In a previous post, I talked about how my new residence is right in the middle of the plastic surgery capital of the world. I had no idea prior to coming here that just about anything you’d want to do to your body is so incredibly common here. Just the other night, I found out a whole lot more as I kicked it with a few kyopos (term for Korean Americans) who work in the beautification business. their company sells dermal fillers (it’s like botox) that’s used to smooth wrinkles, fill out sunken cheeks, and plump up your lips. Korea is the number one market in Asia, and they easily make over half to three-quarters of their business here.
why is it so popular in South Korea? nobody can really tell me why except that it’s become so acceptable that parents not only approve, but also encourage their daughters to get procedures done. a Times article said that surgeons estimate that at least one in 10 Korean adults have had something done. I’ve heard that it is really common for high school girls to get plastic surgery as a graduation gift. I’ve also heard that because the culture is so competitive, parents actually fear that if their kids don’t look good, they could be losing out on opportunities. guys aren’t immune from this beauty standard, but it’s obviously much more prevalent among women.
as someone who has always been into looking natural, this whole phenomenon is so fascinating to me. it’s just so wrong that the ideal of beauty is so incredibly focused on a Western ideal, including the double eyelids and pale skin. i much prefer the variety that humans come in. read this article (i think it was done a few years ago) for an interesting summary of the issue:
http://www.time.com/time/asia/covers/1101020805/story.html
In the story, they actually mention my neighborhood – they spell it Apkujong – and the busy avenue named “Plastic Surgery Street.” Here are some photos to capture the blatant ads for plastic surgery everywhere, including the subway station. I hope to get photos of the women I see walking around with bandaged noses or eyes.
this poor woman features prominently in two ads in the subway, both showing her before and after looks:
then, there are a million other ads with all these male doctors touting the benefits of plastic surgery…
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here they all are lining the steps down into the subway:
pretty crazy!
