All posts in: Korea

05 Jul 2020

Korea and Their Impossible Beauty Standards

Diving further into Korean culture, I’ve reached the point of fascination for the country’s beauty standards. As important as it is here in America, Korea is on another level. Labeled the “cosmetic surgery capital of the world,” South Korea performs 24% of the world’s total cosmetic surgeries that tend to use advanced aesthetic devices such as Secret Duo Scar Remodelling and Skin Improvement technologies, among many others. Individuals aspiring to be a part of the K-Pop world endure rigorous training camps known for being cut-throat and competitive. After seeing a 15-second snippet of 2018 Miss Korea Kim Soo-Min’s story on TikTok, I had to find the full version. She was deemed the controversial pageant queen, but I didn’t understand why.

Looking at Soo-Min, I saw nothing wrong with her appearance. I wouldn’t question her role as Miss Korea for a second. However, after being given this title, she was constantly scrutinized for her weight of being 130lbs and being “ugly.” What I loved about Soo-Min’s pageant story was that she had no background in pageantry. Having not been an aspiring actress, model, or pop singer, she wanted the title to build her resume. Young women in America spend years preparing for competitions like this, but she decided in about a year. Many women rely on cosmetic surgery, such as a nose job (for more info, check Uppal Plastic Surgery) or something similar, to achieve the beauty requirements of these pageant competitions.

By Korea’s standards, she wasn’t supposed to be Miss Korea, but she prevailed. Now she paves the way for women who can earn this title that may come from all body types. When it comes to the artsy side of Korean culture, music, television, food, etc. it was easy for me to find the positives. Learning about this downside showed me a new perspective. I can’t imagine the pressure that Soo-Min had to live with during what was supposed to be an exciting time in her life. I look forward to seeing how her experience will impact young women in the future.

12 Jan 2014

“The Drop Box” Documentary

[vimeo http://vimeo.com/41412962]

I really hate to start off everyone’s week with a depressing post, but at the same time I think it’s so important to share with everyone. “The Drop Box” documentary follows Pastor Lee and his organization as they strive to save abandoned babies in Korea. This has become a pretty frequent occurrence within the country which led Pastor Lee to creating a baby box for women to drop off their unwanted babies anonymously off of the street. Of course, they hope and pray that this doesn’t ever happen, but unfortunately, it does. This is absolutely heartbreaking, but Pastor Lee and his team are doing something amazing. I hope this documentary gets more buzz because it really deserves it.

28 Feb 2013

McDonald’s French Fry Party

Kids are the best, aren’t they? I remember one time watching an episode of Arthur where his family dinner consisted of only French Fries and I was all “whaaaaaa…?!” Well these kids in Korea kind of did the same thing – a whole meal consisting of French Fries. This photo is just ridiculous.

[Source]

15 Mar 2012

Levi’s Features Ballet Dancers in New Korea Ad

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CAckx0aPf-k&feature=player_embedded]

Well this is just a lovely video to wake up to this morning. Levi’s enlisted a couple of ballet dancers for their newest ad campaign to promote their new brand of Stretch to Fit Jeans only available in Korea and it is beautiful!

[Source]

17 Sep 2009

In the News…

Avril Lavigne and Sum 41 frontman Deryck Whibley have split.
Katherine Heigl and husband Josh Kelley have adopted a 10-month old baby from Korea and  have named her Nancy Leigh

Tyson Ritter of the All American Rejects will be collaborating w/ Rihanna on an upcoming track.

Emma Watson will be releasing her new clothing partnership w/ fashion label People Tree. The debut will include 26 styles for women, 15 for men and an accessories line in February 2010

Spiderman 4 is set to be released on May 6, 2011

Dancing with the Stars will pay tribute to Patrick Swayze on September 23rd

07 Jul 2009

Nikon debuts new billboard.

To launch the new Nikon D700 in Korea, the company created a new interactive billboard that treats you like the ultimate celebrity!

Currently the billboard is place in a busy subway station in Seoul. As passerby’s cross the board, the board takes on a different form and the sensors trigger many flashing camera lights all at once. The not-so-subtle red carpet then leads the “celebrity” into the mall where they can purchase their very own Nikon D700.

Those tricky Asians designers… 🙂