"I want to be born again."
A story about a woman who abandoned her old life clutching a luxury handbag, only to be reborn with a new identity as a high-end luxury brand CEO, is captivating viewers worldwide. Netflix original series "Lady Dua" depicts the desperate desires of Sara Kim (Shin Hye-sun), a woman determined to transform her life into luxury—even through a false identity.
According to Netflix's official site Tudum on March 2, the show has surpassed 10 million views (calculated by dividing viewing hours by total runtime), claiming the No. 1 spot in the non-English show category. As of February 25, it ranked first in 33 countries including South Korea, Japan, Hong Kong, Malaysia, and Mexico, while reaching the top 10 in 65 countries. The series also ranked seventh in February among Netflix non-English shows on FlixPatrol, an OTT ratings tracking site.
Analysts attribute the success to the show's sharp capture of capitalist nature through the "identity reset" narrative—something anyone in an era of polarization has dreamed of at least once. Stories of women changing identities and resetting their lives have existed before. However, critics call this work the definitive "fake identity narrative" for depicting a protagonist who changes identities more frequently, identifies herself with a luxury brand, and unabashedly pursues desires to reach the top of capitalist commodities.
The story begins when an unidentified female body is discovered in a sewer on the same day that "Boudoir," a high-end brand targeting the top 0.1%, announces its new season. Detective Park Mu-kyung (Lee Jun-hyuk) of the violent crimes unit tracks Sara Kim, the owner of the luxury bag found with the body and regional director of Boudoir's Asia division. Sara Kim has one goal: elevating "Boudoir," the brand she created, to luxury status. Behind this lies the deprivation that dominated her life, and the false consciousness and lies meant to conceal it. "Truth, like light, blinds the eyes. Conversely, lies make everything look beautiful, like a gorgeous sunset. But only until you're caught."
"Lady Dua" is not the first narrative about a woman resetting her life through a false identity. This was a staple subject in American mystery novels of the 1960s and 70s. Korean film "Helpless" (2012) and Coupang Play original "Anna" (2022) also featured female protagonists erasing their pasts to live under fake identities.
However, the purpose of identity change varies with the times. Director Byun Young-joo of "Helpless" stated, "It's a story about a socially vulnerable woman becoming a monster when she feels powerless to do anything through conventional means." Coupang Play's "Anna" portrayed a woman whose small lie escalated into repeated deceptions, leading to a different life and eventual catastrophe. While Sun-young in "Helpless" chose identity reset as an escape from hell, Yumi in "Anna" shows intensified desire, stealing others' identities for success.
In "Lady Dua," the female protagonist changes identities multiple times and ultimately creates counterfeit "luxury goods"—the crystallization of capitalism—reflecting a world where authenticity becomes blurred. Beyond a simple crime thriller, it questions what "real" value we have lost in an era of materialism. The plot device where wealthy victims refuse to report fraud for fear of damaging their prestige sharply critiques our era's false consciousness.
Cultural critic Ha Jae-geun noted, "South Korea has an unusually strong desire for luxury goods compared to other countries. This work's satire of our society's false consciousness toward luxury goods and desire for class advancement explains the high interest."
Professor Kwak Keum-joo of Seoul National University's Psychology Department analyzed, "'Lady Dua' shows the extreme of identity-erasing narratives reflecting current social conditions. It reveals the phenomenon of pursuing more glamorous identities rather than simple identity concealment, and building powerful fame through social media." She added, "It exploits the fact that the public doesn't even question overwhelming status and success—an ironic situation where glamorous fake identities attack the real."