wants to embody that high quality luxury she was attracted to but will never get past the second-place syndrome she possesses.

• The green personality type -- Moon Dong-eun

Green apparently has a personality. According to colorpsychology.org,

"Green personality type tends to be analytical, calm, logical, with a great thirst for knowledge. They are sometimes described as strategic thinkers and visionaries that are also born leaders. They like to be in charge and live their life on their own terms…. [can] appear as stubborn and even antisocial. Greens are modest, down-to-earth, and generous. They don’t have a habit of hiding their emotions and negative thoughts. Their relationships are based on respect and loyalty. "

This exemplifies Moon Dong-eun’s character throughout the show. Although I did choose the best statements to reflect Moon, I didn’t leave too much out. A few points, such as peacemaker, nature lover, and an apparent need for closeness with family and friends, did not appear to be found in Moon.

Two things to point out that really emphasize Moon is firstly her generosity. The mark of a great leader is not their services but their heart. Moon shows this with her sidekick assistant Kan Hyeon-nam when she provides not only a car but the necessary gas, food, and miscellaneous payments needed for Hyeon-nam to work. Secondly, it is clear that Moon forces herself to hide her emotions. This is apparent when she states to both Hyeon-nam and Yeo-jung that she cannot smile or lose sight of her vice and rage because then she will lose the battle. It is not a habit of hers to hide her emotions, but she needs to in order to be strategic and analytical. This shows that she is not naturally cold like Yeon-jin, but instead forced to be so due to her abuse.

This is why Moon is a perfect individual for the heels, much more so than any of the others. She, out of all of them, is searching for justice and truth, embodying the values of the company, and looks the best in the shoe.

The Once Upon a Time shoe

Moon Dong-run only wears them once, when she meets Ha Ye-sol. Yeon-jin only wears them once and kills Myeong-oh. Hye-jeong only wears them once after finding that Yeon-jin has the same pair. Sa-ra can only dream of owning a pair. In conclusion, the coveted, envied, modest pair of Blahnik heels tied the four girls and main characters in a way that no other apparel would have, and it therefore had a significant role in the show.