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United States1719 Posts
On March 19 2012 07:53 Suc wrote:
To be honest, from a western perspective, I felt a tiny bit nauseous reading about all the plastic surgery stuff and had to scroll through the rest so I didn't have to read more about it. I didn't think that these superficial issues like height, looks, shape, fucking ratios of head to body length (seriously, wtf) were that bad in Korea. As other people in the thread have said, I'm like ~176cm or so and the OP makes me happy not to be a Korean in Korea right now.
As a current student of Korean at university, this makes me somewhat disappointed in the culture and language that I'm studying (although this explains why pretty much all the other students in my class are the way they are), although I do realise that this is only a recent manifestation and it would be stupid to disregard all other history and culture for this. I hope that I can find something that will make me not so disappointed.
Also, I read the other guy's blog about kpop, etc and I personally think that this blog proved his point rather showing how wrong he was.
Good point, I also realized that when I was in the middle of writing the blog so decided to leave out all of my opinions. All of it felt so natural to me because I grew up submerged in it but writing it out in words made me look at it from an outsider's perspective, and I can see why this would disgust some people.
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On March 19 2012 07:53 Suc wrote:
To be honest, from a western perspective, I felt a tiny bit nauseous reading about all the plastic surgery stuff and had to scroll through the rest so I didn't have to read more about it. I didn't think that these superficial issues like height, looks, shape, fucking ratios of head to body length (seriously, wtf) were that bad in Korea. As other people in the thread have said, I'm like ~176cm or so and the OP makes me happy not to be a Korean in Korea right now.
As a current student of Korean at university, this makes me somewhat disappointed in the culture and language that I'm studying (although this explains why pretty much all the other students in my class are the way they are), although I do realise that this is only a recent manifestation and it would be stupid to disregard all other history and culture for this. I hope that I can find something that will make me not so disappointed.
Also, I read the other guy's blog about kpop, etc and I personally think that this blog proved his point rather showing how wrong he was.
even china and japan has these harsh elements. the U.S.A. has them too. It's just that Korea is much more guilty of this superficiality.
people I must ask that you do not judge koreans due to some of the general behaviors that we exhibit. There are many that don't give a fuck about this kind of stuff and will not judge you on appearances alone. Korea can be a great place for foreigners, so do not be scared!
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Exactly. Despite all this, there are also many normal guys and pretty girls who don't give much of a shit on the conformity.
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On March 19 2012 07:56 rotinegg wrote:Show nested quote +On March 19 2012 07:53 Suc wrote:
To be honest, from a western perspective, I felt a tiny bit nauseous reading about all the plastic surgery stuff and had to scroll through the rest so I didn't have to read more about it. I didn't think that these superficial issues like height, looks, shape, fucking ratios of head to body length (seriously, wtf) were that bad in Korea. As other people in the thread have said, I'm like ~176cm or so and the OP makes me happy not to be a Korean in Korea right now.
As a current student of Korean at university, this makes me somewhat disappointed in the culture and language that I'm studying (although this explains why pretty much all the other students in my class are the way they are), although I do realise that this is only a recent manifestation and it would be stupid to disregard all other history and culture for this. I hope that I can find something that will make me not so disappointed.
Also, I read the other guy's blog about kpop, etc and I personally think that this blog proved his point rather showing how wrong he was. Good point, I also realized that when I was in the middle of writing the blog so decided to leave out all of my opinions. All of it felt so natural to me because I grew up submerged in it but writing it out in words made me look at it from an outsider's perspective, and I can see why this would disgust some people.
Yeah, to me it's not a thing I recommend to anyone but that's because it's not as common to me as an idea I would pursue, and I certainly didn't grow up with it. Is it really common now too? I asked a noona (is that even how you spell it) earlier and she said that it's really common for people to get certain surgeries as early as gr. 7-8 just because how important looking good is for university and society.
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5 stars, really well written and a great look into Korean culture
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last time we measured head size here it was not because of some weird beauty ideals. Nonetheless it was an interesting read.
Do Koreans have similar feelings towards tattoos like the japanese have? As far as I understand it in Japan tattoos are seen as a sign of mafia affiliation and thus shunned. It would interest me if it's the same in Korea.
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On March 19 2012 08:15 Skilledblob wrote:
last time we measured head size here it was not because of some weird beauty ideals. Nonetheless it was an interesting read.
Do Koreans have similar feelings towards tattoos like the japanese have? As far as I understand it in Japan tattoos are seen as a sign of mafia affiliation and thus shunned. It would interest me if it's the same in Korea.
that implication  please lets leave that of of this blog^^
@OP very great read 5/5 only wished you left out the Park min Young Picture  I know it soudns ignorant but I don't wanna see those pics about one of my favourite actresses haha^^
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United States1719 Posts
On March 19 2012 08:15 Skilledblob wrote:
last time we measured head size here it was not because of some weird beauty ideals. Nonetheless it was an interesting read.
Do Koreans have similar feelings towards tattoos like the japanese have? As far as I understand it in Japan tattoos are seen as a sign of mafia affiliation and thus shunned. It would interest me if it's the same in Korea.
not mafia, but older people will definitely not look at it nicely, and your peers won't wanna mess with you
On March 19 2012 08:18 AsnSensation wrote:Show nested quote +On March 19 2012 08:15 Skilledblob wrote:
last time we measured head size here it was not because of some weird beauty ideals. Nonetheless it was an interesting read.
Do Koreans have similar feelings towards tattoos like the japanese have? As far as I understand it in Japan tattoos are seen as a sign of mafia affiliation and thus shunned. It would interest me if it's the same in Korea. that implication please lets leave that of of this blog^^ @OP very great read 5/5 only wished you left out the Park min Young Picture I know it soudns ignorant but I don't wanna see those pics about one of my favourite actresses haha^^
Ahh sorry... a lot of people tell my lady she looks like 박민영 and she gets fake-upset saying 'but she got all that surgery and i'm natural! are you saying I look artificial?' So when I thought of a celebrity with plastic surgery, she came to mind first haha
On March 19 2012 08:05 IntoTheheart wrote:Show nested quote +On March 19 2012 07:56 rotinegg wrote:On March 19 2012 07:53 Suc wrote:
To be honest, from a western perspective, I felt a tiny bit nauseous reading about all the plastic surgery stuff and had to scroll through the rest so I didn't have to read more about it. I didn't think that these superficial issues like height, looks, shape, fucking ratios of head to body length (seriously, wtf) were that bad in Korea. As other people in the thread have said, I'm like ~176cm or so and the OP makes me happy not to be a Korean in Korea right now.
As a current student of Korean at university, this makes me somewhat disappointed in the culture and language that I'm studying (although this explains why pretty much all the other students in my class are the way they are), although I do realise that this is only a recent manifestation and it would be stupid to disregard all other history and culture for this. I hope that I can find something that will make me not so disappointed.
Also, I read the other guy's blog about kpop, etc and I personally think that this blog proved his point rather showing how wrong he was. Good point, I also realized that when I was in the middle of writing the blog so decided to leave out all of my opinions. All of it felt so natural to me because I grew up submerged in it but writing it out in words made me look at it from an outsider's perspective, and I can see why this would disgust some people. Yeah, to me it's not a thing I recommend to anyone but that's because it's not as common to me as an idea I would pursue, and I certainly didn't grow up with it. Is it really common now too? I asked a noona (is that even how you spell it) earlier and she said that it's really common for people to get certain surgeries as early as gr. 7-8 just because how important looking good is for university and society.
yea sadly it's true, and I'm against plastic surgery before high school under any situation, cuz you're not done growing. There are more extreme surgeries too, like one where they break your shin in multiple spots, pull the pieces apart slightly, and insert a supporting metal rod so that when your shins heal your legs are longer.
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Very informative post!
Considering hairdos: What do Koreans think about bald people? As most "foreigners" would rate buff and bald guys like Khaldor as quite good looking (if they don't excessively overdo the buff part), how do Khaldor or Vin Diesel look like to the average Korean?
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United States1719 Posts
On March 19 2012 08:23 shin ken wrote:
Very informative post!
Considering hairdos: What do Koreans think about bald people? As most "foreigners" would rate buff and bald guys like Khaldor as quite good looking (if they don't excessively overdo the buff part), how do Khaldor or Vin Diesel look like to the average Korean?
Im not sure who khaldor is but a lot of people think vin diesel is good looking. The thing is, though, his bald hair goes really well with his macho persona, while there aren't a lot of Koreans that have that sort of build / give off that aura. They say Korean males are 70% face and 30% hair so even the best looking celebrities would have a tough time rocking a shaved head. Baldness is avoided at all costs through the use of medication/hair implants, except this one gay celebrity named 홍석천. He rocks it with pride.
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this makes me wish i lived in korea, americans should take notes..
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Concerning those The North Face Jackets, I even read an interesting article not too long ago where people stole them from others jsut to have one and the 250$ one is for the "commoners" while the "boss/rich" wears the 600$ Parka. Part of the reason was that BigBang was endorsing them and that it is a foreign brand, again showing certain wealth I guess.
About the Louis Vuitton bags, are people, similar with the jackets, going for the originals although it's not very smart financially for the living standard? I know from the german based vietnamese community that ALOT just buy a fake one, but wear them around and acting like they are some kind of highroller baller.... really annoying.
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I've got one more question: Isn't there some kind of counter-culture/movement (like old school punk etc.)?
I would imagine that there are at least some people protesting against the system/society. (Maybe that's just my german mindset ^^)
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On March 19 2012 08:18 rotinegg wrote:Show nested quote +On March 19 2012 08:15 Skilledblob wrote:
last time we measured head size here it was not because of some weird beauty ideals. Nonetheless it was an interesting read.
Do Koreans have similar feelings towards tattoos like the japanese have? As far as I understand it in Japan tattoos are seen as a sign of mafia affiliation and thus shunned. It would interest me if it's the same in Korea. not mafia, but older people will definitely not look at it nicely, and your peers won't wanna mess with you
do you have an idea why it is that way?
On March 19 2012 08:37 shin ken wrote:
I've got one more question: Isn't there some kind of counter-culture/movement (like old school punk etc.)?
I would imagine that there are at least some people protesting against the system/society. (Maybe that's just my german mindset ^^)
german mindset would be to bow down and say "yes ofcourse"
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Now I want to know my head to body ratio haha. Thanks for the insight, much appreciated !
People would probably spit on my uglyness in Korea given how far I am from the standard :p
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Interesting read indeed, i was aware of the obsession with the jawbone but the rest was relatively new to me.
Well atleast there seems to be some sort of "fix" for all the things that are looked on in a negative way even tho it can be viewed as slightly extreme for a foreigner having to go through so many process in order to be "ideal", specially for the girls/womens.
And i doubt them korean ladies would stand much of a bigger chance of success in the western world in any regards as you rarely see them being on the peoples "top beauty list" both natural and with jobs done, shame;/
Im still curious how the average "teenager" korean girl can afford all these surgeries considering many of them actually do this.
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On March 19 2012 06:29 rotinegg wrote:Show nested quote +On March 19 2012 06:26 ymir233 wrote:
But on the other hand, the good thing is if you act enough of a 'foreigner' (by that I mean living outside of Korea long enough) and show off enough of an aura when you come back, people won't care what the fuck you do as long as you're not an axe murderer. Most likely either you can laugh at peoples' shirts for having unintelligible English phrases or they'll be impressed enough by your foreign-ness to hire you as an Engrish tutor. Purposely acting like a 'foreigner' is a surefire way to get your ass beat due to the predominant anti-American sentiments
This is absolutely untrue. Most Koreans are huge pussies and would never fight, because they aren't used to fighting and it's looked down upon. Even drunk, pissed off Koreans have walked away when myself or friends actually showed them that we were about to gnaw their faces if they didn't go the hell away. Now, if you're a foreigner looking for a fight, you're also a complete retard and probably hang out in Itaewon.
There is a kind of misunderstood mystique about foreigners, and they can get away with a bit more than Koreans. We aren't really subjected completely to the same standards, but at least 50% subjected. Now, this is bad news if you want to actually fit in with Koreans, because you REALLY have to have it going on to be considered attractive out there. Even if you are really good looking, most Korean girls actually worth dating will not consider foreign guys unless you know a fair deal about their own culture and give it preference over your own. If you can't speak Korean or at least read and write, you have roughly no hope. Yes, you can get easy girls that are enthralled with white guys, but they generally suck. Think of them as if they are the anime freaks from middle America that trek out to Japan because they have no friends here—basically equivalent. People are so worried about how many "notches" they can achieve while in Korea, but if you know the truth about girls there, 100 notches isn't even worth 0.5 of one that is truly S-class.
I agree with this post, but I would say that only the top 5% of Koreans actually pull off these looks and styles as well as the super famous examples given. Your average person presents a kind of watered down attempt at these looks. Overall, however, it's far better than the attention that appearance gets in the States. If you're a foreigner with a haircut as good as one of these, you're already ahead of 95% of the foreigners in Korea. If you wear good clothes, add another 1~2%. If you know how to speak a bit, add another 1%. If you know common K-popular culture, add 1%. If you can drink minimum 3 bottles of soju by yourself in a single night, add another 1%. If you aren't an English teacher, add the final 1%. You win. GG Korea, GG earth.
Then, after you achieve this and live in the path of darkness for X amount of years, you see through everything for what it is and don't give a rip anymore and wonder what the point of your life is if all you cared about was this garbage Koreans seemed to be obsessed with.
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Very interesting! I was all fired to head to korea some day and hang out with my korean godfather but I must say I hadn't really appreciated how different the culture I would be jumping into would be. I've been a few other places but I feel like this would be a much more difficult adjustment than eastern europe or brazil.
I was aware asian cultures are known for embedded racism so that doesn't shock me too much. I don't know what I'd do if I realized I were seeing it in action though... that would be uncomfortable to say the least.
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On March 19 2012 07:27 NagAfightinG wrote:Show nested quote +On March 19 2012 05:42 rotinegg wrote:The general rule of thumb is having fair (somewhat white), even-toned skin with minimal oil is the best skin. Koreans don't like to tan as they discriminate against darker skinned folks, such as southeast Asians, Indians, Bangladeshis and Pakistanis for looking "poor" (=빈티난다). This is fucking disgusting, the fact you mention this so easily, is fucking disgusting, and i hope you realise that.
then I guess I shouldn't mention that a lot of Koreans hate Japanese people too
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On March 19 2012 08:48 storm44 wrote:Show nested quote +On March 19 2012 07:27 NagAfightinG wrote:On March 19 2012 05:42 rotinegg wrote:The general rule of thumb is having fair (somewhat white), even-toned skin with minimal oil is the best skin. Koreans don't like to tan as they discriminate against darker skinned folks, such as southeast Asians, Indians, Bangladeshis and Pakistanis for looking "poor" (=빈티난다). This is fucking disgusting, the fact you mention this so easily, is fucking disgusting, and i hope you realise that. then I guess I shouldn't mention that a lot of Koreans hate Japanese people too
I don't see how that can be fucking disgusting, it's just pure fact.
The views of Koreans have changed little by little over the ages, but still not that good when it comes to darker skinned people.
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EPT
