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That SNSD pic is frightening, you should be hung for posting that :<
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"but I gotta admit it sure is nice to not have to think about what clothes to pick out and just buy what every other person on the street wears. "
How is that nice? Sounds like a fucking nightmare.
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On March 20 2012 16:48 kurosawa wrote:Show nested quote +On March 20 2012 16:38 drlame wrote:On March 20 2012 14:35 kurosawa wrote:I think people need to take this blog with a pinch of salt... Yes it's true Korean's have what the West would consider a slightly too regimented and/or perhaps twisted idea of what beauty is. But what country doesn't? I've worked out in East Asia for many years and the same bizarre understanding of beauty is prevalent in Hong Kong, in China, in Japan, in Taiwan. All these cultures feed off each other in their pursuit for the notion of beauty. It's just Koreans have made it a little more scientific, and the advancement of plastic surgery in Korea make it more of a phenomenon. I hope readers of this now dont go on to think that all Koreans are obsessed with these rules of beauty. For example, I dated a very pretty Korean girl for quite a while but she was always super tanned. She liked that look, much in the way of Ganguro girls of Tokyo (though nowhere near as extreme). She was accepted by her her own and not mocked. But to be honest, a few weeks back, I spent about a week in Seoul, and for once looked carefully at how people on the street looked. I'm afraid to report that I didnt see anyone resembling those in the OP's post. To me it says these uber beautiful people are in the extreme minority. There were one or two girls that looked stunning from afar...but when you get close you see the plastic surgery has completely altered their face in a way that borders on grotesque or unnatural. To me, Korean beauty is not about this at all. Koreans look different from the majority of North East Asia and I do quite like the look. I wish they weren't so hell bent on changing it and making themselves look like manga characters. For example, the Korean actress Han Ji Hye I think is stunning, looks Korean and I'm sure has not had a million rounds of surgery. + Show Spoiler + Literally two seconds in google says otherwise. Nice blog, very interesting read and those SNSD pictures almost made me jump out of my chair. Very scary (and pretty awesome from a scientific point of view) what surgery can do to your appearence. You saw those SNSD photos of what they looked like before. That's drastic change. Ok so she went under the knife a little but its not a huge difference, as shown in the photo below + Show Spoiler +VS Hyo-yeon of Girls Generation (SNSD) Urgh, why did I have to open that spoiler
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On March 20 2012 16:51 HydraLF wrote: That SNSD pic is frightening, you should be hung for posting that :<
Haha you mean the one I posted?
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On March 20 2012 17:01 Ryo wrote:Show nested quote +On March 20 2012 16:48 kurosawa wrote:On March 20 2012 16:38 drlame wrote:On March 20 2012 14:35 kurosawa wrote:I think people need to take this blog with a pinch of salt... Yes it's true Korean's have what the West would consider a slightly too regimented and/or perhaps twisted idea of what beauty is. But what country doesn't? I've worked out in East Asia for many years and the same bizarre understanding of beauty is prevalent in Hong Kong, in China, in Japan, in Taiwan. All these cultures feed off each other in their pursuit for the notion of beauty. It's just Koreans have made it a little more scientific, and the advancement of plastic surgery in Korea make it more of a phenomenon. I hope readers of this now dont go on to think that all Koreans are obsessed with these rules of beauty. For example, I dated a very pretty Korean girl for quite a while but she was always super tanned. She liked that look, much in the way of Ganguro girls of Tokyo (though nowhere near as extreme). She was accepted by her her own and not mocked. But to be honest, a few weeks back, I spent about a week in Seoul, and for once looked carefully at how people on the street looked. I'm afraid to report that I didnt see anyone resembling those in the OP's post. To me it says these uber beautiful people are in the extreme minority. There were one or two girls that looked stunning from afar...but when you get close you see the plastic surgery has completely altered their face in a way that borders on grotesque or unnatural. To me, Korean beauty is not about this at all. Koreans look different from the majority of North East Asia and I do quite like the look. I wish they weren't so hell bent on changing it and making themselves look like manga characters. For example, the Korean actress Han Ji Hye I think is stunning, looks Korean and I'm sure has not had a million rounds of surgery. + Show Spoiler + Literally two seconds in google says otherwise. Nice blog, very interesting read and those SNSD pictures almost made me jump out of my chair. Very scary (and pretty awesome from a scientific point of view) what surgery can do to your appearence. You saw those SNSD photos of what they looked like before. That's drastic change. Ok so she went under the knife a little but its not a huge difference, as shown in the photo below + Show Spoiler +VS Hyo-yeon of Girls Generation (SNSD) Urgh, why did I have to open that spoiler
Haha sorry! Didn't mean to ruin your dreams!
There are worse but I think I'll keep it at this...
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On March 20 2012 17:03 kurosawa wrote:Show nested quote +On March 20 2012 17:01 Ryo wrote:On March 20 2012 16:48 kurosawa wrote:On March 20 2012 16:38 drlame wrote:On March 20 2012 14:35 kurosawa wrote:I think people need to take this blog with a pinch of salt... Yes it's true Korean's have what the West would consider a slightly too regimented and/or perhaps twisted idea of what beauty is. But what country doesn't? I've worked out in East Asia for many years and the same bizarre understanding of beauty is prevalent in Hong Kong, in China, in Japan, in Taiwan. All these cultures feed off each other in their pursuit for the notion of beauty. It's just Koreans have made it a little more scientific, and the advancement of plastic surgery in Korea make it more of a phenomenon. I hope readers of this now dont go on to think that all Koreans are obsessed with these rules of beauty. For example, I dated a very pretty Korean girl for quite a while but she was always super tanned. She liked that look, much in the way of Ganguro girls of Tokyo (though nowhere near as extreme). She was accepted by her her own and not mocked. But to be honest, a few weeks back, I spent about a week in Seoul, and for once looked carefully at how people on the street looked. I'm afraid to report that I didnt see anyone resembling those in the OP's post. To me it says these uber beautiful people are in the extreme minority. There were one or two girls that looked stunning from afar...but when you get close you see the plastic surgery has completely altered their face in a way that borders on grotesque or unnatural. To me, Korean beauty is not about this at all. Koreans look different from the majority of North East Asia and I do quite like the look. I wish they weren't so hell bent on changing it and making themselves look like manga characters. For example, the Korean actress Han Ji Hye I think is stunning, looks Korean and I'm sure has not had a million rounds of surgery. + Show Spoiler + Literally two seconds in google says otherwise. Nice blog, very interesting read and those SNSD pictures almost made me jump out of my chair. Very scary (and pretty awesome from a scientific point of view) what surgery can do to your appearence. You saw those SNSD photos of what they looked like before. That's drastic change. Ok so she went under the knife a little but its not a huge difference, as shown in the photo below + Show Spoiler +VS Hyo-yeon of Girls Generation (SNSD) Urgh, why did I have to open that spoiler Haha sorry! Didn't mean to ruin your dreams! There are worse but I think I'll keep it at this... Nah, I've never been a SNSD fan.
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sad truth indeed. in the future, this culture would and most certainly be in the entire world
and no, i don't want a saw on my jaw
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I often wonder if you married someone that has had extensive plastic surgery, but you are not aware of it, and you have kids...you'd first be shocked and probably feel a bit short changed. I think everyone that has had plastic surgery needs to disclose it by law!
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As a Korean, I am glad to have been raised in the US. ]: 5'3 FTL lol. But all good
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It would almost make me think "oh look, koreans so stupid" if I haven't realised that most people in the West are probably in the same ballpark, when it comes to this, or a similar kind of idiocy.
I have a very simple way to get myself isolated from all this bullshit: I look like crap. I wear the cheap staff that is comfortable (most t-shirts from "worker's accesories" and some pants from an outdoor sale) and it sometimes has a hole here and there, I haven't seen a hairdresser in over 10 years (since my mother lost the power to tell we what to do), I don't shave, just cut it here and tehre with scissors when it starts to be physically annoying.
This way, I very easily get rid of or the superficial monkeys that I wouldn't like to talk to anyway and get to be with people who like me for who I am, not for how I look.
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T shirt and shorts all day everyday.
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well, this was a sad read. Hard to think korean culture is so shallow, but here you have it folks. Don't be short or have a big head, losers
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very interesting to compare to japan/japanese culture. the overall themes are the same although there are differences too, especially the popularity of plastic surgery. I've no doubt it's big with celebrities but it's not as popular for regular people as it sounds it is over there.
There are definitely Japanese who look at the world the way you describe in the OP, but they would most definitely not be the majority or anywhere close. Is this describing a particular segment of korean culture, or does it more or less reflect the mainstream? I'm curious.
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Makes me feel a little bad for laughing at PuMa for saying he'd spend some of the 50000$ he won from NASL for skincare/lotions.
I'm glad i can go out and wear a bitmore casual clothing/not look my finest without being harassed.
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Good blog!! One thing I notice while I was in the same college with more than 300 Koreans is Korean females are ugly compare to males. I mean Korean males actually look quite handsome while girls its all make up and surgery, they are short too. Average Korean girls are like 160cm~?
Its also true that Koreans dress so much a like but have quite a good taste in fashion I'd say. I can immediately notice an Korean out of a crowd here in China very easily.
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On March 19 2012 10:44 madcow305 wrote: This type of superficiality runs through China and Japan as well.
Among some of the more amusing/intruging side-effects of having a culture like this are:
1. The ladies in service industries are usually more attractive than their western counterparts. Take airline stewardesses, for example. Airlines in Korea and China, and I think Japan, still discriminate based on attractiveness. So, the average flight attendant on Korea Air is probably younger, slimmer, and prettier than someone from British Airways or United Airlines.
2. I can't comment on Korea or Japan, but there are a lot of questionably effective surgical procedures in China. For example, my mother is a middle-aged woman with flabby arms. In particular, there are pockets of fat just below her armpits. During an extended trip to China, she underwent surgery to remove these fat pockets. The procedure was either botched, or was a scam to begin with. My mom spent several weeks healing the incisions made under her arms, but after recovery they looked and felt exactly the same as before.
3. As the OP has stated, there is only one type of acceptable body for women, and that is skinny. Curves are not attractive in Korea/China/Japan. If Kim Kardashian went over there, she wouldn't be called hot, she'd be called fat. Decently large breasts, while nice, must not come at the expense of slim figure. Add to this the fact that asian women usually have smaller breasts in comparison to westerners, and the conclusion is that the ideal body for a woman in Korea/China/Japan is something similar to what one would see from girls in high school, or even middle school. I wonder if this perception of beauty is one of the reasons why attraction to teenage girls seems more prevalent over there.
...Western cultures are just as superficial. At least American. I can't comment on Europe as I haven't lived there.
To your examples:
1. Only reason the US has ugly attendants is labor unions and laws against discrimination. Back in the day, airline stewardesses in the USA were known for being cuties. Forget about even having male stewards. It's labor laws that put an end to that, not American culture. There's still plenty of places that try to hire hot receptionists/hostesses etc. Take a look at nightclubs, lounges, gyms etc. It's absurd to claim Asian societies hire based on attractiveness and Western ones don't.
2. You're talking about liposuction... And liposuction in any country results in more fat cells being created to make up for the previous removal. Therefore if someone gets lipo and resumes the same diet and lifestyle they did before surgery, the fat's going to come back with a vengeance. This has nothing to do with Asia or China and everything to do with biology.
3. I don't know what you mean by a slim figure, but I know for a fact a girl with Kim Kardashian's body in China could make a good living with it if she was so inclined.
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Why Korean care about their appearance that much?
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I spent way too much time reading through this thread and the replies, but thanks for the insight and discussion Quite an interesting insight into Korean culture
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On March 20 2012 19:45 Mantraz wrote: Makes me feel a little bad for laughing at PuMa for saying he'd spend some of the 50000$ he won from NASL for skincare/lotions.
I'm glad i can go out and wear a bitmore casual clothing/not look my finest without being harassed.
I thought he was joking about that. But now I don't know.. lol
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On March 20 2012 20:38 Wildmoon wrote: Why Korean care about their appearance that much? victims of marketing; people are dumb
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