In case any of my blog's readers didn't know, I am a South Korean eighteen year old.
In South Korea, plastic surgery/facial reconstruction is a booming business; when I say it's booming, I mean that it's desired everywhere, very much affordable, and easily accessible. Several plastic surgery clinics can be found lining the streets of the cities of Korea.
Personally, plastic surgery is a debatable topic. I honestly feel uncomfortable permanently changing any part of my face because hey, even if I'm not 110% satisfied with my features, I wouldn't permanently alter it. However, if someone truly feels they would be happier with themselves if they had a procedure done, then to each their own.
In Korea, plastic surgery and facial reconstruction is becoming the norm. Changing your features is perfectly acceptable and even positively advertised. For example, you think your jaw line is too wide? You can shave it down, no problem.
Double eyelid surgery is one of the leading/most popular surgeries in South Korea. Most Asians have what is called a "mono lid", or an eyelid without a crease. For as low as a few hundred dollars and less than an hour of your time, you can carve a crease into your eyelid to achieve bigger eyes. More popular surgeries include slimming/heightening the nose, and shaving down your jawline.
Because such surgeries are so accessible, affordable, and culturally acceptable, many young adults in Korea, people even in high school, seek out these procedures. High school students even are rewarded surgeries for performing well in school and bringing home good grades. Crazy, right? The highest reward I've ever received for good grades was a new phone. These teenagers, however, are being gifted plastic surgeries.
If this wasn't bad enough, surgeries in Korea are so positively promoted and advertised. Some celebrities and models will be spokespeople for certain clinics as advertisement. You can even request certain features to be done just like a celebrity's. I could go to a clinic in Korea and request my nose to be reshaped to resemble Miranda Kerr's, Selena Gomez's, or any other celebrity of my choosing. Books with pictures of different eye and nose shapes are even available at clinics so that you can browse through and choose which shape you'd like for your own. So most of the time, you are taking someone else's facial feature shape for your own. It isn't all about just wanting to change your nose shape, you can point at a celebrity and request theirs.
Why is this so acceptable in Korea? Is the standard of beauty even more twisted there than it is in America? I can understand how someone could be unhappy or even self-conscious of a facial feature, but how could a high school girl or boy go under the knife? You're still developing and these feelings of self-consciousness go away as you age (most of the time). How can someone make such a serious decision in their teen years? I can't say that I've never considered surgery for myself, because I have, but I could never act on these idle considerations. Sure, it would be nice to have bigger eyes or a slimmer jaw, but could I really do this to myself without any qualms?
I don't want to judge anybody, anywhere, who has gotten plastic surgery or facial reconstruction. I understand that it's a personal choice and there could be many underlying reasons for surgery, but the main reason in Korea is for beauty. The standard of beauty and the means of achieving such a standard are becoming more and more superficial.
Just a thought that I've had.
XO, Blue
(Thank you for reading)
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