South Korea is widely famous for its beauty industry and is mostly the central point of countless trends in makeup and skincare that dominates the world. Influenced by the Korean popular culture that constitutes the entertainment industry along with promotion of cosmetic surgeries and skincare, it has evolved into the iconic K-beauty industry. From achieving a glass skin to having the perfect small face, these trends are now taking up everyone’s social media feeds. The K- beauty industry was popularised in the 2000s along with the medical tourism industry under the influence of the Korean wave, or ‘Hallyu.’
However, beneath this industry of perfection and innovation lies rigid and oppressive norms that are unevenly imposed on women. These norms include strict rules and values that force individuals to look and behave a certain way, often more harsh on women than men.
Women in South Korea are often expected to maintain a small oval shaped face with a pale, glass skin and a slim body. It is extremely common for women as young as 16-18 years to be given double eyelid surgeries, which is one of the most common procedures in the country, for their graduation gifts. A full face of makeup is considered less as a preference and more as basic social etiquette.
These beauty ideals have made South Korea the country with highest numbers of cosmetic procedures per capita, in the world. Last year, around 1.17 million overseas tourists visited the country just to get medical and cosmetic surgeries. South Korea now also has a well established medical tourism industry which is promoted heavily through advertisements in the streets of Seoul’s Gangnam district, where most of the clinics are located.
Many influencers or people moving to South Korea are seen posting up trends like #Koreaglowup where they share their before vs after journey of getting plastic surgeries or skin treatments in the country. These range from anti aging treatments, botox injections to face lifts, often revolving around the need for youthful features.
These oppressive standards are not just the result of recent pop culture rise but rooted in South Korea’s confucian traditions that emphasise obedience and conformity in women, leading them to internalise these expectations and reinforcing insecurity. Women are indoctrinated with the belief that they are born to serve others with devotion and love and also look perfect while doing it.
These rules even occupy professional fields and workplaces where women are expected to maintain certain beauty standards and her looks can easily overshadow her achievements, a reflection of how this culture deeply shapes identity and daily life. In contrast, men in South Korea don’t have to follow such strict norms and have fewer restrictions on their behaviour and appearance.
Some of the feminists in South Korea termed these restrictive and oppressive expectations as ‘Corsets’, symbolising the social constraint and weight that women have to carry. These feminists urged other women to remove these corsets and free themselves from these expectations and ideals and reclaim autonomy over their bodies. This resistance resulted in the ‘Ttal Corset’ or ‘Escape the Corset’ movement when young women were seen confronting the beauty standards. They engaged in acts of rebellion by destroying their makeup, cutting their hair short or even shaving it to challenge socially constructed ideals of femininity.
Written by – Priyanjana Jha
About the Author –
Priyanjana is a post graduate in Global Studies, with a research background in feminism and cultural studies. Her interests lie in exploring themes related to cross-cultural relations, history and gender identities, with a particular passion for Korean culture and society. She is actively learning the Korean language and sees writing as a way to bridge cultural gaps in the world, and share her stories with others. In her free time, she loves to watch K-dramas and make K-pop dance covers.