the meaning behind Squid Game’s uniforms

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Sources:

Uniforms Exposed by Jennifer Craik
‘The prison of the body’: school uniforms between discipline and governmentality by Jasper Friedrich & Rachel Shanks
Dress Behind Bars: Prison Clothing as Criminality by Juliet Ash

150 Comments

  1. 3:15 Also they do actually kind of reveal how they keep it a secret as the show takes place on one of those remote islands on the west coasts that are known to be used by human traffickers. Human trafficking (not just sex trafficking like in the US but also for modern slavery) is a huge issue in SK and the authorities are often underfunded to go after all these cases.

  2. I thought the tuxedos the final 3 wear had a double meaning- tuxedos are often worn for celebrating, like weddings or prom. They are also often worn by wait staff at restaurants and banquet halls. So I'm assuming it means that they're celebrating, but they're also still in service of the rich.

  3. The only thing I've been thinking about is sae byeoks little brother :/

  4. Mina, I can never forgive you for showing support of Galeness. Ever.

  5. if they didn’t make another season, i’d be happy, the ending was pretty good and satisfying enough but i would love to see a movie that explains how the game came to be

  6. I loved how the turning point in the show (when they decide to work together) it’s signified by them learning each other’s real names instead of just referring to each other by their numbers! Great video as always Mina 🙂

  7. Personally, I liked the reveal with the old man being the mastermind behind it all. It's known that the capitalist system that we're forced to work under was set up by older generations and is still being worsened by the older generations. I found it to be reflective of this, especially since Gi-Hun cared for and trusted the old man. He lost the faith he held in someone he cared for as he learned they were apart of the very system that was suffocating him and that had killed those he cared for. I feel like a lot of viewers could relate to this because it was reflective of learning that the system is the way it is because of those we put our faith in. On top of it, the old man didn't care about those he killed because he was to rich to care and so old he would die anyway so none of it would have mattered. I also felt it gave Gi-Hun closure to a certain extent. It gave him a reason to go back to life and try to do what he could, to try and fix what was broken.

    I more so felt that the ending failed due to Gi-Hun once again failing his own daughter. I would have ended it with Gi-Hun sitting at a table with Sang-Woo's mother and Sae-byeok's brother. Gi-Hun would have moved in Sang-Woo's mother and adopted Sae-byeok's little brother. (I want to add, they'd be eating a meal together because Sang-Woo's mother wished for him to come over some time and share a meal with her.) I would have a quick shot of the wall near them showing photos of Gi-Hun's mother, Sae-byeok, and Sang-Woo. It'd be a way to show that Gi-Hun still remembers them and that they'd always have had a place in his home. He's completely turned his life around. He's also face-timing his daughter in America. They're discussing when he's coming to visit her and catching up. It's a nice, happy ending and then boom. The cop's body is washed up somewhere. As I know of, they never actually showed his body? I don't fully remember????

    Season Two would focus on the cop trying to bring his brother over to the "good side" while investigating the organization and seeing what he can do to tear it down. Gi-Hun would come in around the episode 3 or 4 mark. While he's trying to live a normal life after everything he's gone through, he's also trying to do his part in bringing down Squid Game. He receives a call from the cop and this is where their two stories meet. From there, I don't know what happens, but if you can't tell after reading this long essay, I was not a fan of the season one ending lol

  8. Me when the VIPs were walking in the room: Here come the rich daddy furries- 👁👄👁

  9. i liked squid game way better than the hunger games because hunger games had too many annoying ya tropes- like the love triangle and all that >:(

  10. The childhood games could have been chosen, along with the color scheme, as situational irony. The intro shows them playing as children without any worry. The juxtaposition between the kids games and them being killed causes the audience and characters to feel suspense and gut wrenching fear with something they once associated as care-free and innocent. Also shows how the elite view them as less by putting them through simple games. I believe everything was planned intentionally in this show. Even if Oh Il-nam ending didn’t make sense to some, we have to remember other cultures have different elements that will stand out for them. Such as the importance and relationship with elders. I don’t think it was as simple as they were bored lol. Hopefully answers will develop in the next season.

  11. i literally adored your video, there’s only one thing i wanted to spell out: capitalism in this series has nothing to do with it, because the korean economy is totally different. the series is not an American production

  12. squid game was good but it's waaaayyy overrated

  13. I thought the players uniforms looked like adidas tracksuits

  14. Mina is wearing guard-pink in this video… hmmm…

  15. I love how Gong Yoo had less than 5 minutes of screen time on the show. And he still had everyone thirsting for him 😂. But can you blame us

  16. i genuinely loved this show and mina loving it too makes me feel so validated

  17. I found a lot of the critique at the beginning a bit weak? Like it's fair to ask those questions, but they do not need to be answered by the show, as the show is mainly a parable for capitalism, as you pointed out. The looking for literal answers is probably also, why you (and people in the comments) found the reveal of the master mind being the old guy pointless. To me the main point illustrated in that scene were the opposing worldviews of the protagonist and the old guy: one believes that people are fundamentally good and willing to help each other, the other believes they are bad, careless and only use one another. The writers, once again, side with the protagonists view, as help arrives just in time for the homeless man outside. The writers decided to show that fundamentally, people are very much willing to help and cooperate without special rewards. It takes a brutal system, where their lives are put at stakes continuously every day for them to turn against each other. Some other people also pointed out, that the reveal of the old man as the master mind shows how the "good patriarch" we learned to care for only abuses his power and makes the world worse for those after him.

  18. I approve the thirst trap segment on Gong Yoo

  19. I love how you said hyper fixation of the month because it really was

  20. Pov: You only watched episodes 1 and 2 😢

  21. If I had to guess, I would say the guards are also caught in this system. Though, probably are selected a different way. The fact that they can't even remove their masks when with each other seems significant; it's not there only to distance themselves from participants, nor for hierarchy (they could wear different colours, or have the symbols on their chest or shoulder like military ranks).

    I'm cautiously hopeful to see where the series goes with season 2. Like you, I wasn't super happy with the ending and the twist. Part of me worries about it being intended as a standalone season, though. I hope it doesn't turn into another Lost or The Force Awakens.

  22. Why won't anyone talk about the new player uniform in episode 8 and 9

  23. Is it just me or do you actually wear themed clothing based on your videos??? If that's the case that's really cool.

  24. Extremely well made and well written video about an Extremely well made and well written show💯

  25. I hate that they finished it with opening to have another seasons. It should be one season only show.

  26. Ok this video is old but imma comment anyway -Theres something that me and my jewish friend noticed immediately in the show and were a little surprised that no one was talking about at all, I'm talking about the holocaust like references in the beginning of the show, like the towering bunk beds, the uniforms stripping them of their identity and of course equating a person's worth to a number which became their "new name". I'm sure some people may just not be comfortable comparing anything to the holocaust but this isn't a comparison, I saw it as a way telling us early on that this is a murder game.
    Sorry if this comment is a bit incoherent (and slightly condescending?) I have Corona right nowk

  27. At people that complain about the old man reveal; it doesn't matter that you saw it coming. What matters is that its new information to the main character. HE DOESN'T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT THE VIPS or the organ selling connection. Only the cop knows about that.

  28. Hooeowowowo, now I’m mad at you peeta and katniss for life and death. Super good video tho

  29. according to me, the animal masks are a way of representing the elite as bedazzled and jeweled ruthless animals. animals that do stuff recklessly and ruthlessly but in costumes to disguise that craziness. if that makes sense?

  30. So validating to hear someone else hated the ending of Hunger Games so much it ruined the series for them 💖

  31. She called us little squids 🥰🥰🥰

  32. She’s so smart and educated. Her research and info given to us is a full delight. When she explained the mask/ unveiling the mask scene, it seemed so powerful and true. When you have an opposer going against you/ your team but you have no idea what they may look like you have no idea how to begin your first move, their identity is completely hidden by that (physical) mask.

  33. https://youtu.be/sZW2FewU4Yw
    I know YouTube comments don't like links but this is kinda crazy! There were concentration camp like areas in korea where kidnapped children were forced to stay. The bunbeds and uniforms look extremely similar to squid games so this definitely seems to be an influence for the styling in the show

  34. im so late to this video but i just wanted to get off my chest how much i absolutely hate the vips, the actors gave flat performances and seemed to be not as well written (which i should say is somewhat understandable considering they were speaking english). but the animal masks, to me, were cringey and not as impactful as the other costume choices. i absolutely loved everything about the show apart from the vips.

  35. Maybe my eyesight really is shit now, but the uniforms are pinkish red and blue, not green and pink lol-

  36. re the darth vader mask— i think anakin skywalker becoming darth vader was a signal of his move towards fascism and imperialism, the things the frontman is reinforcing as someone who once played the games himself

  37. Anyone else sees similarities between the backrooms and squid game

  38. Hey! loved the video just wanted to add that Saebyeok's name i think roughly translates to mid-dawn or midnight and honestly i just wanted to tell someone that i have found this out because that's like a really awesome name 🙂

  39. I love how she says “dim-witted Americans” and proceeds to show a clip with a VIP speaking with a strong Russian accent😅

  40. Mina, I love you, but I don't agree with your hunger games take.

  41. um i have t this show but this hjas a a brought a epth inever kveew of .

  42. You could also apply this with communism my parents lived in a communist country.
    Everyone's poor except the government

  43. Squid Game AU where everything is the same but all the players wear Juicy Couture pink velour tracksuits.

  44. Hi Mina! The creator of the show actually said the red & blue tiles are inspired by folktales where a ghost offers you red or blue tissue…it basically determines the way the ghost kills you (you suffer either way). It was in response to the tiktok theory you showed in this video.

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