Part 1: Plastic Surgery

"Images on TV convince people every day that beauty in this country is being 'standardized' as it becomes increasingly difficult to tell one actress from another" says an article from The Korea Herald. Indeed, plastic surgery in South Korea is becoming such a major trend that admitting to such artificial physical enhancements is no longer a taboo topic (Willet, 2013), with popular celebrities such as Kara’s Goo Hara and After School’s Uee admitting to the act. Plastic surgery is portrayed in a glorified manner, with gigantic billboard advertisements along the busy streets, making it almost impossible not to notice. Not forgetting the sensational and highly popular 2006 Korean film 200 Pounds Beauty, which tells the success story of a previously desperate and pathetic overweight girl’s route to stardom and happiness because of the surgeries she received over the years.

 South Korea boosts one of the largest cosmetic surgery industry, with 1313 licensed plastic/cosmetic surgery clinics (Korea Herald, 2011). It has the highest proportion of its population seeking these services at around 20% (NationMaster, 2013), one in five women from ages 19-49 going under the knife (Dunne,A., 2013), and an estimated 15% of Korean men have had cosmetic surgery in 2010 (Korean Association of Plastic Surgeon, 2010).

Above: Kara's Goo Hara. (Source: au.kpopstarz.com)

Above: After School's Uee. (Source: officiallykmusic.com) 

Above: 200 Pounds Beauty (미녀는 괴로워) - Trailer (Source: Youtube) 

With media portrayal of flawless looking celebrities, teenagers and young adults are looking forward to being as pretty/ handsome as their idols; biological traits that one is unsatisfied with can now be easily fixed with money. In fact, some South Korean parents are even encouraging their child to undergo such procedures by offering it as a graduation gift; in fear that they may lose out in comparison with their counterparts once they enter society (Willet, 2013). Reasons for undergoing surgery is no longer constricted to the pure desire of wanting to look better. This luxury now ties in with issues such as job prospects and career advancement, where it has been noted in one national survey that close to half of 600 paid employees’ biggest worry at work is their physical appearance (Job Korea, 2010), while another survey of 1700 employees sees physical appearance as one of the most important factors in getting a job (Job Korea, 2011). Such attitudes have a detrimental impact on the self-confidence and mental well-being of these young people, with the notable example of singer Solbi, who underwent a series of plastic surgery because of her depression. 

Above: Singer Solbi admitted going for plastic surgery. (Source: www.kpopstarz.com)

Above: Miss Korea 2013. Contestants have been criticized for looking too alike. (Source: Reddit)