J_Choi

** Cosmetic Surgery: Changing the Face of Korean Culture ** ** Jasuwha Choi ** ** (995605251) ** ** Course: CCT205H5 ** ** Professor: Michael Jones and Gail Benick ** ** Due Date: February, 2009 **
 * Independent Research Assignment **

The media is one of the largest influential mediums on its receivers. Constant shifts in media have constituted to shifts in opinions and trends in society. One resulting trend is the emergence of cosmetic surgery as an acceptable practice within the last ten years. This trend is especially the case in countries within the Orient of Asia, more specifically Korea. The increased practice has resulted from the recent rise of physically altered women portrayed in Korean media. As recent studies of shown, women in Korean society have chosen to access resources in cosmetic surgery in order to look physically closer to their ideal celebrity counterparts. Korean media portrays the ideal oriental woman as a cosmetic alteration reflecting western culture. Korean media is well known for the use of popular celebrities and important figures in order to maintain an attracted audience. Most of these faces do not reflect a natural born beauty. In fact, over 90% of the Korea’s female celebrities are believed to have gone under the knife (White, 20). Many of these women are displayed in magazines, television advertisements, posters and billboards. In 2005, it was estimated that more than 50% of the total women in Korea in had some form of plastic surgery for cosmetic purposes (White, 20). It is no surprise that this number has continued to grow over years with the constant exposure of media to younger women. Korean media is a driving force for women considering cosmetic surgery. Images of celebrities such as Nam Sang Mi depict the ideal Korean woman as tall and thin with long slender legs. One picture of her found in a magazine emphasize on the slenderness of the legs as she stands in a miniskirt and heels while presenting her back against the camera. Women who see images such as these are left with associating beauty with slimly shaped legs. While this may be achievable for some, genetics are not as friendly to most. This leaves surgery as the only method of achieving this ideal figure for some.

// Two photographs of Nam Sang Mi. Scanned from a popular Korean Magazine; Credits to [|www.hanfever.com]  //

Another image of Nam Sang Mi illustrates a clear frontal view where her facial features are the primary focus. The observer of the image is drawn to the largeness of her eyes due to her “double-eyelids” as compared to the traditional smaller pointed eyes in Korean culture. Her pointed nose, full lips, and thin, round face are also areas of focus. These features all contrast to the smaller eyes and lips, and larger, squared faces that the majority of Koreans are naturally born with. Of course, such a complete transformation of physical features can only be done using cosmetic surgery. Large corporations have further pushed these images of idealism into the minds of Koreans with the use of such popular and famous faces in their ads. Samsung, one of Korea’s largest electronic corporations has used the “doll-like features” of rising stars such as Chac-Young Han to promote their products (White, 20). This is the case with many other large companies and actresses. Grey Global Group, a beauty market study group, has even labelled Tae-Hee Kim as “the most aspirational face for young Korean girls when considering plastic surgery". In effect, companies are not only using celebrities to push their goods and services, but they are also selling young women an image.  The widespread of cosmetic surgery in South Koreas only based on the push of Korean media upon its audience, but the pull of society’s acceptance over the matter. At the start of the trend, Korean celebrities did everything in their power to completely hide the fact they underwent the process. It was an unnatural extension of beauty that strayed from their natural culture and practices. In short, it was unacceptable. Many still hold these traditional values however they are unheard over the many women who willingly admit to having some form of cosmetic work done. In fact, it has become a point of news and interest if it is discovered that someone has not been physically altered through surgery (White, 20). Today, woman now except their positions as the general marketed consumers of plastic surgery (Ja, 69). Women are powerfully affected by external influences such as the media due to their natural concerns with beauty. These concerns are no different for Korean Women (Ja, 53). As Korean culture is highly interlaced with technology and media, women are highly exposed to images of women who have been physically altered through cosmetic surgery. These images become a representation of beauty for women. The natural obsession for women with their beauty attracts them to cosmetic surgery as an illusionary tool for self-improvement (Ja, 54). Korean women gain confidence in knowing they look their best and feel empowered to make themselves prevalent characters in society. Although many women use cosmetic surgery to improve their aesthetic appearance, others who may not feel strongly about the idea feel pressured. The acceptance of the procedure has created a shift in Korean society where expectations across many of the standards women face have become raised. Men want women with model resembling features, business want women who are appealing to attract business partners and social circles are changing. An example of such changes exists where a teacher in her late 30’s had surgery done to her eyes despite her parents’ opposition to the idea. Her explanation was the need to “look older and prettier for [her] job” (Glain, 1). In another example, Dr. Kim, a well known plastic surgeon, has seen cases where men have dragged their wives into his office asking to do surgery such as breast augmentations on them (Glain, 1). These pressures are reversing the once thought unacceptability of plastic surgery and forcing woman to strive for aesthetic perfection through surgery. Although Korean media is the main influence for the increasing use of plastic surgery, the origin behind the ideal features that Koreans have adopted is a result of Western influence. An increased availability of global Telecommunications and easy access to media has allowed much of western media to reach Korea. Companies such as people magazine and Vogue have given Koreans a portrait of what ideal beauty in western cultures. The internet is a large portion of this spread media as companies such as People make content available online ([|www.people.com]). Koreans incorporate this image of beauty by altering their faces and bodies to flow with western media. However, they manage to maintain Korean identities through their physical undertones. Cosmetic surgery in Korea is primarily focused on the face. While there are cases where people wish to make their legs slender, or increase their height, most are concerned with manipulating thier facial features. Most want a sharper nose, folds under their eyelids like Western women and shaved cheekbones to make their faces smaller and rounder (White, 20). To support this, most doctors such as Dr. Kim say that their client’s want an “Anglo” look as the final product with “Caucasoid features” (Glain, 1). Thus women are using cosmetic surgery to achieve a beauty derived from another culture. This raises the question as to whether Koreans are destroying their culture to replace it with American culture. Some describe the alteration of the body, such as the eyes which distinguish Asian culture, as an “internalization of racism” (Kim, 74). Others suggest that this is not the case. Instead, Asians are using cosmetic surgery to “essentialize the Asian appearance” (Kim, 74). Regardless of the cause and effect, the trend shows that Koreans have no intention of disregarding cosmetic surgery and figures in the media but instead letting the object of their beauty consume their culture.


 * Works Cited **

Glain, Steve. "Cosmetic Surgery Goes Hand in Glove With the New Korea --- What Would Confucius Say About the Westernization Of Eye, Nose and Breast?" __The Wall Street Journal__ [New York, N.Y.] 23 Nov. 1993, Eastern Edition ed.: A1. __The Wall Street__ __Journal__. Proquest. 5 Feb. 2009 . Kim, Taeyon. __The Moving Eye: From Cold War Subject to Middle Class Cosmopolitan, Korean Cosmetic Eyelid Surgery,__ __1955--2001__. Diss. Graduate College of Bowling Green State University, 2005. __Dissertations & Theses: Full Text__. Proquest. 5 Feb. 2009 . __ Nsm_mag1, nsm_mag2 __. Digital image. __Hanfever__. 21 Jan. 2008. 5 Feb. 2009 . __ People.com : The #1 Celebrity Site on the Web __. 05 Feb. 2009 . White, Amy. "Man-made faces front Korean campaigns." __Media__ (11 Mar. 2005): 20. __ABI/INFORM Global__. Proquest. 5 Feb. 2009 . Woo, Keong J. "The Beauty Complex and the Cosmetic Surgery Industry." __Korea Journal__ 44 (2004): 52-82.