Personal Thoughts on Korean Beauty Standards

 

Korean High School (Documentary Preview) from Kelley Katzenmeyer on Vimeo.

 

Having spent so much time lately trying to learn more about Asian lifestyles, traditions and history, in particular about South Korea’s modern society, I find this video intriguing, unexpected but at the same time it seems as if I have already known everything that it contains.

After having read a lot on this aspect, watched many Korean dramas( though they do not exactly reveal a society’s true qualities nor flaws) and reality shows, as well as interviews of famous Korean people, I myself have identified those social issues.I may not personally know any Korean and I have not been through their educational system (in fact, I can only speak from an outsider’s perspective as I have not visited South Korea yet), but I can see those problems.And I can only wonder how can this be happening?How come, even though they are not a superficial people, artificial standards of beauty rule their modern society in an unimaginable way.How come there can be put so much pressure on those kids, which, by the way, are my age?It’s not like there is no pressure put on me, but I know my limits and I have the courage to say what I feel and how I should be doing things since it is my life in the end and I do not have to change my appearance for example just to get noticed.How come they can (mostly) look up to the so called “idols”( who, probably, create the delusional image of an “ideal” body/face/person while facing themselves the absurd existent standards of beauty and life, in general) and only wish to look like them? What happened to one’s character and moral values and beliefs, are those less important than having an “ideal” look?

Don’t get me wrong, I do not blame them for getting their inspiration from someone famous; I guess we all do so at one point in our lives.I just can not conceive the idea that they are not taught to love themselves the way they are and they are not taught what self respect and love is.We can not live by wishing every day to have I do not know what skin color or nose shape just because this is considered to be beautiful, or because we won’t get noticed by people of the opposite sex or future employer any either way.And the fact that they get plastic surgery like it would be a Christmas present( for example, the one for having double eyelids) is just so…so wrong.

I, for one, stand for individual beauty.And I know that things will hardly change in the near future at least, since , apparently, there is no one that doesn’t comply with the so called standards being in the spotlight and teaching them that there is a reason for God creating them the way he did.That it is not wrong to not have a model’s body or western eyes.They should be told how beautiful they are the way they are.And how special their features make them.

I do not want to be misunderstood, this post is only my way of expressing the frustration I have with regards to the way some things work over there.I may be wrong and I may also not have the needed knowledge to say such things.I am aware of that.And I may also not have the right to pinpoint other society’s flaws when mine has its own, but after having watched the video I just couldn’t hold it inside me.I just want to wake those students up from this illusion; I may not make it, but I can only try.

Anyways, I truly support those behind this documentary.I really hope they will succeed in putting across the message.

What are your opinions on this video?