Ideal Beauty in Korean Culture
Korean people have been influenced greatly by the Korean popular culture. Many people who live outside of Korea, for example, America, find it difficult to understand the people's obsession of the ideal weight and appearance. I came upon an article written by a Korean American who visited Korea for the first time.
Charlene Chae, a Korean American, visits Korea for the first time and finds out that her mother isn't the only one who thinks she is overweight. "an entire nation does". This statement relates to the general mindset of Koreans that "having nice body is a purpose of everyone in society." The standards of beauty in Korea differ greatly to those of America. People have a tendency or inclination to be like their ideal celebrities in Korea which causes people to be all thin and perform plastic surgery on their face.
In order for someone to understand the standard beauty of Korea, one must have knowledge on the cultural pressures of Koreans. Many Koreans are subject to the pressures of the society and thus believe that they must have an ideal weight or face to be attractive or beautiful. Korea's "image-centric views" cause people to be self-conscious about their selves. I raised concerns on why people must have an ideal weight or appearance in order to be accepted.
It is true that having a nice body is more physically attractive but is it morally ethical to exclude or condemn people who do not fall into the category of having the ideal beauty.
I believe the purpose of one's role in society is to make significant contributions that are related to culture, society or economics. People should not be criticized for not having the ideal weight or appearance because every single person is unique. From this article, I wanted to point out that having an ideal beauty is not important and it is unmoral for people to feel insignificant in society because of their appearances.
http://lifestyle.ca.msn.com/real-life/inner-you/do-i-look-fat-in-this-country-a-look-at-beauty-ideals-in-korean-culture-1
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_bPhGAmfD-Q
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