Why Is Cosmetic Surgery So Popular in Korea?
Contributed by the Gwangju News GIC Team: Kim I-Seul, Jeon Se-Na, An Se-In, Choi Jin-Sil and Park Seong-Yeop
According to statistics from the International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, South Korea has more cosmetic surgeries per capita than any other country in the world. A group of Gwangju News volunteers met in January at the GIC to discuss why so many Koreans get plastic surgery. Kim I-Seul (IS), Jeon Se-Na (SN), An Se-In (SI), and Choi Jin-Sil (JS), who are all female students at Chonnam University, and one young man, Park Seong-Yeob (SY), who plans to study in the U.S., participated on the panel.
WHY DO PEOPLE WANT PLASTIC SURGERY?
IS: If I asked my friends why they got plastic surgery, maybe they would say they wanted to become pretty. That sounds like they do it for their own satisfaction, but I think it is also because men prefer pretty women.
SN: I think having plastic surgery has become an extension of the desire for self-improvement. We try to make up for our shortcomings, and some people have a complex about their looks. One of my close friends had double-eyelid surgery. Because she thought her eyes were too small, she had such a complex. After her surgery, she gained confidence, so she wanted to get a nose job as well, and finally, she did it. She said that the prettier she became, the prettier she wanted to be. At first, she just wanted to feel better about her eyes, but not anymore. Now she just wants to become prettier and prettier.
SI: Everyone would agree that a good-looking person makes a favorable impression. I think it is natural to want to look better, especially when we see pretty celebrities who used to not look that good before they had surgery.
SN: You know “Let Me In?” It is a famous TV program that helps people with such big [troubling] complexes about their appearances by providing them with free plastic surgery. Some people are so worried about their appearances that they don’t have any confidence at all. Some women even have trouble with their husbands over their appearances. After having a baby, one woman’s body and appearance changed, and her husband was disappointed and seemed not to love her anymore. I don’t think that is an unusual case. What I want to say is that becoming prettier is not the only reason for surgery. It can also help people get rid of an inferiority complex.
WHY DO KOREANS HAVE SURGERY DONE MORE THAN OTHER PEOPLE?
IS: I think “lookism” is rampant in our society. So if I become a little prettier, people’s attitudes toward me become more positive, and that makes me cheerful. But why are we Koreans so conscious of being watched? Maybe Koreans are excessively conscious of the perceptions of others.
SI: Yes, Koreans are extra self-conscious, compared to other countries’ people. I think there are cultural and historical reasons.
SN: In Korea, it is necessary to attach a photograph to a job application. And you know what they say, “Other things being equal, choose the better-looking one.”
SI: Korea’s economy has developed a lot in recent years, and people can afford to invest money in their health and beauty. Because Korean society is so competitive, people must care about the way they look, and through plastic surgery, people can be more confident and happy. If they can afford it, why wouldn’t people take the chance to become beautiful?
SY: I agree. Korea used to be a poor country, so people didn’t have the time or money to have plastic surgery. They were just living hand-to-mouth.
IS: At that time, there was a different kind of lookism. Plump men were preferred because they seemed rich. Only rich men could afford to eat enough to be chubby.
SY: Yes, but nowadays Korea has overcome poverty.
SN: These days many people think that body shape is also related to self-improvement. They think being slim is a kind of self-improvement, and someone who is plump is lazy. But that’s not entirely true. Our DNA is just as important as our lifestyle for our body shape.
WHY ARE SOME FEATURES CONSIDERED MORE BEAUTIFUL THAN OTHERS?
JS: It seems there is some specific criterion for deciding what is “pretty” and “not pretty.” In my opinion, the mass media have influenced people’s thinking. When I asked people why they thought people want to get plastic surgery, I found that their criterion for a pretty face came from entertainers, from what they saw through mass media.
IS: Yes, I think that’s true. We are brainwashed to think of entertainers as the standard of beauty. Kim Taehee, for instance. Women will have plastic surgery because they want to look like her.
JS: No one says, “Please, lower the bridge of my nose,” or “I want a rounder face.” We have been conditioned to recognize a v-shaped face with big eyes and a high nose as beautiful.
HOW DOES THE REST OF THE WORLD FEEL ABOUT PLASTIC SURGERY?
SI: When I was in Hong Kong as an exchange student, a lot of the local students would say things like, “I heard that plastic surgery is very popular in Korea. Really? How about you?” “I haven’t had surgery,” I would tell them, “But, yes, plastic surgery is popular in Korea.” It seems almost like a natural phenomenon, since celebrities do not hide the fact of their plastic surgery anymore, and a lot of people around us also get it.
IS: When I went to Canada, I met people from Columbia. They asked, “Is it true almost all Koreans have plastic surgery?” I said, “That is the general phenomenon,” They thought Koreans want to look like Westerners. But I don’t agree. If we really hoped to look like Westerners, we would use blue lenses and dye our hair blonde.
SI: But generally, when we think about the most popular plastic surgery in Korea, sometimes it seems like we want to look like Westerners. Instead of the small eyes common to Asians, people prefer to have big eyes with double eyelids. Also, people want to make their noses higher, get rid of their big cheekbones, lengthen their eyelashes and even make their skin whiter. Ever since Korea has modernized, a Westerner-like appearance has become the standard of beauty.
IS PLASTIC SURGERY’S POPULARITY A PROBLEM IN KOREA?
SY: Why do some people think it is a problem to have cosmetic surgery?
IS: A problem? I don’t think so. It is not a problem.
SI: I think the surgery itself is not a problem. But at least we have to think about whether it is really necessary to just follow a single standard of beauty and deny our natural appearances.