Talk:Medicalization of Korean Beauty in Pop Culture

Hello! Your wiki page was very interesting to read as a Korean who is well aware of both the K-Pop culture and the Korean beauty culture. Personally, I do believe that the medicalisation of beauty in Korea has reached unhealthy heights and measures. Your points made on thinness, skin-whitening and plastic surgery were well organized, hence, very easy to follow through. Do you have any suggestions towards the Korean culture and society in terms of the medicalisation of beauty? Do you think any measures will work in the Korean society? I think your wiki page would benefit from suggestions or personal comments regarding this issue. Thank you for your contribution!

Hi!

Your wiki page is extremely well-done and very detailed. I personally find the Korean Beauty culture very interesting, as I watch many Korean dramas. I really enjoyed reading about this topic. I am well aware that plastic surgery is the normative in Korea, and acknowledge that many Korean beauty idols submit to the pressures of always looking "perfect". It's interesting to see how even Western companies nowadays are creating Whitening products. One recommendation would be to add some photos of examples of the ideal types of beauty in Korean Pop Culture!

Hello!

I thought your Wiki page was an interesting start to a conversation that has not been talked about enough in mainstream media. We oftentimes see so many of these Korean idols being subjected to skin whitening treatments and plastic surgery so that they all look flawless on TV and when meeting fans. I would suggest going more in depth about plastic surgery, since it is such a huge issue for Korean idols - I have read that potential Korean idols have been pressured to look a certain way and alter their appearances, so you could possibly find a news article that talks about this. Moreover, I believe that adding in photos would be helpful in letting the reader know the 'before' and 'after' of plastic surgery and medicalization of such people. Overall, it's an interesting topic to talk about and I'm glad you wrote about it!

Hello!

Thank you for sharing. I found your topic really interesting as I used to be a fan of Kpop idols, and back then, it really made me question if "thinness" and "white skin" are the standards of beauty. Your contribution includes an appropriate amount of detail, as you describe and explain three main "beauty standards" in the Hallyu culture. You have also cited five sources, but I would suggest including the source of your argument to strengthen them, for example, the argument of skin whitening as "a reinforcement of the aesthetic of white supremacy". Moreover, I would suggest including visuals to enable readers to better understand the beauty that the culture embraces, and it would also be interesting if you can explore the changes in Korean beauty standards as the pop culture evolves, or how foreigners in the Korean entertainment industry are affected by these "beauty standards".

Hello,

Your topic was really interesting and relevant to read! I follow a few different Korean influencers on YouTube and I definitely noticed the beauty lifestyle that you were speaking about. I would love to hear more about the historical views on Korean beauty. I know you touched upon it when you mentioned how wealth was once defined by how much you can consume. I think it would be valuable to mention a few more possible factors that influenced the change in views regarding eating habits in Korea. Skin-whitening and the "glass skin" appearance is definitely a popular look in Korean culture. I was curious to know if you discovered any cultural associations with having youthful and light skin. Does this specific appearance influence one's social status or superiority in the Korean culture? Overall, I think the wiki page was really easy to follow. I liked how you tied every sub-topic back to the idea of medicalization. I would also suggest adding a few visuals or links to video clips to create an animated and interactive page. Cool first draft!

Hi!

I found your Wiki page incredibly fascinating and easy to read. There are definitely some great initial pieces that leave room for curiosity as a reader. An aspect I would like to see explored more would be more clearly defined examples of medicalization on male Korean pop stars and the general population's reaction to these expectations. Although you had some parts that said that it was regardless of gender, I think it would be great to see more tangible examples for males as it may be harder to understand by readers who don't have as much exposure to K-pop. You've done a great job with dividing the parts clearly but perhaps having more examples or visuals with each one would help illustrate what some of the ideas that you have already included actually look like. Great job!

Hello,

Thank you for your post! I really enjoyed reading your topic. As someone who has a few Korean friends and follow some Korean influencers on Youtube, I can relate to some of the beauty standards that you mentioned, specifically the desire for “porcelain skin” and double eyelids. I agree that with the rise of Korean pop culture, plastic surgery is becoming normative. Especially since many Korean celebrities endorse and are praised for their appearances, the stigma surrounding cosmetic surgery is significantly reduced in Korea and has become an ordinary aspect of daily life.

A suggestion would be to explain Korean Beauty from an intersectional perspective - describe beauty standards from other countries and compare how beauty standards are different depending on different social relations and experiences. Overall, great page!

Hi! Thank you for you wikipage! I found it extremely interesting because I am Korean, but I have lived in America my whole life, but I always hear about these Korean beauty standards. There is a reason why there is such an emphasis on skin care routines and makeup in Korean. When I visited Korea, I wanted to go buy skin care since that is what they are known for. Being half Japanese and half Korean, I have a tan skin complexion from my Japanese side. I have always loved my tan skin because growing up in America, everyone wants to be tanned. When I went to Korea, so many people tried to convince me to buy skin whitening product to lighten my skin tone, since in Korea, lighter skin is "prettier". I think that this culture has a large impact on the women living in Korea. If I lived in Korea, I would probably soon be persuaded to not like my tanned skin. In order to add more depth to you wikipage, I would suggest to add more statistics. Throughout your page, it would be helpful to get actual numbers and percentages through various research done on this topic.

Hello! Thank you for touching on the subject of skin whitening. Coming from an Indian family, light skin has always been something that is seen as beautiful. It is often seen as a sign of being wealthy. Many bollywood stars have bleached their skin to fit into "indian beauty standards". Many Indian women (even in my own family/cousins) have tried out skin whitening creams. When I was younger, i didnt see much of a problem with wanting to have lighter skin. However, as I grew older I realized the dangerous impact that these creams have on people, and how it contributes to colourism. In India, you can find so many skin bleaching creams and most of them aren't regulated. Ive also seen documentaries of skin lightening creams being sold in South Korea as well. The notion that lighter skin equals better or more appealing skin, effects many people to the point that they would rather bleach or whiten their skin instead of just embracing thier own skin colour.

Hello, and thanks for your post on this subject. This topic really interested me because I do follow some Korean beauty Youtubers as a hobby, and I've personally noticed how common it is for these women to get cosmetic surgery. I recently watched a video from the Youtuber PONY Syndrome, where she discusses having gotten eyelid surgery three times because it didn't come out looking the way she wanted. I was a bit taken back by that as a Canadian where we do not have nearly as much of a culture for cosmetic surgery. This goes to show how the attitudes in the media in Korea, combined with the affordability and availability of cosmetic procedures, unfortunately combine to create a culture that leads women to feel that a uniqueness in their body is a flaw that should be fixed with medical intervention.

I would be interested to learn if there are differences in frequency between Korean men and women and cosmetic procedure or skin whitening practices. There is definitely an intersectional element to the notion that people of other races are seeking to whiten their skin, and this may be moreso the case for women than men. There may be some articles that explore this that you could look into. Great job so far!

Hi! I really enjoyed reading over your wiki page. This topic really stood out to me first as one of the Korean which really know the situations how lots of Koreans these days are obsessed with their beauty, but in a unhealthy way. I am currently in Korea right now, and when I go into the supermarkets, there are tons of medical supplements,snacks, and prepared meals which has very low calories. There are also lots of plastic surgery hospitals and their advertisements all over the subway stations. I could even see some of the people who is wearing masks who just had their surgery done. I think the media and KPOP culture really have influenced these kind of medicalizations.