South Korea Tops Plastic Surgery Tables Again

Though for some time preoccupation with appearance has been spreading and plastic surgery is now a very natural thing, I’m just sick of it. So people with natural beauty are all the more beautiful. Do you absolutely have to be attractive? Rather than seeking artificial beauty or having plastic surgery, it seems to me that standard procedure should be for those who really need plastic surgery (like people who’ve had an unfair accident)

…Over 900 K-pop videos on YouTube by South Korea's top three media companies had received over 500 million hits from Asia alone. (This was long before Psy's "Gangnam Style," of course.)

However, even as countries around the world are reveling in the music of girl and boy bands like Girls' Generation, 2NE1 and Big Bang, some people internally are worried that K-pop may be encouraging the growth of another trend: teen plastic surgery.

On 17-year-old in the article says: "K-pop influences our societal view of how one has to look," but adds: "My grandma looks at me and says, ‘Hyunjin, I think you need to fix your nose.' I want to get double eyelid surgery and make my nose taller. I also want to get the front of my eye elongated so that my eyes appear larger." She adds: "Because I was raised in Korea, unlike the American view, surgery is kind of like makeup," Kim said. "Why do we put on makeup? It's to become prettier. Why do we do cosmetic surgery? It's just to become prettier. To condemn someone for doing so is harsh."

SEXPAND

One of Lurie's students says something similar, noting that her plastic surgery gave her confidence. Another points out that stepping on the scale in school every day is not because she obsesses about what she's eating, but because with a quick check in, she can be sure she's on track, and then notworry.

The person who runs Korean Plastic Surgery tumblr writes:

One of the big reasons Korean women get surgery is not to look white, Koreans and Asians in general not trying to be rude but could care less about being white but want to enhance there [all sic] beauty they can't do that by making there eye's smaller. It is true that Koreans find foreign women beautiful, but they don't want to look like them. Just because an Asian wants bigger,eye's, forehead and whiter skin doesn't mean they want to be white, they are trying to fit the standards they have generations, certain foreigners just happen to fit the standard as well.

Whatever the reasons for plastic surgery, it's fascinating to look through the before and after photos on the Korean Plastic Surgery Tumblr, for the same reason we love makeover specials and home improvement shows: They remind us that life is full of possibilities. On the positive side, you can take what you're given and make the best of it, change it, spin it, erase it, becomeMiss Korea. On the negative side, it does seem dangerous for the collective consciousness to be focused on an ideal unattainable without being cut by a knife or having your very bones shaved down. Young people will always be drawn to fads and trends, but in this case, hopping on the bandwagon means participating in unnecessary herd behavior; "fixing" perfectly functioning bodies that do not need to be fixed and focusing on ephemeral attributes that you can't take with you to the grave or even pass on to your kids. True beauty is on the inside! I wish all these surgery-seekers would watch The Elephant Man and Mask before booking an appointment.

Another freaky collection of Korean people BEFORE and AFTER plastic surgery. Needless to say I rather see some of them after doing plastic surgery. It is not that I don't like natural beauty but their technology is so amazing that that makes you feel wonderful living around beautiful people.

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