@minisick
South Korea is notorious for its beauty standards as well as the extreme methods people use in order to achieve said standards. Many of these methods include extreme dieting, cosmetic surgery, and an indulgence in the skincare and cosmetic market. A lot of these harsh methods have sprung due to the high influences of western culture and a classist mentality. Because many wish to appear more western and wealthy, many Asians fall into their ideology of beauty which has taken over most of their population.
The main standard for Korean beauty is for young women to maintain their youthfulness; they are to have porcelain skin, double eyelids, a nine-to-one body ratio, small face and legs, and cherry lips. This one-dimensional form of beauty stems from wanting to appear like the wealthy as well as wanting to appear like westerners. A lot of the western appeal began in the 1960s post-war South Korea where many saw Western troops and their families and aspired to appear that way. Here is where the double eye-lid procedure began popularizing and integrating itself into the culture. Not only is the double eyelid procedure popular, but cosmetic surgery itself has become a regular practice. The South Korean artist, Jessi, has opened up about her experiences with plastic surgery and her regrets stemming from it. She had received surgery on her eyes and nose, as well as a lip filler so that she could look better on live television. Sadly, instead of making her feel beautiful, it only revealed to her not only how unnatural the surgeries truly are, but also how heavily they weigh on the mental health of recipients.
Skin color and the need for it to be pale has also had a crucial role in the societal standard. Dating back to the first contact Koreans had with westerners, they saw a huge divide in the skin. They idolized the light, pale color of westerners. It stemmed from the belief that paler skin was an indicator of high class as those who worked often would naturally tan in the sun and those who did not remain pale. As these beliefs remained rooted in society, the skincare market exploded.
There are relatively innocent products such as moisturizers and cleansers, but alongside these are bizarre products such as skin bleaches, designed to force the skin to grow pale. Many waste more than 700$ on makeup and have more than a 10-step routine for skincare in which they must wake up 2 hours before work in order to get ready on time.
Even though a new wave of feminism has washed overdue to the influence of social media, a lot of these practices that these women do to achieve the standard are still deep-rooted in their culture. Many have begun massive campaigns across different platforms such as Youtube, Instagram, and twitter where they are rejecting the unilateral idea of beauty. The movement has a long way to go, but it is empowering to see young generations stand up against a harmful practice that has been very prominent in their culture
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