Korean Women Worship Plastic Surgery, Says Oprah
So apparently there was an episode of Oprah’s talk show that discussed the progress of women’s self-image in numerous countries, including the States, Mexico, Great Britain, France, and other such countries.
And then there was Korea.
While the other countries talked about positive aspects as well as concerns about body image, Korea was most specifically pointed out to be a nation where women are “obsessed” with plastic surgery and that they aspire to “go under the knife to shed traditional Korean looks for Westernized features.” And nothing else.
There has been a lot of controversy over the rise of cosmetic surgery in Asia, and most Westerners simply say “Oh, well they’re just trying to look like us! Damn our Western standards of beauty!” Laura Miller, who wrote an article about Japanese youth and their interpretations on beautification, rebuked this claim, and says that yeah, maybe Asians living in America aspire to look more Western, since they, you know, live in a country where Asians are severely under-represented in mass media.
Instead, Miller argues (in what I think is an excellent point) that Japanese people who get plastic surgery are more than likely trying to emulate the looks of –who else?–Japanese celebrities, since they are the trend setters and the ones creating new social standards of beauty. I imagine that this goes the same for Korea, along with the idea that no matter what country you live in, there is always the pressure to look younger.
Also, since when was Korea the only country to be so-called “obsessed” with body image? What of America, the land of self-improvement reality shows, diet shows, diet gadgets, and um, like, talk show hosts who document every pound they gain and lose?
Sources:
- Oprah Winfrey’s Negative Remarks about Korean Women Spark Storm - The Chosun Ilbo
- S Korea’s cosmetic surgery boom - BBC News
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