My first year seminar is focusing on a specific issue in a foreign country. I suggested to my group that we present the prevalence of reconstructive plastic surgery in Korean society today. We specifically are targeting eyelid surgery, which is a huge part of society. South Korean youth has a fixation on popstars in a different way than most Americans - although we may emulate or admire a part of a celebrity, we don't usually want to change everything about ourselves to look like them or act like them. Very rarely does one hear about real obsessions that would cause someone to permanently and surgically change their own appearance with the specific goal of looking like one of the celebrities that we see in tabloids and in music videos. However, in Korea, the industry for Korean pop, or, kpop, is huge. It is not just a type of music, but a lifestyle. And Korean youth - males and females alike - are embracing it to a whole new extent.
One out of four Korean women have had reconstructive surgery of some sort, and most likely is blepheroplasty, or, eyelid reconstructive surgery. Koreans seek to westernize their look, which means changing their monolid to a double lid. Korean popstars and celebrities are not immune to this fixation - they get the surgery, which is relatively inexpensive due to its popularity, and in turn, the youth that are obsessed with them, undergo the procedure.
Contrary to Korean belief, I maintain that beauty is skin-deep, and cosmetic surgery is by and large, a way of concealing it. Surgery to look like someone else can have devastating repercussions on one's self-esteem. It cuts away at individuality and is easily the beginning of further experiences with cosmetic surgery. I do not support this vicious cycle, and I am appalled at the prevalence of surgery as an option for children as young as middle school. However, I do recognize that it is a part of the culture and their perception of beauty is different than Americans'. I only hope that it will not have destructive effects on my generation in the future.
Comments