Why is beauty in South Korea so important?
The definition of beauty is different for each and every person. I believe that the size of your body, nose, or eyes, shouldn't determine if you are beautiful or not. But society and social norms disagree. Tall, skinny, tan, and long hair were the basic characteristics of being beautiful when I was growing up. Though I will be honest and say that in my twenty years of living, I never cared much about beauty until I traveled abroad. The well-known Barbie doll, whose features are considered the perfect, never had an influence on me, but the real doll like faces of Japanese girls had me taking a second look at my appearance. It was not until I came to Korea that I felt ugly, below the standards of appearance to every Korean female who passed me. I never understood why beauty was so important in South Korea, but my experience and research have led me to a solution that makes sense. With the possibility of plastic surgery and cosmetics, men and women around the world are able to correct their imperfections. South Korea is a prime example. In this paper, I will talk about why beauty is so important in South Korea, focusing on plastic surgery and touching on cosmetics, then slightly comparing it to the West from my point of view.
During my study abroad trip in Korea, I couldn't help but notice the commonness and openness of Koreans undergoing surgery. There were advertisements plastered on the subway, streets, stores, and clinics out in the open. I was even more shocked to find out that our tour guide who met us at the airport confessed that she too has had her experience under the knife, making her look half her age. Hoping possibly to see some Korean idols, Stephanie and I venture out to Apgujeong area. Instead, we found numerous large buildings providing several forms of surgery with a wait of two to three people in line, old and young ages. It was not until then that I realized how similar all the Koreans in the Gangman area looked; tall, skinny, fair white skin, perfect nose, and big eyes with double eyelids. But does beauty mean getting plastic surgery to change how you completely look? When did this phenomenon start?
In a mini documentary, where Kelly Katzenmeyer moved to Korea to see for herself why Korean students have so much pressure in high school, she discovers the way high school Koreans girls view beauty. In the documentary, when the Jasmine Daniel, an English teacher asks her Korean students; "Who is beautiful?" one student responds that Vanessa Hudgens is beautiful because of her big eyes. The idea of Sang-Kul-Pul (Double-eyelids) is introduced and how the students use a set glue to make them have a double eyelid look. Some students even admit that they have had plastic surgery and said that "Before I was ugly. Now I am pretty. My mother likes me more. She calls me pretty. Not once since I was born has she said I'm pretty." Ryu Yong-hyun, a senior in the English Linguistics Department of Hankuk Universe of Foreign Studies explains; "It is true that, in Korea, many high school students wish to have plastic surgery more than electronic devices for graduation gifts." What does this say about parental pressure on their kids? Even growing up in the United States we see pressure of being beautiful, but we were never promised a reward such as plastic surgery. Alicia Chon, a student at the Wharton University of Pennsylvania, writes in the Huffington post that the issue with plastic surgery in Korea isn't the actual surgery. Her friend Stella had high hopes of getting a double eyelid surgery when she was 12 years old, promised by her mother, if she could get into a university with the same level ranked college like Harvard. Also shown in the documentary mentioned before, when asked if a nose job was good, there was one student who wasn't reluctant to raise her hand. What is even more surprising is that she had no idea why she wanted one, she wanted one just because. Another student explains that the nose is in the middle of the face, so if she changes it then people can see it and think she is more beautiful. Of course the idea of being beautiful and having their kids undergo surgery doesn't just pop into their minds, let's take a closer look at the factors that affect the beauty in South Korea.
Many Koreans believe that being good-looking somehow leads to success (Ryu 6). In Korea, we were told that if you apply for a job, along with a resume, you send a picture of yourself. The stereotype in Korea is that you will only be hired if you have the looks. I have come to believe that it's true. Not once in Korea did I see an average looking person. Even the elderly women dressed and looked better than me! In the U.S, a person would be shamed knowing that they had judged a book by its cover. Though even in the U.S, it has been seen that the most attractive candidate would be more likely to get the job. This also crosses over to marriage, as well. Research by a prominent Korean matchmaking agency reveals that marriage-seeking men prioritize the following attributes in descending order: Beauty, personality, economic capacity/occupation and family background (Ryu 6). Not just in marriage but in finding a boyfriend, as well. In Kelley's documentary, a Korean student tells the camera that, in the next week, she will be getting braces for three years. She says that Korean boys hate braces so for the next three years, she won't be able to get a boyfriend. Again the teacher asked why beauty is so important, the same exact student who was unsure of why she wanted a nose job, quickly replies "Love." "To get a boyfriend." Another replies. "So many boys like beautiful girls." Another says. Society has taught the young girls that only if you are beautiful will you get a boyfriend. As the video nears the end, the camerawoman focuses on two students. One student tells hers that she will get plastic surgery, and a boyfriend with pride. When the camerawoman states that you don't need plastic surgery to be beautiful. The student shakes her hand quickly saying "No no no." It's something you have to do; it's a must, because beauty is important in Korea. In the play I attended at Hamline University called How to be a Korean Woman, directed by Sun Mee Chomet, she tells her story of being a Korean adoptee traveling back to South Korea in search of her birth mother. Her birth mother tries to change Sun Mee into a typical Korean woman. Her mother told her that she did not look Korean and forced on her the Korean Woman standards. In the West, the meaning of beauty comes from within. Being born in South Korea, Sun Mee did try to fit in with her original background, but being raised in the West, she remembered that she was beautiful in the inside. From high school students wanting a boyfriend to having a sustainable job, there is one more significant impact to South Korea's beauty standard; the flawless, charismatic, and perfect Korean idols of the Hallyu Wave.
Big Bang and 2NE1 are two of the countless boy and girl groups that contribute to the Hallyu Wave, as known as the Korean Wave. Korean films, dramas and TV shows are also parts of the Hallyu Wave. The Korean Wave has had a significant impact on the Korean national economy through exports of its products and increased tourism (4). According to Hyun, the Korean Wave is a term coined by the Chinese media towards the end of the last millennium to describe the sudden, surprising surge in the popularity of Korean entertainment products in China. There were many dispute to when the Korean wave started, but most will agree that it started in China during the 1900's with the exposure to Korean TV drama series and pop music, but Korean pop (K-pop) has not only expanded its way to China, with the help of YouTube, K-pop has spread throughout the world. This is how I began my love for Korean dramas and music. It started with my father doing some random searching on YouTube and coming across a boy group called Super Junior. Super Junior is a thirteen-member boy group with angelic looks, charismatic voices and dance moves. That then led me to watch dramas and I knew I was hooked. But looking back at the years of my young age, I was primarily drawn to K-pop because of their beauty. A couple years ago, there was a Korean television show called Invincible Youth. This show picked girls from K-pop groups and brought them together to experience how to live in the rural outdoors. Watching episodes with my father, I remember an episode where it was time for a wake up call and one host along with the cameraperson would barge into the girls' rooms and catch them in the act of no makeup on. All the girls' responses were the same, screaming for them to get out and covering their faces from the camera. Conversely, there was one idol that expected this and had already put her makeup on. It was disappointing to see this because I know how big of an impact these female idols have on all girls, not only in South Korea but also around the world. Moving on to dramas, Hyun lists nine reasons total as to why Korean entertainment took off in China amongst those reasons are beauty. In Korea, I noticed how smooth all the Koreans faces were. It seemed as if they had perfect skin! But of course to my surprise, their flawless skin were due to intense usage of skin care products. It seems that Koreans will go to great lengths to cover their so-called "imperfections" and to fit the social norms. In Summer Scent, for example, the main female character, Hyewön, played by a beautiful sexy actress named Son Yejin, does not even appear in a swimsuit because of her heart transplant surgery scars on her chest (Hyun 4). This is portraying that any scar or mark that you have must be covered or not shown. Another example is the famous comedy released in 2006 called 200 Pounds of Beauty. It was criticized in some circles, on one hand, as pro-plastic surgery and hailed by others, on the other hand, as a satirical indictment of South Korea's "booming surgery culture," 200 Pounds Beauty chronicles Hanna's journey from obese back-up singer to sleek and sexy headliner. Saving up money from gigs as Korea's most famous pop star's "ghost singer" and as a sex hotline operator, Hanna undergoes major surgery and reemerges with an ideal face and body according to dominant 21st Century South Korean beauty standards (Lee 5). Hana was an obese girl that was a vocal singer for a much prettier, skinner, and more loved idol. I remember seeing in the movie that when she performed, they had her hidden under the stage. Another job she worked was as a sex hotline operator, also a job where she was hidden. After saving enough money, she has the opportunity for plastic surgery. Loving her new body at first, she enjoys her new life of being beautiful and loved. She soon comes to find out that the body she's in is not her own and represents nothing about her. Another important factor is that she did all of this to have the man she adored notice her. This film has a Western influence because I've seen many Western movies of teens that don't like who they are, and wanting to impress a certain boy, they start to change themselves to get the boy to notice them. Later having realized that the new self was a lie, they start to appreciate their true beauty deep within and notice the boy who has been trying to get their attention the whole time when they were their old self. With the spread of the Korean wave, the phenomenon of plastic surgery has taken its toll in China. The use of BB cream has become incredibly popular in China and while I studied abroad there, I notice some very distinct influence of the Korean culture.
Light skin or dark skin, today, either or is considered beautiful in the western society. Back then if your skin was dark, it meant you were in the lower class of society and if your skin was whiter, you were in the higher class. When I studied abroad in China, my complexion was very dark compared to theirs. I noticed how they took extra good care of their skin, for it to be white. When the sun was shining they carried umbrellas to shade themselves, they even went to far extremes on wearing long sleeves and pants on hot muggy days. It was no secret that the Chinese loved the idols of Korea. Everywhere you walked there would be K-pop playing in the background, posters hung up, and locals of all ages watching Korea dramas on their phones. My father and brother raised me as a child, there was no influence whatsoever of a mother figure, thus no formal introduction to cosmetics. But in China, I met many girls who were infatuated with it and then I decided to take a leap into another dimension. We told the Chinese sales clerk that I have never used make-up and that I wanted the essentials. The clerk said that BB cream was a necessity. Koreans use BB It makes your skin white but only came in limited shades, geared towards the Asian color of skin. "This is what the Koreans use, this will make your skin more white and beautiful." She told me. It was not until I bought BB cream in Korea did I notice that it did make me look fresher and how much the Chinese really did love this product.
Wondering in Hongdae, Stephanie and I entered several cosmetics shops browsing for some new products to try. When the sales clerk came up to welcome and assist us, in a mix of broken English and limited Korean we learned from dramas, we were finally able to communicate that we knew little Korean and the sale clerk English. Giving up we decided to switch to our mother tongue and just communicated with each other. Once we did, the sale clerk started speaking Mandarin. Stunned, I spoke Mandarin back and learned that she moved here from China and learned Korean. Thinking it was just a coincidence, I was further astonished to find that every other make up store I went to had at least one worker who was of Chinese descent or spoke Mandarin. It got me thinking, why were there so many Chinese living in Korea. Aside from living, they looked and spoke fluent Korean. When I return to the Kimchee Guesthouse, I told my professors what I encountered. They both told me that it was very common, Korea has many Chinese tourist, but Japanese as well. Remembering when we would get lost on our shopping sprees, we would see women and men dressed in red jackets that said tourist. What I initially thought was those men and women where leading a tourist group and being translator and tour guide. However, I watched as people of all languages came and spoke to them asking for directions. They pulled out maps and indicated them into the right direction. I was so impressed with Korea's diversity placing a strong focus on its tourists, offering global tax-free items, translators, and even discounts if you show your passport. My Korean professor told me that plastic surgery in Korea is becoming less and less expensive, so in return, many foreigners come to Korea to have their transformation because Korea has the best plastic surgery outcomes and they also get a discount. Cate Siu, who is originally from Hong Kong, is one of the many fans that have been swept away by the Korean Wave. Ms. Siu is a 25-year-old hoping to get into the acting industry. So, when Ms. Siu decided she'd have a better shot at breaking into the entertainment business after improving her looks with a surgical makeover, she knew where she wanted to go. In April, she flew more than 1,000 miles to a clinic here for operations to raise the bridge of her nose, make her eyes appear larger and sharpen her chin (Fairclough 3). Chung Jong Pil is a surgeon who functions the Cinderella Plastic Surgery Clinic in Seoul. A good-sized portion of his foreign visitors travels from China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong. Jung Dong Hak, another surgeon who concentrates on nose jobs, says that approximately 15% of his patients are foremen and states that; "The increase has been very big since the Korean Wave." The popularity of Korean stars is establishing Korean ethnic features as a standard of beauty across the region. "All the buzz and atmosphere makes young people today think [surgery] is common," says Lee Yihsiu, who runs the Taipei office of International Plastic Surgery, which matches up foreign patients with Korean surgeons. "Korean pop culture has made plastic surgery fashionable." (Fairclough 3). I can't imagine how many of the plastic surgery match up clinics there are throughout Asia or how inexpensive the cost of plastic surgery is in South Korea. I've heard many females voice "Beauty is pain." Looking at the different photos of during a Korean plastic surgery procedure, the patients are wrapped with bandages, scars on their faces, they look horrible and in so much pain. But surprisingly, they all have the same thought; I will be more beautiful, it is worth it. Plastic surgery is becoming more and more common throughout Asia but was always a taboo in the eyes of most westerns.
I never cared for the topics of plastic surgery and cosmetics except for the fact that they made a person fake. I was never supportive of plastic surgery but as I journeyed to Korea, I now find that it may not be as bad as it seems. Of course I can argue that applying make up or loving your inner beauty is a healthier way of beauty but what works for one person may not work for another. As I mentioned before, while my time in Korea, I felt that my looks could not compare to theirs. Researching, I found other foreigners that felt the same way as I did. Ashley Perez, a Cuban, Filipino, and Korean American made her way to Daegu, South Korea to teach. Thinking that she would be able to embrace part of her heritage, but instead was crushed to find that her people didn't accept her. In the Korean standards, she was too tall, fat, and dark. Trying to fit in, she went to several cosmetics and clothing stores to be told her skin was too dark and that they didn't carry her size. "I was sick of my students calling me "plain face" or "tired teacher" on the days when I wore no makeup, sick of getting looks of disgust from strangers if I walked two blocks from the gym to my apartment in my workout clothes, and sick of feeling ugly in a country that was once home to my ancestors. I had been thrilled to live in a place where I expected my heritage to make me feel like I belonged. But discovering the opposite was soul crushing. I felt like I couldn't be beautiful or fully accepted as Korean because I had fallen short of mainstream Korea's unattainable beauty standards." (Perez 6). When you go outside of the house in Korea, it's all about fashion and looking good. Another student who studied in Korea with, Pang, told me of the weird looks she got when she wore her pajamas out for a late night run to the store.
In conclusion, beauty is important in South Korea because from a young age, they had an ideal image implanted into their minds of how they must to look in order to be beautiful to attain a good job or a spouse to marry. Along with the sudden uproar of the Korean Wave, the number of plastic surgery given in the past few years has significantly risen, not only in South Korea but also in other parts of Asia, including China. It is true that some Westerners place a huge importance on beauty with the skinny body, perfect tan and long hair, but the meaning of beauty is constantly changing. Because of this when foreigners travel abroad, they feel unwelcomed. I felt the same way as I took the subway. Everywhere the South Koreans went, they did it with beauty and style. This idea of beauty is quickly spreading throughout the world, what happens if plastic surgery gets so cheap that everyone suddenly wants to change his or her face? We've seen how beauty can corrupt a person; we'd be living in a world of fake people. As time goes on I hope that everyone will be able to accept the appearance they were born with and that true beauty comes from within. A pretty face will not get you far in life.
Work Cited
Chon, Alicia. "The Issue with South Korea's Cosmetic Surgery Culture Isn't the Actual Surgery." The Huffington Post. N.p., 17 Mar. 2014. Web. 18 Mar. 2014.
“Documentary on Korean High School.” Dir. Kelley Katzenmeyer. A Documentary Film on Korean High School. N.p., Nov. 2011. Web. 15 Mar. 2014.
Fairclough, Gordon. "Korea's Makeover From Dull to Hip Changes Face of Asia." Wall Street Journal - Eastern Edition 20 Oct. 2005: A1+. Academic Search Premier. Web. 23 Mar. 2014.
Hyun-key Kim, Hogarth. "The Korean Wave: An Asian Reaction To Western-Dominated Globalization." Perspectives On Global Development & Technology 12.1/2 (2013): 135-151. Academic Search Premier. Web. 23 Mar. 2014.
Lee, Sharon Heijin. THE (GEO)POLITICS OF BEAUTY: RACE, TRANSNATIONALISM, AND NEOLIBERALISM IN SOUTH KOREAN BEAUTY CULTURE. Diss. University of Michigan, 2012. N.p.: n.p., n.d. Web. 13 Mar. 2014.
Perez, Ashley. "BuzzFeed." BuzzFeed. N.p., 31 May 2013. Web. 13 Mar. 2014.
Ryu, Young-hyun. "Obsession with Appearance." The Korea Times.
The definition of beauty is different for each and every person. I believe that the size of your body, nose, or eyes, shouldn't determine if you are beautiful or not. But society and social norms disagree. Tall, skinny, tan, and long hair were the basic characteristics of being beautiful when I was growing up. Though I will be honest and say that in my twenty years of living, I never cared much about beauty until I traveled abroad. The well-known Barbie doll, whose features are considered the perfect, never had an influence on me, but the real doll like faces of Japanese girls had me taking a second look at my appearance. It was not until I came to Korea that I felt ugly, below the standards of appearance to every Korean female who passed me. I never understood why beauty was so important in South Korea, but my experience and research have led me to a solution that makes sense. With the possibility of plastic surgery and cosmetics, men and women around the world are able to correct their imperfections. South Korea is a prime example. In this paper, I will talk about why beauty is so important in South Korea, focusing on plastic surgery and touching on cosmetics, then slightly comparing it to the West from my point of view.
During my study abroad trip in Korea, I couldn't help but notice the commonness and openness of Koreans undergoing surgery. There were advertisements plastered on the subway, streets, stores, and clinics out in the open. I was even more shocked to find out that our tour guide who met us at the airport confessed that she too has had her experience under the knife, making her look half her age. Hoping possibly to see some Korean idols, Stephanie and I venture out to Apgujeong area. Instead, we found numerous large buildings providing several forms of surgery with a wait of two to three people in line, old and young ages. It was not until then that I realized how similar all the Koreans in the Gangman area looked; tall, skinny, fair white skin, perfect nose, and big eyes with double eyelids. But does beauty mean getting plastic surgery to change how you completely look? When did this phenomenon start?
In a mini documentary, where Kelly Katzenmeyer moved to Korea to see for herself why Korean students have so much pressure in high school, she discovers the way high school Koreans girls view beauty. In the documentary, when the Jasmine Daniel, an English teacher asks her Korean students; "Who is beautiful?" one student responds that Vanessa Hudgens is beautiful because of her big eyes. The idea of Sang-Kul-Pul (Double-eyelids) is introduced and how the students use a set glue to make them have a double eyelid look. Some students even admit that they have had plastic surgery and said that "Before I was ugly. Now I am pretty. My mother likes me more. She calls me pretty. Not once since I was born has she said I'm pretty." Ryu Yong-hyun, a senior in the English Linguistics Department of Hankuk Universe of Foreign Studies explains; "It is true that, in Korea, many high school students wish to have plastic surgery more than electronic devices for graduation gifts." What does this say about parental pressure on their kids? Even growing up in the United States we see pressure of being beautiful, but we were never promised a reward such as plastic surgery. Alicia Chon, a student at the Wharton University of Pennsylvania, writes in the Huffington post that the issue with plastic surgery in Korea isn't the actual surgery. Her friend Stella had high hopes of getting a double eyelid surgery when she was 12 years old, promised by her mother, if she could get into a university with the same level ranked college like Harvard. Also shown in the documentary mentioned before, when asked if a nose job was good, there was one student who wasn't reluctant to raise her hand. What is even more surprising is that she had no idea why she wanted one, she wanted one just because. Another student explains that the nose is in the middle of the face, so if she changes it then people can see it and think she is more beautiful. Of course the idea of being beautiful and having their kids undergo surgery doesn't just pop into their minds, let's take a closer look at the factors that affect the beauty in South Korea.
Many Koreans believe that being good-looking somehow leads to success (Ryu 6). In Korea, we were told that if you apply for a job, along with a resume, you send a picture of yourself. The stereotype in Korea is that you will only be hired if you have the looks. I have come to believe that it's true. Not once in Korea did I see an average looking person. Even the elderly women dressed and looked better than me! In the U.S, a person would be shamed knowing that they had judged a book by its cover. Though even in the U.S, it has been seen that the most attractive candidate would be more likely to get the job. This also crosses over to marriage, as well. Research by a prominent Korean matchmaking agency reveals that marriage-seeking men prioritize the following attributes in descending order: Beauty, personality, economic capacity/occupation and family background (Ryu 6). Not just in marriage but in finding a boyfriend, as well. In Kelley's documentary, a Korean student tells the camera that, in the next week, she will be getting braces for three years. She says that Korean boys hate braces so for the next three years, she won't be able to get a boyfriend. Again the teacher asked why beauty is so important, the same exact student who was unsure of why she wanted a nose job, quickly replies "Love." "To get a boyfriend." Another replies. "So many boys like beautiful girls." Another says. Society has taught the young girls that only if you are beautiful will you get a boyfriend. As the video nears the end, the camerawoman focuses on two students. One student tells hers that she will get plastic surgery, and a boyfriend with pride. When the camerawoman states that you don't need plastic surgery to be beautiful. The student shakes her hand quickly saying "No no no." It's something you have to do; it's a must, because beauty is important in Korea. In the play I attended at Hamline University called How to be a Korean Woman, directed by Sun Mee Chomet, she tells her story of being a Korean adoptee traveling back to South Korea in search of her birth mother. Her birth mother tries to change Sun Mee into a typical Korean woman. Her mother told her that she did not look Korean and forced on her the Korean Woman standards. In the West, the meaning of beauty comes from within. Being born in South Korea, Sun Mee did try to fit in with her original background, but being raised in the West, she remembered that she was beautiful in the inside. From high school students wanting a boyfriend to having a sustainable job, there is one more significant impact to South Korea's beauty standard; the flawless, charismatic, and perfect Korean idols of the Hallyu Wave.
Big Bang and 2NE1 are two of the countless boy and girl groups that contribute to the Hallyu Wave, as known as the Korean Wave. Korean films, dramas and TV shows are also parts of the Hallyu Wave. The Korean Wave has had a significant impact on the Korean national economy through exports of its products and increased tourism (4). According to Hyun, the Korean Wave is a term coined by the Chinese media towards the end of the last millennium to describe the sudden, surprising surge in the popularity of Korean entertainment products in China. There were many dispute to when the Korean wave started, but most will agree that it started in China during the 1900's with the exposure to Korean TV drama series and pop music, but Korean pop (K-pop) has not only expanded its way to China, with the help of YouTube, K-pop has spread throughout the world. This is how I began my love for Korean dramas and music. It started with my father doing some random searching on YouTube and coming across a boy group called Super Junior. Super Junior is a thirteen-member boy group with angelic looks, charismatic voices and dance moves. That then led me to watch dramas and I knew I was hooked. But looking back at the years of my young age, I was primarily drawn to K-pop because of their beauty. A couple years ago, there was a Korean television show called Invincible Youth. This show picked girls from K-pop groups and brought them together to experience how to live in the rural outdoors. Watching episodes with my father, I remember an episode where it was time for a wake up call and one host along with the cameraperson would barge into the girls' rooms and catch them in the act of no makeup on. All the girls' responses were the same, screaming for them to get out and covering their faces from the camera. Conversely, there was one idol that expected this and had already put her makeup on. It was disappointing to see this because I know how big of an impact these female idols have on all girls, not only in South Korea but also around the world. Moving on to dramas, Hyun lists nine reasons total as to why Korean entertainment took off in China amongst those reasons are beauty. In Korea, I noticed how smooth all the Koreans faces were. It seemed as if they had perfect skin! But of course to my surprise, their flawless skin were due to intense usage of skin care products. It seems that Koreans will go to great lengths to cover their so-called "imperfections" and to fit the social norms. In Summer Scent, for example, the main female character, Hyewön, played by a beautiful sexy actress named Son Yejin, does not even appear in a swimsuit because of her heart transplant surgery scars on her chest (Hyun 4). This is portraying that any scar or mark that you have must be covered or not shown. Another example is the famous comedy released in 2006 called 200 Pounds of Beauty. It was criticized in some circles, on one hand, as pro-plastic surgery and hailed by others, on the other hand, as a satirical indictment of South Korea's "booming surgery culture," 200 Pounds Beauty chronicles Hanna's journey from obese back-up singer to sleek and sexy headliner. Saving up money from gigs as Korea's most famous pop star's "ghost singer" and as a sex hotline operator, Hanna undergoes major surgery and reemerges with an ideal face and body according to dominant 21st Century South Korean beauty standards (Lee 5). Hana was an obese girl that was a vocal singer for a much prettier, skinner, and more loved idol. I remember seeing in the movie that when she performed, they had her hidden under the stage. Another job she worked was as a sex hotline operator, also a job where she was hidden. After saving enough money, she has the opportunity for plastic surgery. Loving her new body at first, she enjoys her new life of being beautiful and loved. She soon comes to find out that the body she's in is not her own and represents nothing about her. Another important factor is that she did all of this to have the man she adored notice her. This film has a Western influence because I've seen many Western movies of teens that don't like who they are, and wanting to impress a certain boy, they start to change themselves to get the boy to notice them. Later having realized that the new self was a lie, they start to appreciate their true beauty deep within and notice the boy who has been trying to get their attention the whole time when they were their old self. With the spread of the Korean wave, the phenomenon of plastic surgery has taken its toll in China. The use of BB cream has become incredibly popular in China and while I studied abroad there, I notice some very distinct influence of the Korean culture.
Light skin or dark skin, today, either or is considered beautiful in the western society. Back then if your skin was dark, it meant you were in the lower class of society and if your skin was whiter, you were in the higher class. When I studied abroad in China, my complexion was very dark compared to theirs. I noticed how they took extra good care of their skin, for it to be white. When the sun was shining they carried umbrellas to shade themselves, they even went to far extremes on wearing long sleeves and pants on hot muggy days. It was no secret that the Chinese loved the idols of Korea. Everywhere you walked there would be K-pop playing in the background, posters hung up, and locals of all ages watching Korea dramas on their phones. My father and brother raised me as a child, there was no influence whatsoever of a mother figure, thus no formal introduction to cosmetics. But in China, I met many girls who were infatuated with it and then I decided to take a leap into another dimension. We told the Chinese sales clerk that I have never used make-up and that I wanted the essentials. The clerk said that BB cream was a necessity. Koreans use BB It makes your skin white but only came in limited shades, geared towards the Asian color of skin. "This is what the Koreans use, this will make your skin more white and beautiful." She told me. It was not until I bought BB cream in Korea did I notice that it did make me look fresher and how much the Chinese really did love this product.
Wondering in Hongdae, Stephanie and I entered several cosmetics shops browsing for some new products to try. When the sales clerk came up to welcome and assist us, in a mix of broken English and limited Korean we learned from dramas, we were finally able to communicate that we knew little Korean and the sale clerk English. Giving up we decided to switch to our mother tongue and just communicated with each other. Once we did, the sale clerk started speaking Mandarin. Stunned, I spoke Mandarin back and learned that she moved here from China and learned Korean. Thinking it was just a coincidence, I was further astonished to find that every other make up store I went to had at least one worker who was of Chinese descent or spoke Mandarin. It got me thinking, why were there so many Chinese living in Korea. Aside from living, they looked and spoke fluent Korean. When I return to the Kimchee Guesthouse, I told my professors what I encountered. They both told me that it was very common, Korea has many Chinese tourist, but Japanese as well. Remembering when we would get lost on our shopping sprees, we would see women and men dressed in red jackets that said tourist. What I initially thought was those men and women where leading a tourist group and being translator and tour guide. However, I watched as people of all languages came and spoke to them asking for directions. They pulled out maps and indicated them into the right direction. I was so impressed with Korea's diversity placing a strong focus on its tourists, offering global tax-free items, translators, and even discounts if you show your passport. My Korean professor told me that plastic surgery in Korea is becoming less and less expensive, so in return, many foreigners come to Korea to have their transformation because Korea has the best plastic surgery outcomes and they also get a discount. Cate Siu, who is originally from Hong Kong, is one of the many fans that have been swept away by the Korean Wave. Ms. Siu is a 25-year-old hoping to get into the acting industry. So, when Ms. Siu decided she'd have a better shot at breaking into the entertainment business after improving her looks with a surgical makeover, she knew where she wanted to go. In April, she flew more than 1,000 miles to a clinic here for operations to raise the bridge of her nose, make her eyes appear larger and sharpen her chin (Fairclough 3). Chung Jong Pil is a surgeon who functions the Cinderella Plastic Surgery Clinic in Seoul. A good-sized portion of his foreign visitors travels from China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong. Jung Dong Hak, another surgeon who concentrates on nose jobs, says that approximately 15% of his patients are foremen and states that; "The increase has been very big since the Korean Wave." The popularity of Korean stars is establishing Korean ethnic features as a standard of beauty across the region. "All the buzz and atmosphere makes young people today think [surgery] is common," says Lee Yihsiu, who runs the Taipei office of International Plastic Surgery, which matches up foreign patients with Korean surgeons. "Korean pop culture has made plastic surgery fashionable." (Fairclough 3). I can't imagine how many of the plastic surgery match up clinics there are throughout Asia or how inexpensive the cost of plastic surgery is in South Korea. I've heard many females voice "Beauty is pain." Looking at the different photos of during a Korean plastic surgery procedure, the patients are wrapped with bandages, scars on their faces, they look horrible and in so much pain. But surprisingly, they all have the same thought; I will be more beautiful, it is worth it. Plastic surgery is becoming more and more common throughout Asia but was always a taboo in the eyes of most westerns.
I never cared for the topics of plastic surgery and cosmetics except for the fact that they made a person fake. I was never supportive of plastic surgery but as I journeyed to Korea, I now find that it may not be as bad as it seems. Of course I can argue that applying make up or loving your inner beauty is a healthier way of beauty but what works for one person may not work for another. As I mentioned before, while my time in Korea, I felt that my looks could not compare to theirs. Researching, I found other foreigners that felt the same way as I did. Ashley Perez, a Cuban, Filipino, and Korean American made her way to Daegu, South Korea to teach. Thinking that she would be able to embrace part of her heritage, but instead was crushed to find that her people didn't accept her. In the Korean standards, she was too tall, fat, and dark. Trying to fit in, she went to several cosmetics and clothing stores to be told her skin was too dark and that they didn't carry her size. "I was sick of my students calling me "plain face" or "tired teacher" on the days when I wore no makeup, sick of getting looks of disgust from strangers if I walked two blocks from the gym to my apartment in my workout clothes, and sick of feeling ugly in a country that was once home to my ancestors. I had been thrilled to live in a place where I expected my heritage to make me feel like I belonged. But discovering the opposite was soul crushing. I felt like I couldn't be beautiful or fully accepted as Korean because I had fallen short of mainstream Korea's unattainable beauty standards." (Perez 6). When you go outside of the house in Korea, it's all about fashion and looking good. Another student who studied in Korea with, Pang, told me of the weird looks she got when she wore her pajamas out for a late night run to the store.
In conclusion, beauty is important in South Korea because from a young age, they had an ideal image implanted into their minds of how they must to look in order to be beautiful to attain a good job or a spouse to marry. Along with the sudden uproar of the Korean Wave, the number of plastic surgery given in the past few years has significantly risen, not only in South Korea but also in other parts of Asia, including China. It is true that some Westerners place a huge importance on beauty with the skinny body, perfect tan and long hair, but the meaning of beauty is constantly changing. Because of this when foreigners travel abroad, they feel unwelcomed. I felt the same way as I took the subway. Everywhere the South Koreans went, they did it with beauty and style. This idea of beauty is quickly spreading throughout the world, what happens if plastic surgery gets so cheap that everyone suddenly wants to change his or her face? We've seen how beauty can corrupt a person; we'd be living in a world of fake people. As time goes on I hope that everyone will be able to accept the appearance they were born with and that true beauty comes from within. A pretty face will not get you far in life.
Work Cited
Chon, Alicia. "The Issue with South Korea's Cosmetic Surgery Culture Isn't the Actual Surgery." The Huffington Post. N.p., 17 Mar. 2014. Web. 18 Mar. 2014.
“Documentary on Korean High School.” Dir. Kelley Katzenmeyer. A Documentary Film on Korean High School. N.p., Nov. 2011. Web. 15 Mar. 2014.
Fairclough, Gordon. "Korea's Makeover From Dull to Hip Changes Face of Asia." Wall Street Journal - Eastern Edition 20 Oct. 2005: A1+. Academic Search Premier. Web. 23 Mar. 2014.
Hyun-key Kim, Hogarth. "The Korean Wave: An Asian Reaction To Western-Dominated Globalization." Perspectives On Global Development & Technology 12.1/2 (2013): 135-151. Academic Search Premier. Web. 23 Mar. 2014.
Lee, Sharon Heijin. THE (GEO)POLITICS OF BEAUTY: RACE, TRANSNATIONALISM, AND NEOLIBERALISM IN SOUTH KOREAN BEAUTY CULTURE. Diss. University of Michigan, 2012. N.p.: n.p., n.d. Web. 13 Mar. 2014.
Perez, Ashley. "BuzzFeed." BuzzFeed. N.p., 31 May 2013. Web. 13 Mar. 2014.
Ryu, Young-hyun. "Obsession with Appearance." The Korea Times.
