Korea is called the empire of cosmetic surgery. Many people are willing to do cosmetic surgery for the purpose of beauty, and it is even becoming one of the “graduation presents.” It is natural that people want a beautiful appearance and want to overcome their appearance complex, but the trend of cosmetic surgery is getting worse in Korea. People are so imprudent to have the surgery without thinking why they really want to do it. Some people even think that cosmetic surgery will change their whole lives and dream of turning their lives around. This kind of blind faith in cosmetic surgery may come from the appearance-oriented Korean society, the effect of mass media, or a westernized standard of beauty. There might be other reasons behind people’s faith in cosmetic surgery’s ability to create beauty, but the one certain thing is cosmetic surgery is not the only option to choose.
According to the survey by Trend Monitor, one in five women in Seoul have surgery, and we have to notice why especially Koreans are crazy about cosmetic surgery. The first reason might be related to the characteristics of Korea. Korea is one of the appearance-oriented societies. That means appearance is competitive, and people cannot ignore the importance of looks. Other countries might show this trend too, but the degree of obsession with appearance is too much in Korea. Many Koreans suffer from an inferiority complex and feel compelled to be beautiful. This obsession with cosmetic surgery is sometimes seen as an indicator of poor-esteem. Koreans’ view of cosmetic surgery, such as “it’s not such a big deal anymore,” can be very dangerous.
Since the opening of the twentieth century, as mass media started to develop, media naturally started to affect people’s lives in various ways. We can say that the effect of mass media is the second reason for Korean’s craze of cosmetic surgery. The media shows many celebrities who have good appearances, and people naturally think that their appearance is the standard of beauty. This makes people follow them and have the surgery. Psychologists say that media can affect people’s body esteem “by becoming a reference point against which unfavourable body shape comparisons are made.” This shows that people might use images projected by the media as standards for comparison. It is so natural that people who are exposed to media’s standard form a stereotype of beauty. That is to say, media makes people form an ideal of standardized beauty and makes them think that it is the only beauty, so they can justify themselves to have the surgery.
This bad influence of mass media might form a westernized standard of beauty because celebrities who have the western look appear in the media and make people think that their look is the standard of beauty. This is the third reason of Koreans’ cosmetic surgery trend. Now, many Koreans consider big eyes, a prominent nose, white skin and a small face as components of beauty, and the combination of these components clearly show the western look. It is totally different from Korean traditional beauty. In Korea, the most common type of surgery is double-eyelid surgery, which creates an upper eyelid with a crease from an eyelid that is naturally without a crease. Not only does this surgery explain the inferiority complex of traditional Asians’ eyes, but also proves the desires to have big eyes like western people. The selection criteria of Miss Korea is another example of a westernized standard of beauty. There is no definite criteria for Miss Korea’s appearance, but the elected Miss Korea shows that big eyes, a prominent nose and white skin is the standard of beauty. It is a clear contradiction that Miss Korea, who represents Korean traditional beauty, has to resemble western beauty. However, every culture has their own ways of pursuing standardized beauty like “Chinese women’s bound lotus feet, Padaung women’s elongated necks and western women’s constricted waists.” It implys that other cultures also have standards of beauty and want to follow them. It is a sad reality because this shows Koreans are not the only people who lack confidence in their appearance and their identity.
These three factors show why Koreans are becoming crazy about cosmetic surgery. There might be other various reasons other than the characteristics of appearance-oriented Korean society, effect of mass media, or westernized standard of beauty. However, whatever the reason is, having surgery without a clear reason is definitely a wrong choice and will result in a lifetime of regret. Some might still argue that they have surgery to overcome their appearance complex and gain confidence, but that is just an excuse because it is quite clear that surgery is not the only way to get over the complex. Cosmetic surgery cannot change the person by itself; it just gives a little bit of change in a person’s appearance. That means inner change is the only way to overcome one’s complex and way more important than outward appearance change. It is not just a truism, but it is true. People just deny this truth because they don’t have that much confidence to change their inner self. However, the real and right way to get over the complex is the change of one’s own mind, and this way will be the first step to change Korean society.
**Published with permission from the author.
