The Crazy World of Korea's Plastic Surgery Industry

00:37:47
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BsBSgtkmjak

概要

TLDRThe video delves into the intricate dynamics of beauty standards and plastic surgery in Korea, particularly influenced by K-pop culture. The speaker, an Asian American, reflects on their personal journey from idolizing K-pop idols to critically examining the societal pressures surrounding beauty and the normalization of cosmetic procedures. They discuss the historical context of beauty standards in Korea, emphasizing the distinct ideals that differ from Western perceptions. The rise of medical tourism in Korea is highlighted, showcasing the country's advanced cosmetic surgery industry and the appeal of lower costs for foreign patients. The speaker also addresses the implications of social media on beauty standards, the emergence of movements like 'Escape the Corset' that challenge traditional norms, and the concept of lookism, which affects social and professional opportunities. Overall, the video encourages viewers to consider the deeper societal issues tied to beauty and self-image.

収穫

  • 🌟 The speaker shares their journey from idolizing K-pop to questioning beauty standards.
  • 💉 Medical tourism in Korea is a growing industry for cosmetic procedures.
  • 👁️ Common beauty standards in Korea include big eyes and pale skin.
  • 🚫 The 'Escape the Corset' movement challenges traditional beauty norms.
  • 📉 Lookism affects job opportunities and social acceptance in Korea.
  • 📖 Historical context shows the evolution of beauty standards in Korea.
  • 📱 Social media influences perceptions of beauty through the 'technological gaze.'
  • ⚠️ Risks of medical tourism include inadequate aftercare and potential malpractice.
  • 🤔 The speaker encourages critical thinking about societal pressures related to beauty.
  • 💬 The video invites viewers to share their thoughts and experiences regarding plastic surgery.

タイムライン

  • 00:00:00 - 00:05:00

    The video begins with the host introducing herself as an Asian American who was once obsessed with K-pop and the Korean beauty industry. She reflects on her early admiration for K-pop idols and their plastic surgery, contrasting it with the stigma surrounding cosmetic procedures in America. Over time, she became critical of the beauty industry's impact on society, particularly regarding the pressures faced by dark-skinned and mixed-race individuals in Korea.

  • 00:05:00 - 00:10:00

    The host discusses the beauty standards prevalent in Korea, which include features like big eyes, double eyelids, and pale skin. She emphasizes that these standards are distinct from Western ideals and have historical roots in Korean culture. The video critiques the misconception that all Asians aspire to look white, highlighting the unique cultural dynamics that shape beauty perceptions in Korea.

  • 00:10:00 - 00:15:00

    The video transitions to the topic of medical tourism in Korea, where many individuals travel for cosmetic procedures. The host notes the rapid growth of this industry and the various procedures people seek, such as double eyelid surgery and lip fillers. She mentions the ease of using platforms like Squarespace for promoting businesses related to this industry.

  • 00:15:00 - 00:20:00

    The host elaborates on the specific beauty standards in Korea, including the emphasis on proportions and the concept of 'Insang,' which relates to first impressions based on facial expressions. She discusses how these standards are marketed and the societal pressures that drive individuals to seek cosmetic enhancements.

  • 00:20:00 - 00:25:00

    The video highlights the technological gaze in Korea, where social media influences beauty standards and creates demand for specific looks. The host explains how this gaze affects perceptions of beauty and the normalization of cosmetic procedures, including the extreme measures some K-pop idols take to maintain their appearance.

  • 00:25:00 - 00:30:00

    The host provides a historical context for the Korean beauty industry, detailing its evolution from the Joseon period to the present day. She discusses the government's role in promoting the beauty sector as part of a broader cultural strategy known as Hallyu, which has led to Korea becoming a global leader in cosmetic surgery and beauty products.

  • 00:30:00 - 00:37:47

    The video concludes with a discussion on the normalization of cosmetic surgery in Korea, where many view it as a necessary step for social acceptance and job opportunities. The host reflects on the societal pressures that drive individuals to undergo procedures and the ongoing conversations about beauty standards, including movements that challenge these norms.

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ビデオQ&A

  • What is the main topic of the video?

    The video discusses beauty standards, plastic surgery, and cultural identity in Korea, particularly in relation to K-pop and the beauty industry.

  • What personal experiences does the speaker share?

    The speaker shares their journey of initially idolizing K-pop and the beauty industry, and later reflecting on the societal pressures and implications of plastic surgery.

  • What is medical tourism in Korea?

    Medical tourism in Korea refers to the practice of traveling to Korea for cosmetic procedures, often due to lower costs and advanced technology.

  • What are some common beauty standards in Korea?

    Common beauty standards in Korea include big eyes, double eyelids, thinness, high nasal bridges, a V-line jaw, and pale skin.

  • What is the 'Escape the Corset' movement?

    The 'Escape the Corset' movement is a pushback against beauty standards in Korea, encouraging individuals to reject societal pressures related to appearance.

  • How does the speaker view the plastic surgery industry?

    The speaker expresses concern about the societal implications of the plastic surgery industry and its impact on self-image and cultural identity.

  • What historical context is provided about the Korean beauty industry?

    The video discusses the evolution of the Korean beauty industry from its association with lower classes to its current global prominence.

  • What role does social media play in beauty standards?

    Social media contributes to the 'technological gaze,' influencing beauty standards and creating demand for specific aesthetic traits.

  • What are some risks associated with medical tourism?

    Risks include inadequate aftercare, language barriers, and potential malpractice due to ghost doctors.

  • What is the significance of the term 'lookism'?

    Lookism refers to social prejudice against individuals who do not meet certain appearance standards, impacting job opportunities and social acceptance.

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  • 00:00:00
    - This video is brought to you by Squarespace,
  • 00:00:02
    an all-in-one platform for building your brand
  • 00:00:03
    and growing your business online.
  • 00:00:05
    Hello, my beautiful doves.
  • 00:00:07
    As some of you may have guessed,
  • 00:00:09
    I am Asian American, surprise! (laughs)
  • 00:00:12
    (birds chirping)
  • 00:00:13
    (curtains whirring)
  • 00:00:14
    (cat meowing)
  • 00:00:16
    (birds chirping continues)
  • 00:00:19
    And like many Asian Americans,
  • 00:00:20
    I went through a phase where I just about worshiped
  • 00:00:23
    the K-pop industry.
  • 00:00:24
    For me, this phase took place during sophomore junior year
  • 00:00:27
    of high school to the point where I would wake up at 4:00 AM
  • 00:00:31
    before class started, just so that
  • 00:00:32
    I could watch my favorite groups performing on Mnet
  • 00:00:35
    because you know the time difference.
  • 00:00:37
    This was also the first time
  • 00:00:39
    that I discovered the Korean beauty industry
  • 00:00:40
    because K-pop and beauty go hand in hand.
  • 00:00:43
    Idols are constantly promoting products,
  • 00:00:45
    doing product placements.
  • 00:00:47
    Similar to Sydney Sweeney's never ending partnership
  • 00:00:49
    with corporate America.
  • 00:00:50
    Most idols also got plastic surgery,
  • 00:00:52
    and this was something I was really shocked by at the time
  • 00:00:54
    because in America, if a pop star got plastic surgery,
  • 00:00:58
    it was like a major talking point, derogatory,
  • 00:01:02
    people are really mean about it,
  • 00:01:03
    so a lot of stars try to hide the fact
  • 00:01:05
    that they got procedures,
  • 00:01:07
    but in Korea, it's very blatant.
  • 00:01:08
    You can easily find before photos of every single idol,
  • 00:01:12
    and there's just not a lot of stigma.
  • 00:01:14
    People actually praise the results when they're good.
  • 00:01:17
    At the time I was in awe of these surgical transformations.
  • 00:01:20
    I truly believed that every idol looked
  • 00:01:22
    so much better post plastic surgery.
  • 00:01:25
    Mind you, almost all the before photos of them are
  • 00:01:27
    from when they were like 14 years old
  • 00:01:29
    and still clearly growing into their faces.
  • 00:01:31
    But that's besides the point.
  • 00:01:32
    I was drinking the Kool-Aid.
  • 00:01:34
    I was chugging the Kool-Aid,
  • 00:01:36
    and as a result, I became obsessed
  • 00:01:38
    with what kinda work I would get done.
  • 00:01:40
    When I finally got the disposable income to fly to Korea
  • 00:01:43
    and pay for my new face,
  • 00:01:45
    like this was so locked into my future plans.
  • 00:01:49
    Obviously over time the plans have changed
  • 00:01:52
    and I started becoming really upset
  • 00:01:53
    with what the plastic surgery industry has done
  • 00:01:55
    to us as a society on a global scale,
  • 00:01:58
    in terms of the Korean surgery industry,
  • 00:02:00
    I became much more informed
  • 00:02:02
    about the oppression that dark skinned
  • 00:02:04
    or mixed Koreans experience, as well as the experiences
  • 00:02:08
    of other demographics of Asians who are affected
  • 00:02:10
    by Korea's soft power.
  • 00:02:12
    Like as a Vietnamese woman, it really disturbs me
  • 00:02:15
    how looking Korean has become an aspiration
  • 00:02:19
    for some of my community.
  • 00:02:20
    Meanwhile, looking Vietnamese
  • 00:02:22
    or looking Southeast Asian is often weaponized as an insult
  • 00:02:26
    by East Asians.
  • 00:02:28
    I also watched shows like "Single's Inferno,"
  • 00:02:30
    which is a Korean dating show,
  • 00:02:32
    and the first season was very controversial
  • 00:02:35
    because some of the male contestants would say,
  • 00:02:37
    literally point blank to the camera
  • 00:02:39
    that they liked a girl purely because she had pale skin,
  • 00:02:42
    like nothing about her personality.
  • 00:02:43
    Also, to say that there's a lot going on
  • 00:02:45
    in the Korean beauty industry,
  • 00:02:47
    and I found that over time it's just gotten more
  • 00:02:50
    and more powerful, especially on a global scale.
  • 00:02:53
    So I wanna talk about it.
  • 00:02:55
    As I said, I am Vietnamese, I'm not Korean
  • 00:02:58
    and I can't read Korean, so there's obviously discourse
  • 00:03:00
    that I'm missing, but I did my best
  • 00:03:03
    and I referred to a lot of information
  • 00:03:05
    from Elise Hu's book, "Flawless: Lessons in Looks
  • 00:03:08
    and Culture from the K-Beauty Capital,"
  • 00:03:10
    who is an award-winning journalist,
  • 00:03:12
    and she was NPRs first bureau Chief in Seoul,
  • 00:03:15
    and I highly recommend reading her book
  • 00:03:17
    if this subject interests you.
  • 00:03:18
    It's very comprehensive.
  • 00:03:20
    - Off to Korea. - Off to Korea.
  • 00:03:22
    (transition clicks)
  • 00:03:23
    - [Tourist] Today I'm getting double eyelid surgery.
  • 00:03:25
    - [Tourist 2] Lip filler, and Botox.
  • 00:03:27
    - [Tourist 3] Liposuction.
  • 00:03:28
    - One of the fastest growing sectors in the travel industry,
  • 00:03:32
    medical tourism.
  • 00:03:33
    (upbeat energetic music)
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    (upbeat energetic music continues)
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    (keyboard buttons clacking)
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    (TV static buzzing)
  • 00:03:53
    - If you've been looking for a way to build your website,
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    but HTML and CSS and all that sound intimidating.
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    of customization options and pre-made templates.
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    A lot of people use Squarespace to host their stores,
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    and that's because it's just super easy.
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    You can list any product from something physical
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    to subscriptions to downloads.
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    I'm currently using Squarespace as a portfolio both
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    for my book club and for my video essays.
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    As an example, for this most recent video,
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    the work cited was actually so long,
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    it maxed out YouTube's description limits.
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    So I created a page on my site
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    to host all these references just for you.
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    Check out squarespace.com for free trial,
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  • 00:04:37
    (TV static buzzing)
  • 00:04:38
    (upbeat energetic music)
  • 00:04:42
    (transition beeps)
  • 00:04:43
    (tourist speaking in foreign language)
  • 00:04:47
    (guide speaking in foreign language)
  • 00:04:49
    (tourist speaking in foreign language)
  • 00:04:51
    - So first, I feel like we need to discuss
  • 00:04:53
    what the beauty standards even are in Korea.
  • 00:04:56
    There are many, but I would pin it down to big eyes
  • 00:04:59
    and double eyelids, thinness, high nasal bridges,
  • 00:05:03
    a V-line jaw and pale skin.
  • 00:05:06
    There is an emphasis on looking glowy and youthful,
  • 00:05:08
    hence why aegyo sal, the small puff
  • 00:05:11
    of skin found under the eyes is often highlighted as well,
  • 00:05:14
    as this feature apparently adds a youthful charm
  • 00:05:16
    to the face.
  • 00:05:18
    These standards are also pretty unisex.
  • 00:05:20
    While I think there are some crossover ideals
  • 00:05:23
    like the big eyes and the thin bodies,
  • 00:05:25
    overall, Korean beauty standards are pretty distinct
  • 00:05:27
    from Western beauty standards,
  • 00:05:29
    and that's why I find it extremely irritating
  • 00:05:31
    whenever I hear Americans saying things like,
  • 00:05:34
    "Oh, everyone in Asia just wants to look white."
  • 00:05:37
    In actuality, the favoring of white skin in Korea,
  • 00:05:41
    "white" in quotes, predates Western colonization.
  • 00:05:44
    It doesn't refer to race, it refers
  • 00:05:46
    to the paleness associated with being high class
  • 00:05:49
    during the Gojoseon period, which ended in 108 BCE.
  • 00:05:53
    The belief was that the white skin suggested
  • 00:05:55
    a labor free life away from the sun.
  • 00:05:58
    Similarly, regarding double eyelids, Elise Hu notes
  • 00:06:00
    in her book "Flawless,"
  • 00:06:01
    that it's actually East Asian movie stars with this feature
  • 00:06:04
    who are considered the ideal.
  • 00:06:06
    She writes in East Asia,
  • 00:06:07
    the double-eyelidded Hwang Shin-Hye, not Meg Ryan
  • 00:06:11
    had the most sought after face.
  • 00:06:13
    No offense to the beautiful Meg Ryan, of course.
  • 00:06:15
    She also reports that of the hundreds
  • 00:06:17
    of people she talked to for her book,
  • 00:06:19
    not a single person said the motivation
  • 00:06:21
    for plastic surgery in Korea is to look more European.
  • 00:06:24
    Furthermore, anthropologists
  • 00:06:26
    and scholars have uniformly found that the importance
  • 00:06:29
    of local cultural dynamics trumps
  • 00:06:31
    outside influences when it comes to health and beauty norms.
  • 00:06:35
    Well, yes, there are some traces
  • 00:06:37
    of European beauty baked into the Korean beauty ideal.
  • 00:06:40
    Sophie Jin argues that this was not the result
  • 00:06:43
    of idealizing whiteness,
  • 00:06:45
    but the result of Koreans attempting
  • 00:06:47
    to formulate a new national identity separate
  • 00:06:51
    from their former colonizer, Japan.
  • 00:06:53
    She writes for the Journal of Contemporary Asian Studies.
  • 00:06:55
    "For a country shaped by foreign influence, a desire
  • 00:06:58
    for a new identity stemmed from an 'Anti-other' sentiment
  • 00:07:02
    or a rejection of foreign powers.
  • 00:07:04
    Thus, by drawing on aspects of Western beauty,
  • 00:07:07
    but molding them to the Korean face.
  • 00:07:10
    The new Korean look became one distinct
  • 00:07:12
    from both the Western face
  • 00:07:14
    and the traditional East Asian face,
  • 00:07:16
    reminiscent of Korea's colonizers."
  • 00:07:18
    This look is sometimes called K-face by sociologists.
  • 00:07:22
    Yip, Ainsworth and Hugh note that this beauty standard
  • 00:07:25
    is supposed to signal global integration
  • 00:07:28
    and cosmopolitanism and that the strategic combining
  • 00:07:32
    of European elements with a predominantly Asian look
  • 00:07:35
    gives off a worldly appearance.
  • 00:07:37
    It's very similar to Instagram face
  • 00:07:39
    that we have in the West,
  • 00:07:41
    in the way that the face combines various features
  • 00:07:43
    of you know, multiple races
  • 00:07:45
    to produce a somewhat ethnically ambiguous look,
  • 00:07:48
    but K-face is still distinctly Korean
  • 00:07:51
    just as Instagram face is still distinctly white.
  • 00:07:54
    Beyond the features themselves,
  • 00:07:55
    there's also a lot of emphasis on proportions
  • 00:07:57
    in Korean beauty marketing.
  • 00:07:59
    For instance, the one to one to one face ratio
  • 00:08:02
    that says you should be equally balanced between your brow,
  • 00:08:04
    your nose, and your chin,
  • 00:08:05
    and the leg ratio that says you should have a five to three
  • 00:08:09
    to two proportion between your thigh, calf and ankle.
  • 00:08:12
    (Doctor speaking in foreign language)
  • 00:08:16
    - The hyper focus on proportions might stem
  • 00:08:18
    from East Asian beliefs about first impressions in Korea,
  • 00:08:21
    it's a concept called, "Insang," Ann Shin explains
  • 00:08:24
    what Insang is in her short story, "Learning To Walk."
  • 00:08:27
    Koreans say you can tell a person's disposition
  • 00:08:29
    by reading their facial expression at rest.
  • 00:08:31
    It's called Insang.
  • 00:08:33
    You could say a person has a warm Insang
  • 00:08:35
    or a nervous Insang,
  • 00:08:36
    or an Insang that shows they've been through
  • 00:08:38
    a lot of hardship.
  • 00:08:39
    That's not the one that I want. (laughs)
  • 00:08:41
    I'm sure the focus on specific proportions
  • 00:08:44
    is also great industry marketing.
  • 00:08:46
    These ratios designate seemingly objective measurements
  • 00:08:49
    that you can measure your own body up to
  • 00:08:51
    and thus modify accordingly at the clinic
  • 00:08:54
    if you don't meet them.
  • 00:08:55
    Calf Botox literally exists
  • 00:08:57
    to atrophy the muscle in your calf
  • 00:08:59
    so that you can hit that golden ratio.
  • 00:09:02
    These objective, wink, objective ratios also allow people
  • 00:09:07
    to measure other people's bodies as well.
  • 00:09:09
    A few years ago, BeBoss TV published a YouTube video called,
  • 00:09:12
    "9 Female Idols
  • 00:09:13
    with Most Insane Body Proportions in Kpop."
  • 00:09:17
    In their video, they analyze different idol bodies
  • 00:09:19
    to determine who has the best body of each group.
  • 00:09:23
    - [Presenter] According to Celeb Revealed,
  • 00:09:24
    she's 48 kilograms heavy, 167.5 centimeters tall,
  • 00:09:29
    and easily stands out with body measurements
  • 00:09:31
    of 34, 25, 31 inches.
  • 00:09:33
    - Crazy stuff, if you look in the comments,
  • 00:09:35
    also, most of them are stating their own opinion
  • 00:09:37
    of who has the best body rather than asking
  • 00:09:39
    why we're even talking about this in the first place.
  • 00:09:42
    There is also plenty of forum posts
  • 00:09:44
    that feed into this body discourse as well.
  • 00:09:46
    A Reddit post asking, "What do fans exactly mean
  • 00:09:49
    when an idol has good proportions?"
  • 00:09:51
    Received an answer that mentions a head to body ratio
  • 00:09:54
    known as the "Eight stacked heads test."
  • 00:09:57
    AKA the perfect body is eight heads tall.
  • 00:10:01
    Actually the perfect body is five apples tall but whatever.
  • 00:10:04
    Hu mentions in her book a concept called
  • 00:10:06
    the "Technological Gaze," she defines it
  • 00:10:09
    as an algorithmically determined set of ideal traits
  • 00:10:11
    for our facial and body parts that social platforms feed us
  • 00:10:15
    through the content we scroll.
  • 00:10:17
    It represents a power shift
  • 00:10:18
    from an external male-judging gaze
  • 00:10:21
    to a self-policing narcissistic gaze.
  • 00:10:24
    The self-policing tech gaze creates demand
  • 00:10:27
    for what we should look like and also feeds it,
  • 00:10:29
    thanks to the attention economy
  • 00:10:31
    that drives competition among the biggest tech companies.
  • 00:10:34
    The technological gaze is present across any country
  • 00:10:37
    that has access to social media.
  • 00:10:39
    It's the reason why Instagram face is a thing
  • 00:10:41
    and why everyone is getting the same treatments, lip filler,
  • 00:10:45
    chin lipo, rhinoplasties in America,
  • 00:10:48
    but who explains that Korea is hyper modern,
  • 00:10:50
    which emphasizes the technological gaze even more.
  • 00:10:54
    After all, it's the most wired place on earth,
  • 00:10:56
    has world leading internet speeds
  • 00:10:58
    and in 2006 had the highest broadband penetration rate
  • 00:11:02
    in the world.
  • 00:11:03
    Seoul is also the fourth most surveyed city in the world
  • 00:11:06
    ranked by a number of CCTV cameras per square mile.
  • 00:11:09
    As a result, it's unsurprising there's such a heavy emphasis
  • 00:11:12
    on visual culture.
  • 00:11:13
    I learned a few years ago
  • 00:11:14
    that some K-pop idols even get nostril Botox.
  • 00:11:17
    It's because when they're performing on stage,
  • 00:11:19
    camera operators will literally zoom in
  • 00:11:21
    on specific idol faces while they're singing and dancing,
  • 00:11:24
    and the quality is like 4K.
  • 00:11:26
    So you can see every sweat droplet on their skin
  • 00:11:29
    and the Botox is supposed to prevent the nostrils
  • 00:11:32
    from flaring out in a non photogenic manner
  • 00:11:34
    during their closeups.
  • 00:11:36
    I mean, if we're going to zoom in on nostrils,
  • 00:11:38
    what can't we zoom in on.
  • 00:11:40
    Procedures like getting your armpit colorized,
  • 00:11:43
    shaving the back of your skull to look more rounded
  • 00:11:45
    and getting Botox injected into your trapezius muscles.
  • 00:11:49
    These are all incredibly specific procedures
  • 00:11:52
    and hardly noticeable to anyone else,
  • 00:11:54
    but the fact that people still get them done just goes
  • 00:11:57
    to show how stringent beauty standards have become.
  • 00:12:00
    (upbeat piano music)
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    (keyboard buttons clacking)
  • 00:12:07
    You know, it's actually incredible that Korean beauty
  • 00:12:10
    is so powerful on the global stage
  • 00:12:12
    because Korea had a pretty late start in the beauty game.
  • 00:12:15
    During the Joseon period, which was 1392 to 1910,
  • 00:12:18
    makeup was mostly associated with lower class courtesans.
  • 00:12:21
    This is because Confucianism was popular
  • 00:12:23
    and one Confucian value is to keep the body
  • 00:12:25
    as natural as possible.
  • 00:12:27
    It wasn't until 1916
  • 00:12:28
    that the first mass manufactured Korean beauty product came
  • 00:12:31
    onto the scene, a white face powder called Pakabun.
  • 00:12:35
    But throughout the 20th century, there were some hiccups
  • 00:12:37
    to industry growth.
  • 00:12:38
    Following the Korean War, South Korea was ranked
  • 00:12:40
    among the poorest nations in the world.
  • 00:12:43
    Then in 1997,
  • 00:12:44
    a major economic crash forced the government
  • 00:12:47
    into asking the IMF for an emergency loan of $57 billion.
  • 00:12:51
    There was a lot of resentment over this bailout
  • 00:12:54
    as citizens worried over the potential loss
  • 00:12:56
    of their country's economic independence.
  • 00:12:58
    For example, as a condition to the aid,
  • 00:13:00
    the IMF forced South Korea to admit foreign banks
  • 00:13:03
    and allow the import of Japanese goods
  • 00:13:05
    that had previously been banned.
  • 00:13:07
    For context, Japan started its Imperial campaign
  • 00:13:09
    in the late 1800s and annexed Korea in 1910.
  • 00:13:12
    They brutally ruled over the country until the end
  • 00:13:15
    of World War II and given all the terror
  • 00:13:17
    the military incited on the Korean people
  • 00:13:20
    and the fact it was still a living memory
  • 00:13:22
    for most of the population,
  • 00:13:24
    yeah, it makes sense why there would be distaste
  • 00:13:26
    over Japanese products.
  • 00:13:28
    "The New York Times" interviewed a Korean woman at the time
  • 00:13:30
    who lamented, "I'm angry at the American
  • 00:13:34
    and Japanese demands.
  • 00:13:35
    If you really wanna help us,
  • 00:13:36
    don't make us buy your things, just by our things."
  • 00:13:40
    This sentiment was probably felt
  • 00:13:42
    by the president at the time, Kim Dae-jung.
  • 00:13:43
    He was also shocked at how much revenue the US
  • 00:13:46
    and UK made from their media industries
  • 00:13:48
    and decided that Korea needed its own pop culture industry.
  • 00:13:52
    After the IMF crisis,
  • 00:13:53
    he invested money into a new cultural content office.
  • 00:13:56
    It became a collective effort in the country
  • 00:13:58
    to build up the industry as everyone was eager
  • 00:14:01
    to eclipse Japanese pop cultural imports.
  • 00:14:04
    This soft power agenda strategy is known as Hallyu,
  • 00:14:08
    and yes, it also included the beauty sector.
  • 00:14:10
    As an example of the government's purposeful investment
  • 00:14:13
    in the beauty industry.
  • 00:14:14
    In the early aughts Seoul's cosmetic surgery clinics
  • 00:14:17
    were actually on the verge of shutdown,
  • 00:14:20
    since there weren't enough patients.
  • 00:14:22
    But in 2007,
  • 00:14:24
    the Korea Tourism Organization established medical tourism
  • 00:14:27
    as one of its focus areas for growth.
  • 00:14:29
    Today, a medical tourism support center greets visitors
  • 00:14:32
    at the Incheon International Airport, the entry point
  • 00:14:36
    for the hundreds of thousands who visit South Korea
  • 00:14:39
    for procedures each year.
  • 00:14:41
    You can also get a value added tax refund
  • 00:14:44
    if you get a cosmetic procedure
  • 00:14:45
    that is over 15,000 Korean won or about 11 USD.
  • 00:14:49
    As a result of this effort,
  • 00:14:51
    the Korean beauty industry grew exponentially.
  • 00:14:53
    In 2009, about 60,000 foreigners visited Korea
  • 00:14:56
    for procedures.
  • 00:14:57
    By 2019, the number
  • 00:14:59
    of medical tourists reached nearly half a million.
  • 00:15:02
    By 2018, Korea boasted the most cosmetic surgeons
  • 00:15:05
    and most plastic surgery per capita on earth.
  • 00:15:09
    In her investigative piece
  • 00:15:10
    on Korea's plastic surgery industry,
  • 00:15:12
    Patricia Marx visited a clinic
  • 00:15:13
    in the so-called improvement corridor
  • 00:15:15
    of the Gangnam District.
  • 00:15:17
    She notes that in this area there were between 4
  • 00:15:19
    and 500 clinics and hospitals within a square mile.
  • 00:15:23
    Because of how popular Korea is
  • 00:15:24
    as a medical tourism destination,
  • 00:15:26
    there are now cottage industries of medical tour guides.
  • 00:15:29
    I still remember the first time I witnessed
  • 00:15:31
    an influencer publicizing her medical tourism journey.
  • 00:15:35
    This was back in 2017,
  • 00:15:36
    so it was pretty shocking and memorable.
  • 00:15:39
    She actually had a deal
  • 00:15:40
    with a medical tourism agency called Docfinder Korea.
  • 00:15:43
    They essentially acted as a middleman hoping her
  • 00:15:46
    to book her appointments, transportation and accommodations,
  • 00:15:50
    and with everything taken care of, it honestly starts
  • 00:15:53
    to seem more like a vacation than a hospital visit.
  • 00:15:55
    There are plenty of travel vloggers who will go to Seoul
  • 00:15:58
    and feature a cosmetic procedure
  • 00:16:00
    as just one item on their travel itinerary along
  • 00:16:03
    with eating delicious food and exploring the city.
  • 00:16:05
    - [Tourist] My gosh, this smells so good!
  • 00:16:10
    - [Guest] Oh...
  • 00:16:11
    - So what's the next step for the industry then?
  • 00:16:14
    To build tourist attractions
  • 00:16:16
    around the hospitals, obviously,
  • 00:16:18
    Marx notes that one clinic she visited
  • 00:16:20
    had its own plastic surgery museum,
  • 00:16:23
    complete with among other oddments, deformed skulls,
  • 00:16:25
    postoperative shampoo, and a fun house mirror.
  • 00:16:29
    Websites like Visit Korea will actually advertise
  • 00:16:31
    a combination of medical procedures
  • 00:16:33
    and tourist destinations
  • 00:16:35
    with one itinerary titled "Medical Tour Guide to Muan:
  • 00:16:39
    Enjoy the City Embracing the Sea and Tidal Flats."
  • 00:16:42
    The itinerary lists hospitals along with restaurants
  • 00:16:44
    and natural wonders.
  • 00:16:46
    So it's these kinds of luxuries
  • 00:16:48
    and experiences that help make Korea
  • 00:16:50
    a popular destination for medical tourism.
  • 00:16:53
    But you might be wondering why participate
  • 00:16:55
    in medical tourism at all?
  • 00:16:56
    Why go through the lengths
  • 00:16:58
    of getting procedures over in another country
  • 00:17:00
    when there are plenty of specialized doctors
  • 00:17:02
    in many of our home countries?
  • 00:17:04
    While a lot of procedures are actually cheaper in Korea
  • 00:17:06
    than my home country of America.
  • 00:17:09
    A Bloomberg article interviewed Julie Miller,
  • 00:17:11
    a 46-year-old from New Jersey who is flying to South Korea
  • 00:17:14
    to get Botox and skin tightening.
  • 00:17:16
    Rebecca Choong Wilkins reports for Bloomberg,
  • 00:17:19
    "It's a trip that'll take her about a day
  • 00:17:20
    and the final bill for those treatments isn't cheap,
  • 00:17:23
    about $3,000,
  • 00:17:24
    but it's almost half the cost of doing it back home."
  • 00:17:27
    She's right. Prices are cheaper.
  • 00:17:30
    At Oracle, a clinic in Seoul,
  • 00:17:31
    an entire region of Botox is as cheap as $30,
  • 00:17:35
    whereas the same procedure in LA would be $200.
  • 00:17:38
    As for double eyelid surgery,
  • 00:17:40
    you can get one for $300 in Seoul.
  • 00:17:42
    The price for the procedure in the US is 10 times higher.
  • 00:17:45
    Jungmi Jun, a researcher at USC reported
  • 00:17:47
    in her 2015 study that major surgeries in Korea are offered
  • 00:17:50
    at a price two to eight times lower than
  • 00:17:53
    in the United States.
  • 00:17:55
    Some hospitals will also price treatments low
  • 00:17:58
    to get patients into their clinics
  • 00:17:59
    in hopes that those patients will return
  • 00:18:01
    for more expensive procedures later on.
  • 00:18:04
    I also have multiple East Asian friends
  • 00:18:06
    who just do not trust American doctors,
  • 00:18:09
    believing that these doctors are uninformed
  • 00:18:11
    about East Asian facial features and proportions
  • 00:18:13
    and will botch them as a result.
  • 00:18:15
    And as I said before, the specificity of the procedures
  • 00:18:18
    that you didn't even know you needed help
  • 00:18:19
    to reinforce Korea's reputation
  • 00:18:21
    as a technologically advanced country that will take care
  • 00:18:24
    of you, unless they don't.
  • 00:18:27
    Like any country with a beauty industry, human error,
  • 00:18:30
    predatory marketing and clinics focused
  • 00:18:32
    on bottom line profits will lead
  • 00:18:34
    to botch results or even death.
  • 00:18:37
    There's also a number of factors specific to medical tourism
  • 00:18:39
    that can pose additional problems such as the lack
  • 00:18:42
    of translators and presence of illegal brokers.
  • 00:18:45
    Personally, I find that the best recommendations
  • 00:18:47
    for anything from medical doctors to restaurants
  • 00:18:51
    to hiking trails,
  • 00:18:52
    they all come from people I actually know,
  • 00:18:54
    people who I trust to have gotten this firsthand experience.
  • 00:18:58
    When you're a foreigner, unless you have friends
  • 00:19:00
    or family based in that country that can tell you what's up,
  • 00:19:03
    for the most part,
  • 00:19:04
    you're going to have to rely on the internet
  • 00:19:06
    to get your recommendations, and as the saying goes,
  • 00:19:10
    don't believe everything you read on the internet.
  • 00:19:12
    Predatory people across Reddit
  • 00:19:13
    and other online forums will post fake reviews all the time,
  • 00:19:17
    even though this is illegal,
  • 00:19:19
    some posters receive commissions from bringing in clients,
  • 00:19:21
    which is why they do it.
  • 00:19:23
    Doctors will also pay commissions
  • 00:19:24
    to brokers who help foreign patients match
  • 00:19:27
    with their clinics.
  • 00:19:28
    I should add, this is illegal for domestic patients.
  • 00:19:31
    Korean law also prohibits the use of influencers
  • 00:19:34
    for testimonial marketing,
  • 00:19:36
    but influencers are often still part
  • 00:19:38
    of a clinic's marketing scheme.
  • 00:19:39
    "Al Jazeera" reviewed a contract
  • 00:19:41
    that required a foreign influencer
  • 00:19:43
    to produce multiple promotional videos
  • 00:19:46
    and social media content about a plastic surgery clinic
  • 00:19:49
    in exchange for free surgery,
  • 00:19:51
    with the clinic dictating specific positive language
  • 00:19:54
    to be used in posts.
  • 00:19:55
    The clinic requires that that influencer produce the content
  • 00:19:57
    before knowing the final result of the surgery,
  • 00:19:59
    stipulated that it would review all content
  • 00:20:02
    before its release and included confidentiality terms
  • 00:20:05
    that effectively prevented disclosure
  • 00:20:07
    of the sponsored nature of the surgery.
  • 00:20:09
    When the influencer didn't wanna use the positive language
  • 00:20:12
    because she wasn't happy with the results,
  • 00:20:15
    the company demanded she pay back
  • 00:20:18
    for the surgery and travel costs.
  • 00:20:19
    Fortunately, her lawyer got the demand to stop
  • 00:20:22
    after reminding the hospital
  • 00:20:23
    that they were already doing something illegal
  • 00:20:25
    under medical advertising laws.
  • 00:20:26
    But not every influencer can afford a good lawyer
  • 00:20:29
    to argue these clauses
  • 00:20:30
    or even know that arguing is a possibility.
  • 00:20:34
    The actual experience of getting the surgery
  • 00:20:36
    can also be overwhelming and confusing.
  • 00:20:39
    One American named Alex, who traveled to South Korea
  • 00:20:42
    for a rhinoplasty said she was rushed into surgery
  • 00:20:45
    despite having reservations and not being able
  • 00:20:47
    to speak with an in-house translator.
  • 00:20:49
    After the surgery, she experienced complications
  • 00:20:52
    including disfigurement due to the implant
  • 00:20:55
    protruding through her skin, which forced her
  • 00:20:58
    to get an emergency removal surgery in the US,
  • 00:21:01
    which I'm sure was an extra wad of cash.
  • 00:21:06
    She told Al Jazeera, "I felt abandoned,
  • 00:21:09
    like I was on a conveyor belt.
  • 00:21:10
    Once they had done the surgery,
  • 00:21:12
    they didn't wanna deal with me anymore.
  • 00:21:13
    They kept saying I was still healing
  • 00:21:15
    when I knew something was seriously wrong."
  • 00:21:17
    Frustrated by inadequate aftercare
  • 00:21:19
    and unable to secure a refund,
  • 00:21:21
    Alex wrote a review with photos on the Gangnam UNNI app,
  • 00:21:24
    a popular plastic surgery review platform marketed as UNNI
  • 00:21:28
    outside South Korea, eager to avoid negative publicity,
  • 00:21:31
    the hospital offered a full refund,
  • 00:21:33
    but only after she agreed to delete the review
  • 00:21:36
    and sign a confidentiality agreement.
  • 00:21:38
    The document which was reviewed
  • 00:21:40
    by Al Jazeera prohibited her from discussing the contents
  • 00:21:43
    of the agreement and her experience on any platform
  • 00:21:46
    with failure to comply resulting in financial penalties.
  • 00:21:49
    Malpractice is everywhere.
  • 00:21:52
    You know, there's an entire reality TV show dedicated
  • 00:21:55
    to fixing bad plastic surgery in the US.
  • 00:21:58
    Some procedures are also just more difficult
  • 00:22:00
    to do than others.
  • 00:22:01
    They're more high risk.
  • 00:22:02
    BBLs have a notoriously high mortality rate compared
  • 00:22:05
    to other surgical procedures.
  • 00:22:07
    I'm not too familiar with the American legal system,
  • 00:22:09
    which I'm sure is tricky to deal with even for citizens.
  • 00:22:13
    But if you get a procedure abroad, it's even more difficult
  • 00:22:16
    to navigate because you're not a citizen,
  • 00:22:18
    so you have different rights
  • 00:22:20
    and I'm assuming you don't speak the local language,
  • 00:22:22
    so you'll need translators,
  • 00:22:24
    you'll need to somehow find a lawyer, et cetera.
  • 00:22:26
    Additionally, it's hard to get restitution
  • 00:22:29
    if an accident does occur
  • 00:22:30
    because Korea has strict defamation laws
  • 00:22:32
    that make it very difficult for anyone to sue.
  • 00:22:34
    There's also the issue with ghost doctors, AKA doctors
  • 00:22:38
    who perform a surgery that another surgeon was hired for.
  • 00:22:41
    They come into the operating room
  • 00:22:42
    when the patient is under general anesthetic.
  • 00:22:44
    It's technically illegal,
  • 00:22:45
    but regulations are not heavily enforced
  • 00:22:47
    because it's hard to prove.
  • 00:22:48
    Many clinics don't have CCTV cameras
  • 00:22:51
    in their operating rooms
  • 00:22:52
    and you know patients are knocked out.
  • 00:22:54
    The reason the ghost doctor industry exists is
  • 00:22:56
    because of how high demand these clinics are,
  • 00:22:59
    but rather than just accepting fewer clients,
  • 00:23:01
    they hire ghost doctors, usually younger,
  • 00:23:03
    less experienced doctors to maximize profits.
  • 00:23:06
    Jo Elfving-Hwang, an associate professor
  • 00:23:08
    of Korean studies at the University of Western Australia,
  • 00:23:11
    told CNN that high profile surgeons often use K-pop stars
  • 00:23:16
    or celebrities to promote their clinic,
  • 00:23:18
    but during busy periods, some just can't deal
  • 00:23:21
    with the volume of patients,
  • 00:23:22
    especially as star doctors also need to be available
  • 00:23:25
    for consultations with new customers.
  • 00:23:28
    Ghost doctors operate illegally in America too,
  • 00:23:31
    but laws in Korea are pretty relaxed
  • 00:23:34
    even when malpractice is proven.
  • 00:23:36
    For example, one doctor who asked a nurse to perform eyelid
  • 00:23:39
    or nose plastic surgeries at least 90 times,
  • 00:23:42
    received only a three month suspension.
  • 00:23:45
    Between 2008 and 2014,
  • 00:23:48
    the Korean Society of Plastic Surgeons estimated
  • 00:23:50
    that there were about 100,000 victims
  • 00:23:52
    of ghost surgery in South Korea.
  • 00:23:54
    I should clarify that just
  • 00:23:56
    because you're treated by a ghost doctor doesn't mean
  • 00:23:57
    anything bad will happen to you,
  • 00:23:59
    but it is concerning to not know what's happening
  • 00:24:02
    and also it is illegal.
  • 00:24:04
    So yeah, just not good.
  • 00:24:06
    Overall, you know, I'm not saying
  • 00:24:07
    that Korea's a bad place to get work done.
  • 00:24:09
    Obviously many people go without any issues,
  • 00:24:12
    but I think everyone at the very least should be informed
  • 00:24:15
    no matter what country they go to,
  • 00:24:17
    no matter what specific clinic they go to.
  • 00:24:20
    Korea has this really good reputation,
  • 00:24:21
    but that doesn't mean that you shouldn't do any research.
  • 00:24:24
    There was a girl on TikTok that went viral recently,
  • 00:24:27
    but she deleted her video maybe
  • 00:24:28
    because she was avoiding getting sued for defamation,
  • 00:24:31
    but she was permanently blinded
  • 00:24:32
    by her doctor in Korea when getting filler injected.
  • 00:24:35
    People just have so much trust in these institutions,
  • 00:24:38
    but you only have one body, so just be as informed
  • 00:24:41
    as you possibly can if you must get a procedure.
  • 00:24:44
    (upbeat piano music)
  • 00:24:46
    (keyboard buttons clacking)
  • 00:24:51
    Despite the risks,
  • 00:24:52
    cosmetic surgery has become a pretty normalized
  • 00:24:54
    both in Korea and in LA.
  • 00:24:56
    A 2020 "Gallup" poll found that
  • 00:24:59
    since the early 2000s,
  • 00:25:01
    70% of Koreans don't view cosmetic surgery as taboo.
  • 00:25:04
    One in three women surveyed all between the ages of 19
  • 00:25:07
    and 39 had undergone cosmetic surgery.
  • 00:25:09
    59% of men said they would get plastic surgery
  • 00:25:12
    to improve their chances on the job market,
  • 00:25:14
    a number that shot up 30% since 1994.
  • 00:25:17
    Korean American journalist Jane Chung wrote
  • 00:25:19
    for Business Insider that when she was 14,
  • 00:25:21
    her family offered her double eyelid surgery
  • 00:25:23
    as a middle school graduation gift.
  • 00:25:26
    Chung refused because at the time she believed
  • 00:25:28
    that permanent body modification was, quote,
  • 00:25:31
    "A tool of patriarchy to control and subdue women."
  • 00:25:34
    She's not wrong.
  • 00:25:35
    Chung is not the only one who's been offered plastic surgery
  • 00:25:38
    as a graduation gift, though,
  • 00:25:39
    it's common enough in South Korea that dermatology
  • 00:25:42
    and plastic surgery apps offer up to 50 to 70% off discounts
  • 00:25:46
    to recent high school grads in a three pack
  • 00:25:49
    of popular procedures, eyelid surgery, nose jobs,
  • 00:25:52
    and Botox for jaw contouring.
  • 00:25:54
    Patricia Marx interviewed a Korean college student
  • 00:25:56
    who said, "When you're 19,
  • 00:25:58
    all the girls get plastic surgery.
  • 00:25:59
    So if you don't do it after a few years,
  • 00:26:01
    your friends will all look better,
  • 00:26:02
    but you will look like your unimproved you."
  • 00:26:05
    There's a statistic that one in four Korean mothers
  • 00:26:08
    with daughters between the ages of 12
  • 00:26:10
    and 16 have suggested plastic surgery to them.
  • 00:26:14
    An anonymous Korean woman told "Vice,"
  • 00:26:15
    that the pressure comes from wanting their kids
  • 00:26:17
    to be socially accepted.
  • 00:26:19
    She says, "Everyone is getting prettier and prettier
  • 00:26:23
    and some parents don't want their child to be the ugly one.
  • 00:26:26
    It's like in the 90s if you got a Discman
  • 00:26:28
    because your parents didn't want you
  • 00:26:30
    to be the only kid at school without one."
  • 00:26:33
    This weirdly reminds me
  • 00:26:34
    of the whole Japanese bento box phenomenon.
  • 00:26:37
    Walk with me here, in Japan it's common for mothers
  • 00:26:41
    to invest a lot of energy
  • 00:26:42
    into preparing aesthetically pleasing bento boxes
  • 00:26:45
    or lunch boxes for their children.
  • 00:26:47
    It can take hours to prepare all the ingredients,
  • 00:26:50
    source the right tools and shape all the foods.
  • 00:26:53
    Rudiko Tamira, a 43-year-old Japanese woman
  • 00:26:56
    with two young children told National Geographic
  • 00:26:58
    that she knows mothers who get up at like four o'clock
  • 00:27:01
    or five o'clock in the morning cutting seaweed
  • 00:27:03
    with scissors.
  • 00:27:05
    Mariko Oi wrote for BBC about this
  • 00:27:08
    and explained that the reason why they do this
  • 00:27:10
    is because "There is an underlying guilt
  • 00:27:12
    that we, many Japanese working mothers feel.
  • 00:27:15
    It was our choice not to give up our careers
  • 00:27:18
    so our children shouldn't suffer because of it."
  • 00:27:20
    She also notes that this is an expectation put on mothers
  • 00:27:23
    by their communities as well.
  • 00:27:25
    One woman confessed to her,
  • 00:27:27
    "The pressure that my bento must be judged
  • 00:27:29
    by the teachers makes it even more stressful."
  • 00:27:33
    Makiko Itoh, author of "The Just Bento Cookbook," says
  • 00:27:36
    that Bento is a reflection of parenthood.
  • 00:27:38
    "A lot of it is caused by the fact that many parents want
  • 00:27:41
    to get their kids into a good kindergarten
  • 00:27:43
    and for that they have to pass the test.
  • 00:27:46
    So the better the parents perform in their parental duties,
  • 00:27:48
    including making the right lunches,
  • 00:27:51
    the more likely their children will be accepted
  • 00:27:53
    by good schools and receive a better education."
  • 00:27:58
    A 36-year-old Japanese woman named Kyoko Sudo
  • 00:28:01
    also told Nat Geo her personal experience
  • 00:28:03
    of being bullied over bento when she was in school,
  • 00:28:07
    she recounted,
  • 00:28:08
    "Kids started complaining about what my mother made,
  • 00:28:11
    'maybe Kiyoko's family is very poor
  • 00:28:13
    because she only has one egg and one sausage.'
  • 00:28:15
    They judged me and my family, you know."
  • 00:28:17
    So in a similar fashion I think that a lot
  • 00:28:19
    of the parents encouraging their kids
  • 00:28:21
    to get plastic surgery are coming from a good place.
  • 00:28:24
    You know, they want their kids to fit in, to not be bullied,
  • 00:28:27
    to get good jobs later in life
  • 00:28:29
    and they don't wanna be judged
  • 00:28:30
    as being bad parents, et cetera.
  • 00:28:32
    But ultimately it is another pressure point
  • 00:28:34
    that reinforces structural lookism.
  • 00:28:38
    Lookism is social prejudice against those who fail
  • 00:28:40
    to meet a certain appearance standard
  • 00:28:42
    and the word stems from the fat acceptance movement.
  • 00:28:45
    Lookism is prohibited by a 1995 Korean law,
  • 00:28:49
    but Helen Chu, a Korean beauty entrepreneur explains
  • 00:28:52
    that often the first thing anyone says when they meet you
  • 00:28:56
    is related to looks.
  • 00:28:58
    And as I said, it's structural.
  • 00:28:59
    A 2017 South Korean poll found that nearly 40%
  • 00:29:02
    of respondents experienced discrimination
  • 00:29:04
    based on their appearances when applying for jobs,
  • 00:29:07
    up until 2019 when the practice became illegal,
  • 00:29:10
    it was common for job applications
  • 00:29:12
    to require headshots from their candidates.
  • 00:29:14
    Job listings will also use terms like neat
  • 00:29:17
    and beautiful to describe ideal candidates.
  • 00:29:19
    One advertisement that drew media attention specified C
  • 00:29:23
    as the ideal bra cup size.
  • 00:29:25
    Even the Ministry of Employment and Labor once shared a link
  • 00:29:28
    on Twitter encouraging job seekers to mind their looks.
  • 00:29:31
    Suggesting cosmetic surgery has become one
  • 00:29:34
    of the seven credentials needed for employment
  • 00:29:36
    and asking what type
  • 00:29:38
    of face companies preferred for its applicants.
  • 00:29:40
    The post has since been removed.
  • 00:29:42
    So it's not a purely superficial interest to get work done.
  • 00:29:46
    There are actual consequences for being ugly
  • 00:29:49
    and honestly, I think if I was in a situation
  • 00:29:52
    where I literally could not get a job
  • 00:29:54
    because of the way I looked,
  • 00:29:55
    I would consider plastic surgery way more seriously.
  • 00:29:59
    Obviously, I'm not in support
  • 00:30:01
    of the cosmetic surgery industry
  • 00:30:02
    because at the end of the day this perceived independence
  • 00:30:05
    and being able to change your appearance
  • 00:30:08
    still reinforces a neoliberal mindset that each of us needs
  • 00:30:11
    to self-improve in order to compete in the market.
  • 00:30:14
    Also, worrying about aesthetic labor distracts us
  • 00:30:17
    from focusing on actual structural inequality.
  • 00:30:19
    So I don't agree with it,
  • 00:30:21
    but I'm just saying there's reasons
  • 00:30:23
    and stepping outside of a system is more difficult
  • 00:30:26
    than just paying $300 for double eyelid surgery.
  • 00:30:30
    Also, every country has
  • 00:30:31
    this kind of oppressive beauty ideal,
  • 00:30:33
    but I think the major difference between say Korea
  • 00:30:36
    and America is that Korea is more upfront about it.
  • 00:30:39
    In America to a certain extent,
  • 00:30:41
    we still cloak plastic surgery discourse
  • 00:30:43
    around feeling your best, self-improvement language
  • 00:30:46
    doesn't blatantly acknowledge the desire to be pretty
  • 00:30:49
    for the approval of society.
  • 00:30:51
    There's also still shame about getting beauty procedures.
  • 00:30:54
    Not going to name any names,
  • 00:30:55
    but there are many celebrities
  • 00:30:57
    who will deny getting any work done,
  • 00:30:59
    even when anyone with eyes can tell they did.
  • 00:31:02
    Michael Hurt, a sociologist who is half Korean
  • 00:31:04
    and half black explains, "The US still does this,
  • 00:31:07
    'No, Photoshop is bad. Be yourself.
  • 00:31:10
    Don't fall into the trap.'
  • 00:31:11
    But you can't escape this shit.
  • 00:31:13
    Korean society says, 'Fuck it,
  • 00:31:14
    you look better, so go do that.'
  • 00:31:16
    If I can make my meat face look like
  • 00:31:18
    the better hyper-Photoshopped digital version of my face,
  • 00:31:21
    why wouldn't I do that?
  • 00:31:23
    It's not the future, it's right here in Korea today.
  • 00:31:26
    Koreans get beat up for looking fake,
  • 00:31:28
    they're body shamed, but basically Korea is doing
  • 00:31:30
    what everybody will be doing very soon."
  • 00:31:33
    Yeah, I honestly feel like the reason plastic surgery
  • 00:31:36
    isn't more accepted in the US
  • 00:31:39
    is because it's less accessible here
  • 00:31:41
    and you know, we have a shrinking middle class
  • 00:31:43
    that can barely afford things
  • 00:31:45
    versus in Korea it's way more accessible
  • 00:31:48
    and so you don't have to be like upper class Hollywood
  • 00:31:51
    to be able to afford a nose job,
  • 00:31:53
    but not everyone is buying into the beauty industry.
  • 00:31:56
    There's a movement in Korea called Escape the Corset
  • 00:31:58
    that pushes back against beauty standards
  • 00:32:00
    with the more radical members foregoing makeup entirely
  • 00:32:03
    and shaving their heads.
  • 00:32:04
    Hu explains why this is so brave,
  • 00:32:06
    specifically in South Korea,
  • 00:32:08
    "The rejection of basic appearance norms comes
  • 00:32:10
    with punishing social sanctions for Korean women.
  • 00:32:13
    These activists have become outcasts at school and at work.
  • 00:32:16
    Sometimes they're even uninvited
  • 00:32:18
    to their own family gatherings."
  • 00:32:20
    One movement member, Ho Jian explains her experience.
  • 00:32:24
    "Instead of calling me by my name,
  • 00:32:26
    my coworkers just call me, 'Boy,' 'why are you like that?'
  • 00:32:29
    They'll ask me and my family tells me they think appearing
  • 00:32:32
    with short hair and being makeup free is unsafe for me.
  • 00:32:35
    Everyone comments about their own discomfort.
  • 00:32:37
    At first, I try to explain my thoughts and values,
  • 00:32:40
    but that's not what they wanted to hear,
  • 00:32:41
    so now I'm just ignored."
  • 00:32:42
    Despite detractors, The Escape The Corset movement
  • 00:32:45
    has successfully ignited many conversations
  • 00:32:47
    about women's rights
  • 00:32:48
    and some consumption data actually shows decline
  • 00:32:51
    in beauty related spending among Korean women in their 20s.
  • 00:32:54
    I can't say for sure what caused this,
  • 00:32:57
    but it's interesting nonetheless.
  • 00:32:58
    Numbers from the Ministry of Economy
  • 00:33:00
    and Finance indicate that between 2015
  • 00:33:02
    and 2018, sales of cosmetics, hair products
  • 00:33:05
    and other beauty related goods dropped
  • 00:33:06
    53.5 billion Korean won, approximately $44.8 million
  • 00:33:12
    among women in their 20s,
  • 00:33:13
    and this was also the time when Escape the Corset
  • 00:33:15
    was heavily talked about.
  • 00:33:17
    Feminist online communities like WOMAD
  • 00:33:19
    also have organized in-person demonstrations
  • 00:33:22
    and protests such as the B-Wave protests
  • 00:33:24
    for abortion rights, which started in 2016
  • 00:33:27
    and continued until 2019 when the abortion ban was lifted
  • 00:33:31
    in a constitutional court ruling.
  • 00:33:33
    (upbeat piano music)
  • 00:33:34
    (keyboard buttons clacking)
  • 00:33:38
    I think a lot of people who don't know too much about Korea
  • 00:33:40
    and are only exposed to K-pop
  • 00:33:42
    and the industry abuses going on there,
  • 00:33:45
    I think they perceive Korea
  • 00:33:46
    as being a looks obsessed country,
  • 00:33:50
    but there's different motivations
  • 00:33:51
    for why someone might be obsessed with looks
  • 00:33:53
    that go beyond just individual vanity
  • 00:33:56
    and it's after reading these resources,
  • 00:33:58
    especially Elise Hu's "Flawless" that you know,
  • 00:34:00
    I can't stop promoting because it's so good.
  • 00:34:03
    But after reading these things that I feel like I'm able
  • 00:34:05
    to understand or more understand,
  • 00:34:08
    understand more the nuances behind the beauty industry
  • 00:34:11
    and why it's difficult
  • 00:34:12
    to make broad stroke statements like
  • 00:34:14
    we should just not wear makeup and not get plastic surgery.
  • 00:34:17
    I mentioned systemic issues before,
  • 00:34:19
    but another example,
  • 00:34:21
    Jessica Elfving-Hwang interviewed 20 women living in Seoul
  • 00:34:24
    who were 63 and over about their attitudes towards beauty,
  • 00:34:27
    and the participants explained
  • 00:34:28
    that beauty work in Korea at least among elderly women,
  • 00:34:32
    was understood in the context of respect to others.
  • 00:34:35
    This concept was referred to as Yewi
  • 00:34:37
    or correct social etiquette.
  • 00:34:39
    When Hu interviewed elderly Korean American women
  • 00:34:41
    in Orange County, their attitudes were similar
  • 00:34:44
    and that they still believed in performing beauty work
  • 00:34:46
    in some way.
  • 00:34:47
    One woman, Elizabeth exclaimed through laughter,
  • 00:34:50
    "Let myself go? No, of course not!
  • 00:34:53
    I still care.
  • 00:34:54
    I put some moisturizer and a little liner
  • 00:34:56
    to look like I'm awake."
  • 00:34:57
    A 71-year-old woman, Joe Young Lim drew a link
  • 00:35:01
    between letting herself go and being unhealthy.
  • 00:35:03
    "If we're laying in a hospital, then we're, you know,
  • 00:35:06
    burdening our children."
  • 00:35:08
    These attitudes are reminiscent
  • 00:35:09
    of what journalist Autumn Whitefield-Madrano wrote
  • 00:35:12
    as a defense on beauty in 2016.
  • 00:35:14
    "The number one thing I hear from women when I ask
  • 00:35:17
    about their reasons for performing beauty work
  • 00:35:18
    is not that they wanna change how they look,
  • 00:35:21
    but that they want to look like their best selves.
  • 00:35:23
    It may be human to dream of transformation,
  • 00:35:26
    but it is practical to dream
  • 00:35:27
    of simply looking all the time the way we do
  • 00:35:30
    when we're rested, fed, watered, well sexed
  • 00:35:32
    and nicely groomed.
  • 00:35:34
    In other words, the reason we perform beauty work is
  • 00:35:37
    because we are engaged in chronic hope."
  • 00:35:40
    I think about my own grandma who is retired, married,
  • 00:35:43
    and mostly only sees people she's known for years,
  • 00:35:47
    AKA people who absolutely do not care what she looks like
  • 00:35:50
    yet she styles her hair, keeps her nails painted
  • 00:35:52
    and does an elaborate makeup routine every morning.
  • 00:35:56
    I think about myself and how I feel a lot worse
  • 00:35:58
    if I don't change outta my pajamas all day,
  • 00:36:00
    even if I, you know, don't intend to leave my house.
  • 00:36:04
    A lot of these attitudes have to do
  • 00:36:06
    with social conditioning,
  • 00:36:07
    like we maybe wrongfully associate putting on makeup
  • 00:36:11
    with being active or taking part in community,
  • 00:36:14
    but Hu writes,
  • 00:36:15
    "We should ask ourselves if the labor we're undertaking
  • 00:36:17
    is ego driven or soul driven?
  • 00:36:19
    Does it lead to more connection with ourselves
  • 00:36:21
    and others or disconnection?"
  • 00:36:24
    I think it's always valuable to know the reasons
  • 00:36:26
    for why we go through aesthetic labor
  • 00:36:28
    because it can help us come up with alternative methods
  • 00:36:31
    for living a freer life.
  • 00:36:34
    For example, if you know you associate putting on makeup
  • 00:36:37
    with seeing your friends, experiment with what it means
  • 00:36:40
    to not wear makeup and still see your friends
  • 00:36:43
    and figure out whether
  • 00:36:44
    or not you can at some point disconnect the two
  • 00:36:48
    and then notice whether
  • 00:36:49
    or not that disconnection brings any more meaning
  • 00:36:52
    to your life.
  • 00:36:53
    I don't know, it's just food for thought.
  • 00:36:55
    I think that obviously when you put in plastic surgery
  • 00:36:58
    in here, it adds like another wrench
  • 00:37:00
    to the equation than just like not wearing makeup
  • 00:37:02
    for the day but we like to talk in absolutes when it comes
  • 00:37:05
    to beauty discourse.
  • 00:37:06
    I think it serves a less to think of it
  • 00:37:09
    in those kinds of dichotomies,
  • 00:37:10
    especially when we're talking about other cultures
  • 00:37:12
    and you know, the different kinds
  • 00:37:14
    of like structural institutions that exist that make us want
  • 00:37:19
    to adjust our bodies in this specific way.
  • 00:37:23
    Okay, (giggles) anyways,
  • 00:37:25
    thanks for hanging out with me today.
  • 00:37:27
    My name is Mina. I hope you have a lovely rest of your day.
  • 00:37:30
    Please let me know in the comments what you've thought about
  • 00:37:34
    when it comes to like plastic surgery in Korea.
  • 00:37:37
    I don't know if this is like very niche,
  • 00:37:38
    but I feel like it's not that niche anymore
  • 00:37:41
    and yeah, I would love to hear any experiences as always,
  • 00:37:44
    and I'll see you next time.
  • 00:37:45
    Okay, bye. (lips smacking)
タグ
  • K-pop
  • beauty standards
  • plastic surgery
  • medical tourism
  • Korean beauty industry
  • Escape the Corset
  • lookism
  • social media
  • cultural identity
  • personal experience