K-pop beauty ideals and practices have penetrated other parts of the world, particularly emerging markets in South East Asia that are in the midst of contending with the opportunities and obstacles that come with globalization and rapid development. Kimberly Hoang’s article “Constructing Desirable Bodies” resonated somewhat on a personal level with me. As a Korean who grew up as an expat kid in Vietnam, I’ve seen Ho Chi Minh City – its most commercial city – slowly progress from having abject poverty to partaking in globalized economic practices that have brought in more investment and capital.
These economic forces have trickled down to many parts of the nation, including its rampant sex industry. Hoang discusses the complexities of being a sex worker in Vietnam, who is constantly finding a delicate balance between looking ‘pretty’ enough to align with East Asian beauty standards but not completely compromising that oriental look that Western men might desire. What is particularly interesting and eye-opening about Hoang’s piece is the connection she makes between sexuality / hyper feminized practices of representation and a nation’s socioeconomic standing in the broader global context. These conflicting, embodied archetypes of beauty illustrate the different trajectories of capital and culture that circulate in Asia, in which sex workers “alter their physical embodiments to appeal to their male clients’ differing perceptions of Vietnam’s place in the global imaginary”. Whether it is catering to local Vietnamese and transnational Asian elites, or Western businessmen and budget travelers, Vietnamese sex workers are individual agents in their own right who recognize these nuances and thereby perform embodied practices to signify their nation’s place in the ‘global imaginary’. Vietnam’s rising status marks a departure from colonialism and Western dependency, nevertheless, their pursuit for autonomy is still in the hands of the new financial epicenter of East Asia.
These economic and geopolitical shifts have glorified Korean beauty standards and promoted plastic surgery as a way to then play on different desires and imaginations. ‘Technologies of embodiment’, a term that Hoang borrows from Foucault, is the process in which “women produce, transform or manipulate their bodies through particular kinds of body work that signify divergent perceptions of national progress”. Due to the fragmented nature of beauty ideals and how they vary across a spectrum in Vietnam, women look to plastic surgery to enhance their features and therefore construct a more desirable body. Whether it is rejecting darker skin or having a taller nose bridge, Vietnamese women are banking on plastic surgery and all the unrealistic beauty standards stipulated by Korean popular culture and media.
These women are aspiring cosmopolitan subjects that are striving towards self-sufficiency and the promise of a better livelihood. Yet, this process has also highlighted the struggles of transcending their subaltern status to pursue social upward mobility.
The Politics of K-Pop 
I find Hallyu’s influence on South East Asia to be particularly interesting because of my own relationship with the region. In particular, the depiction of beauty standards for women in mainstream Filipino media and popular products among my family and the population. My mom loves to watch Filipino dramas and it always catches my attention how colourism is practised in with the appearance of many famous actors/actresses not being reflective of the population of the Philippines. Most notably, the prominence of pale, light-skinned actors and the industry that has sprung up around this beauty standard. Famous actors like Kim Chu and Coco Martin notably have a lighter skin-tone even though most people in the Philippines have darker skin tones. In addition, one of the most popular beauty products among my family there is a product called Belo Soap. My mom always makes sure to stock up on Belo when we visit, similar to how some of my friends stock up on cosmetics when visiting Japan or Korea because of the cheaper prices. Like other Asian cosmetics, Belo’s popularity is from its advertised ability to whiten skin. I think its especially interesting how there are similar products with comparable levels of popularity in regions, not just in South East Asia, but also in South Asia, where colourism plays a significant role in mainstream beauty standards.
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After today’s class in which we explored how the transition/development of female generations is through the male gaze, Hoang’s elaboration of the alteration of physical appearance that sex workers put themselves through hits a different chord. I guess it’s because I was more so focusing on the impact that South Korean/traditional beauty trends were having internationally and Western beauty influences, rather than the subconscious urge women have to please men. Growing up Korean-American, it was all too normal for me to hear my mom tell me I was getting too tan, that I needed to start watching what I eat, or that I should think about getting a nose job and that it would be over before I knew it. Whether it’s the influence of Western beauty standards or the pressure to please men is what is at the core of the alteration of physical appearance that South Koreans are so obsessed with, it makes me wonder if people realize that they feel a subconscious need to be accepted/received by men; if they aren’t, do they blame themselves or the impossible beauty standards that exist? With the emergence of the badass bitch like CL, does it seem like the innocent and pure Kpop idol or sexy badass bitch idol is more popular/attractive?
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I truly loved your article and was so interested in the topic that you discussed! I specifically found the detail that informed the reader about how plastic surgery is shown as a graduation gift for Korean girls very surprising! Yes, plastic surgery is at an immense high in global phenomenon’s, however, I feel as if plastic surgery is not as normalized in Western Culture as much as it is in Asia. For sex workers in Vietnam, it is a necessity in order to please their clients; in their eyes, plastic surgery is a must. Is your nose too big? Get a rhinoplasty because men like high bridged noses. Flat chested? Get a breast augmentation. Men like big eyes, therefore, get a double-eyelid surgery. In Asia, Korea specifically, plastic surgery is a way to look like your favorite idol or pop star. Of course, Kim Kardashian and Cardi B have given many women expectations that may only be achieved through the enhancement to their own body parts via surgery, yet I feel that in the United States, plastic surgery is a sort of last resort for something that is looked down upon and looked past, but across the globe, it is pressurized immensely.
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The way that Vietnamese sex workers cater to either different audiences through plastic surgery and makeup highlights the process of self-orientalization that emphasizes an emphasis on traditionally oriental ideas about Asia and Asian women. Self-orientalization seems to be undertaken as a means of survival and a way to gain social mobility and economic agency, so it is neither good nor is it bad. What interests me is how in the conversation about Korea becoming a new standard for beauty, one that sheds and circumvents ideas that the West holds the traditional standard for beauty, self-orientalization no longer seems like an appropriate framework. The appeal of certain plastic surgery practices are no longer to ‘make white’ but now to make pale. There is no longer a need to talk about whiteness and European states in this conversation, and emphasizing Oriental qualities is no longer what is economically best. I think what this means is that in conversations about increased globalization and developing cities in Asia, the language that I use must be particular and specific. The language of colonialism and ideas of aesthetics are still alive today, but they are not the same as they were twenty years ago. The beauty ideals forwarded by Korean industry have developed in a unique way, one that cannot be boiled down to being a copy of American standards.
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