Plastic surgery, whitening skin creams, and intense crash diets are at the core of South Korean beauty standards. Normalized to an extent where procedures like injections of artificial nose/lip fillers cost less than a month’s worth of groceries, altering your physical appearance is almost a requirement to be “beautiful.”
Growing up partially in Korea and the U.S., it became difficult to figure out which beauty standards I, a) should follow b) liked. The drastically different trends of beauty are most apparent in aspects like makeup, where even what color foundation you’re expected to use differs.
I’m constantly told by my parents that “if you got a nose job you’d be so much prettier!” When I was in high school, it seemed like a crazy idea that I could never get behind. Maybe it’s because of the continuity of these comments that I’ve been subconsciously pressured into feeling like I need to criticize every single aspect of my facial features, but now, it’s something that I’ve been considering.
But why are South Koreans so enthusiastic about resorting to such drastic measures in order to feel beautiful? In a photography series created by South Korean photographer Ji Yeo, Yeo captured several South Koreans immediately post-plastic surgery. Offering them companionship, she interviewed these people to try and understand what it was that made them want to alter their appearance so much they felt like putting themselves through the intense healing process that follows cosmetic procedures.
Their responses were generally that the normalization of plastic surgery makes it seem like an easy way to soothe their insecurities about their appearances. Considering the disregard for the physical pain of surgery that these patients have because of the appeal that the final result of feeling prettier fosters, it made me wonder, could this be some form of self-harm? Putting oneself through intense physical pain, in order to feel better, to cope with some insecurity, is the basis of self-harm. As someone who struggled with and continues to struggle with it, I can’t help but equate such intense procedures with this concept.
When someone is so consumed by a feeling of self-hatred or dissatisfied with a situation, they often look to harming themselves without regard to the physical pain they feel. It’s because the physical pain replaces the emotional pain, something that many are willing to trade off. Cutting or burning, two of the most common methods of self-harm, result in scars. Semi to permanent scars that are reminders of the emotions you felt/feel, ones that often trigger you to do it again.
Could placing yourself in a situation where you have an alteration of your physical appearance in order to feel better about yourself, alterations that often feel addictive and entice people to want more surgery, be something like self-harm?
The Politics of K-Pop 
I can definitely relate to your dual identity as an Asian American. I grew up in Tokyo for 16 years and I identify as Japanese despite being both Japanese and Taiwanese. I never “grew up” in the US but I grew up with western culture and a multiplicity of cultures because I went to an international school for 10 years. What was interesting though, was the bullying I received because I had one eye that was mono-lid and the other that was a double-lid. I was called mad-eye moody from harry potter, and kitaro (a japanese character that covers half his face wit his hair bc he only has one eye which is what i did to hide my mono-lid). Despite being in this international community, I was scrutinized for HALF of one feature that was possibly collectively seen as unattractive. The bullying I received drove me into deep insecurity to the point where my mother decided to gift me with a temporary surgery that would give me a double-lid. I now still have the double lid because that’s just how my eyelid decided to stay but that small change had completely changed my demeanor and boosted my self confidence. I would take more selfies (LOL) and would be able to tie my hair up in a ponytail. Granted my operation was very small and minor (it only took 15 mins), but I think what’s so complex about this issue is that these individuals WANT plastic surgery because of whatever insecurities, but insecurities will exist even post surgery because society will always find ways to create new ideals of beauty. I wonder if there is a way to find a balance between this extreme normalization of “fixing” your body vs making yourself feel better.
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I found these week’s readings to be really personally resonant, as I am someone who has also truly felt the pervasiveness of plastic surgery and whether to succumb to these beauty ideals or just embrace my natural self. The double eyelid surgery has become such a common practice that people in Korea say it’s the equivalent of getting an ear piercing, or getting a dental checkup. So many friends and family members in my circle have gotten these procedures and I cannot help but also cave into these norms and consider the possibilities of getting one myself. However, what I’ve realized is that beauty is a temporal trend that comes and goes. There seems to be a resurgence of the mono lid look because of the over saturation of that ‘fake’ overstated double eyelid look. The same thing applies to skin color. Even though the pale white skin is still in fashion, there have been several Kpop celebrities sporting that bronze, dark skin glow. Part of the reason why I’m holding back on my decision to get double eyelid surgery is because what if it just ends up being a short-lived fad? If mono-lids one day become glorified and ‘pretty’, I would be able to un-do going under the knife. My contention with plastic surgery also comes from the idea that plastic surgery cannot be a form of empowerment in the context of hegemony / capitalism. By adhering to a set of aesthetics and archetypes that have been stipulated by popular culture, mass media, and corporations that tell you to look a certain way, you are inherently supporting the long-standing structures of patriarchy. Which is why I believe that there is a sense of logical fallacy when a woman gets something done in the name of self empowerment and pursuing confidence.
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The plastic surgery industry in South Korea is so fascinating to me. Gangnam has, in recent years, become famous for its medical tourism. We all know that K-dramas, K-pop, and K-beauty products as a whole work to push and promote the unrealistic beauty standards of a small face, v-line, small and pointy nose, double eyelids, aegyo-sal, and more (the list goes on). What’s crazier, though, is that there are medical companies in Korea that are now doing paid promotions with YouTube influencers (not only beauty influencers) located in Korea and other Asian countries, to promote plastic surgery and their agencies.
I first heard about Docfinderkorea (http://www.docfinderkorea.com/) while watching SunnyDahye (a Korean beauty influencer). In her three part video series, Dahye goes for her consultations at Banobagi Clinic located at Gangnam to get double eyelid surgery, v-line surgery, and breast augmentation, all sponsored by Docfinderkorea. Docfinder Korea is a medical tourism agency that provides services such as helping patients find a surgeon, accompanying the patient to all their consultations and doctors appointments, providing translators for international patients, buying medicine from the pharmacy post-surgery, taxi service to and from the accommodation, and more. This agency has been paying YouTube influencers to get all-expense paid surgeries in Korea while vlogging their experience. At the end of these videos, the influencers talk about how much using Docfinderkorea helped them and how others should use their services as well. The fact that plastic surgery is actually being endorsed by YouTubers is a crazy concept to me. Don’t get me wrong, I have nothing against plastic surgery. I think people can do whatever they want with their faces. But agencies doing paid promotions for these surgeries in order to reach international audiences through Hallyu and the global reaches of K-Pop makes me question just how far hallyu-hwa can really go in captivating K-pop fans into doing things like altering their faces and bodies.
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