Author (s): Angie Marcela Páez Monroy (LinkedIn)
Abstract
This paper explores the binyeo (traditional Korean hairpin) as a primary signifier of Korean femininity, adulthood, and national resilience. By examining its role in the gyerye (coming-of-age) ceremony, its persistence during the Japanese colonial period, and its function as a vessel for memory in the Korean diaspora, this study argues that the binyeo transcends its utility as a hair fastener. It serves as a symbolic counter-narrative to Westernization and colonial erasure, embodying Confucian virtues and the preservation of the “Korean soul.”
Keywords: Binyeo, Joseon Dynasty, Cultural Identity, Gender Division, Korean Diaspora, Material Culture.
1. Introduction
In the traditional Korean social hierarchy, material objects often served as the primary visual language for status, age, and gender. Among these, the binyeo—a rod-like hairpin used to secure a knotted hair bun—holds a singular position. While men’s fashion in the early 20th century rapidly shifted toward Western suits and military uniforms, women’s adornment remained a stronghold of tradition. This paper examines how the binyeo evolved from a ceremonial marker of adulthood into a symbol of national identity and a link to the ancestral homeland.
2. The Gendered Division of Adornment
The division of gender in the Joseon Dynasty was physically manifested through the styling of hair. As noted by the National Folk Museum of Korea (2025), the gwallye (male coming-of-age ceremony) and the gyerye (female coming-of-age ceremony) were the definitive moments where childhood ended and social responsibility began.
“Men’s hair would be tied into a topknot and a headpiece called gwan placed over top… while women’s hair would be tied back and pinned with a binyeo… Thus, gwan and binyeo were used as symbols of the gender division between men and women” (National Folk Museum of Korea, 2025, p. 60).
Beyond gender, the binyeo carried deep emotional weight. The only time these ornaments were removed was during periods of mourning. To let one’s hair loose and discard the binyeo was the ultimate expression of grief, signaling a temporary withdrawal from the social order to honor a deceased parent.
3. Materiality and Symbolism
The aesthetics of the binyeo were never merely decorative; they were semiotic. The materials used—jade, coral, and water buffalo horn—and the motifs engraved upon them communicated the wearer’s status and wishes.
According to Ja et al. (2022), specific motifs like the pomegranate were frequently used because they “symbolized prolificacy” (p. 71). Other designs included the baekokjukjeol binyeo (white jade bamboo joint), representing integrity, and the baekokmaehwa binyeo, featuring plum blossoms. These ornaments were believed to carry a spiritual essence, or a “kind of spell that captured the soul of the wearer” (AsiaSociety, as cited in Joo, 2018). This spiritual connection is even reflected in modern media, where the binyeo acts as a mystical guide connecting characters across generations and realms.
4. Resistance through Tradition: The Colonial Era
The significance of the binyeo intensified during the early 20th century. Following the Gabo Reform and the subsequent Japanese annexation in 1910, Korean men largely adopted Western attire—suits, medals, and watches—as a concession to modernity. However, women of the ruling class became the “preservers of national identity” (Joo, 2018).
Photographic evidence from 1907 and 1911 shows a stark contrast: elite men in Western military uniforms standing beside women in traditional hanbok with their hair secured by binyeo. By adhering to the “Confucian womanly virtue of frugality” and rejecting European garments, these women maintained a visual link to the pre-modern Joseon era, effectively turning their bodies into sites of quiet cultural resistance against colonial influence (Joo, 2018, p. 149).
5. The Binyeo in the Diaspora
The binyeo also served as a portable piece of “home” for Koreans migrating abroad. In the personal narrative of Eunjeong (n.d.), the hairpin characterizes the struggle of maintaining a Korean identity in Japan.
While the father in the narrative fully assimilated into Japanese life—wearing yugata and geta and frequenting public baths—the mother remained a “country woman” from the mountains of Korea. Her refusal to change her hairstyle was a mark of her origins: “Back then, our mother still wore her hair with a binyeo… she was still pretty… she had a prim look” (Eunjeong, n.d., p. 56). For her, the binyeo was a defense against the “foreign smell” of a new land, a final tether to the remote mountains of her birth.
6. Conclusion
The binyeo is far more than an antique accessory. It is a complex symbol that weaves together the history of Korean gender roles, the spiritual beliefs of the Joseon people, and the political resilience of women during the colonial period. Whether used in a coming-of-age ritual, a shamanic narrative, or as a symbol of the diaspora, the binyeo remains a testament to the enduring nature of Korean cultural identity. It reminds us that even the smallest object can carry the weight of a nation’s soul.
REFERENCES
Choi, J.-H., & Lee, K.-H. (2015). A STUDY ON HYBRID OUTERWEAR DESIGN FOR SENIOR -FOCUSED ON THE DIGITAL FASHION ILLUSTRATION OF SUMUK TECHNIQUE-. Global Fashion Management Conference, 639–640. https://db.koreascholar.com/Article/Detail/299038
Eunjeong, O. (n.d.). Victims Twice Over : Return Narratives of Ethnic Korean Atomic Bomb Survivors. 6(February 2022), 39–69.
Ja, L. K., Young, H. N., & Hwan, C. S. (2022). Traditional Korean costume. Traditional Korean Costume, 1–335. https://doi.org/10.3167/9781571815743
Joo, K. (2018). Gendered Differences in Modern Korea Toward Western Luxuries. Fashion, Identity, and Power in Modern Asia, 143–166. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-97199-5_7
National Folk Museum of Korea. (2025). Encyclopedia of Hallyu. Jang Sang-hoon (Director General, National Folk Museum of Korea). https://folkency.nfm.go.kr/
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