Judith Bach
Have you ever seen the Miss Korea winners?
When I first saw their pictures, I thought they were all the same girl. You would never believe how copy-pasted they are until you see it yourself.
Find the differences. The top 20 finalists of Miss Korea 2013
Talking about beauty and fashion in Korea, they seem to have very strict rules. In the West we are used to value individualism, but Korea is different. Since it’s an ethnic country with a social-focused culture, Koreans tend to obey to cultural rules in all aspects, and beauty is totally one of them. Do not underestimate the strictness – it’s really about exact angles and ratios that might give you a strange feeling of math lesson. Your face doesn’t match exact proportions? No problem, South Korea is the biggest empire of plastic surgeries. Learn well at school, and mom and dad will buy you a plastic surgery… and yes, it happens for real!
So how are you supposed to look, in case you are a beauty seeker Korean?
Well, no matter if you are a man or a woman, you are supposed to look young and delicate, even a little bit cute. This trend is influenced a lot by K-pop idols – I mean, I don’t think there are many Western rappers who normally get pink unicorns from their fans.
His stage name is Rap Monster. What more can i see…
Japanese style, Korean style. You tell who’s who
On one hand, Koreans might appear cute in Western eyes, but they are never too cute. The over-sweetness belongs to their Japanese neighbors who own the Kawaii style, which represents over-sweetness and uses childish features.
Korean style is neither childish nor too cute – they always walk on the fine line of delicate cuteness.
Someone even tried to re-design Hanbok into modern Japanese style
Both beauty and fashion have those characters of Korean cuteness; let me call it Aegyo, which is the Korean term for being cute.
Now, let’s take a look at a typical Korean street:
First of all, look at the girls! On one hand, they are not wearing decolletage, but on the other hand their skirts are very short. Very. And no, it is not considered immodest – it’s just how it is, even though short dresses were forbidden by law(!) just a few decades ago. Another interesting point is about upper body exposure – the upper part of the traditional costume, Hanbok, originally included only a short jacket. Only later on, when the women were tired of not being able to move freely, they added kind of strapless under the jacket.
Today, when the norm is the exact opposite, long off-shoulder dresses are considered very elegant and chic, almost royal.
It’s not a plastic surgery!
What about makeup? Well, they use it a lot, But you might not notice it. The Korean makeup does not make your face a canvas; its goal is to improve your natural features, so that you will look like a natural beauty. Some girls are so skilled and do it on a daily basis, so when their boyfriends see them bare faced for the first time – they are shocked.
As for men, they are also well dressed. Korean guys are also expected to take good care of their skin; facial masks are definitely not made for women only. It’s not even hard to find guys who wear light makeup to improve their look. Yet, they are not girly at all, as they are expected to exercise well and develop nice bodies. Can anyone tell these secrets to our guys in the West, please?
So pretty, so manly. K-actor Park Shi Hoo, born 1977
Now last but not least – the couple concept.
How do you recognize dating couples in Korea? No problem, just look at their appearance!
How do you recognize dating couples in Korea? No problem, just look at their appearance!
Oppa Couple Style!
Yes, Korean loving couples tend to match their clothes, shoes, doll key chains and everything else. So if you go to Namsan tower in Seoul with your loved one, do not forget to match your outfits when you lock your names on the famous Korean lovers-lock ♥
About the author:
Judith Bach is a language teacher and an independent researcher on one hand, an amateur fashion designer on the other hand, and in case you have a third hand she is also an ardent fan of South Korea. What do all those things have to do with each other? Well, to find it out visit her YouTube blog kLover Hebrew =)