Why are Korean children raised to be so conceited about appearance?

[Jrong]

But hey, when in doubt, the old "xyz happens everywhere" line is a reliable piece of drivel to contribute.

Yeah, I hate dealing with this type of thinking on every single topic posted, it seems.


Anyways, looking at the bigger picture, I have a theory that Koreans are more concerned about "bodily appearance" than many other cultures I've lived in. According to my theory, that's tied to the over-prevalence of the "SF" MBTI type here. SF's tend to be very conscious of appearance, in fact, lemme see if I can find a study I once saw that basically said SF's are the most well-groomed people (SF = think Paris Hilton). Anyone who's even slightly iNtuitive and has spent time in the gym will see that it's populated by SF's. If the SF is in fact really prominent here (and it's not just my imagination) I bet that really affects the way they focus on different skin types/colours and facial features even more than other homogenous cultures. I grew up in a homogenous culture, it was not as bad as here.

[ESLinsider]

Yeah they have one real ideal of beauty and that's why everyone is getting plastic surgery. Sad.

[aalexandromoreno]

Kids are like this everywhere...right.
I never experienced the mere presence/appearance of a non-white person resulting in full on giggling/gawking/rude comments before coming to Korea.
But hey, when in doubt, the old "xyz happens everywhere" line is a reliable piece of drivel to contribute.

Actually when I was in elementary school, we would pull our eyes to side to look Asian and make Asian sounds like "ching chung chong!"
Not saying I think it's normal or good to have such an open dislike for darker skin colors, but I can kinda understand the immaturity of middle schoolers, especially in such a homogenous country, when I remember how I used to act.

[JoelBrown]

I recently went to GEPIK orientation and was horrified when a Korean teacher red the story "Freckle faced strawberry" By Julianne Moore. The story is about a girl who has "red hair, but even worse... freckles" and her struggle to feel accepted.

In the book the story ends with her realizing that she is beautiful in her own way. But at this time the Korean teacher read half the book and substituted her own ending where she bought a mask and lived happily ever after.

This was a video of her doing a demo reading to her class of grade 1's I believe. There was audible gasps from most people when she ended the story.

I don't think the next generation have much hope when their teachers are influencing them this way from such an early age.

[JahRhythm]

^^ wow.
Did anyone call her out on it?

[woman-king]

I recently went to GEPIK orientation and was horrified when a Korean teacher red the story "Freckle faced strawberry" By Julianne Moore. The story is about a girl who has "red hair, but even worse... freckles" and her struggle to feel accepted.

In the book the story ends with her realizing that she is beautiful in her own way. But at this time the Korean teacher read half the book and substituted her own ending where she bought a mask and lived happily ever after.

This was a video of her doing a demo reading to her class of grade 1's I believe. There was audible gasps from most people when she ended the story.

I don't think the next generation have much hope when their teachers are influencing them this way from such an early age.

Holy sh*t.

 :o

[Superchick3]

Ya it was the GEPIK training that I heard about what they think is acceptible to say in class, like insulting people who are fat.

[Chadwickhhs]

I recently went to GEPIK orientation and was horrified when a Korean teacher red the story "Freckle faced strawberry" By Julianne Moore. The story is about a girl who has "red hair, but even worse... freckles" and her struggle to feel accepted.

In the book the story ends with her realizing that she is beautiful in her own way. But at this time the Korean teacher read half the book and substituted her own ending where she bought a mask and lived happily ever after.

This was a video of her doing a demo reading to her class of grade 1's I believe. There was audible gasps from most people when she ended the story.

I don't think the next generation have much hope when their teachers are influencing them this way from such an early age.

This legitimately made me shocked. I'm automatically making excuses for her in my head, but Occam's razor keeps leading me back to being greatly disappointed in her.

[woman-king]

I recently went to GEPIK orientation and was horrified when a Korean teacher red the story "Freckle faced strawberry" By Julianne Moore. The story is about a girl who has "red hair, but even worse... freckles" and her struggle to feel accepted.

In the book the story ends with her realizing that she is beautiful in her own way. But at this time the Korean teacher read half the book and substituted her own ending where she bought a mask and lived happily ever after.

This was a video of her doing a demo reading to her class of grade 1's I believe. There was audible gasps from most people when she ended the story.

I don't think the next generation have much hope when their teachers are influencing them this way from such an early age.

This legitimately made me shocked. I'm automatically making excuses for her in my head, but Occam's razor keeps leading me back to being greatly disappointed in her.

Yeah.  It's one thing to think freckles are ugly.  It's another to be so unable to accept a story about someone who learns to disagree with this viewpoint that you have to alter it before reading it to children.  It's not so much the silliness of that particular beauty standard that bothers me, as much as the distrust of nonconformity that it seems to reveal.

Whatever.  I've got less than six months left in Korea and some things you just have to get over.

[jamasian]

 :o  Utterly shocked about that teacher, but I believe we can only help by being positive role models. I had a lesson on differences just yesterday in my after school class. We read an easy reader about different people, watched 2 different shows (10min each) of people with differences, uncontrollable diseases and extraordinary abilities. Then I made them write what was different about themselves and draw a portrait. Sure some kids may keep the homogeneous thinking, but I'm sure others will learn to love themselves.

[Andy84]

But, there are some Korean people trying to change this.

[wtoddm]

But, there are some Korean people trying to change this.

At the risk of falling for a trap...
I have to ask, what the heck is this video supposed to refute, defend, or add to this conversation?

I'm really enjoying what people have to say on this subject. Right now I don't think I have anything original to contribute. But... Andy, really... what does Girls' Generation's music video point out?

[제이]

Racism exists all over the world, but it's the absolute shamelessness of it here that is really unsettling.

In a lot of cases, I concede that "It's just there culture" is a valid argument, but cultural relativism only goes so far. I think socially accepted racism is open to criticism.

[ArmoredButterfly]

I was once flipping through the Korean channels, and I came across a movie called "200 Pound Beauty" (or something like that). It was about an overweight, unattractive girl with a beautiful voice who sings backstage while a beautiful Pop star (with a terrible voice and personality) lip syncs on stage.
When I first started watching, I got really excited! I was sure that here was finally a Korean movie that would end with the girl realizing her beautiful voice and personality are more important than looks and she becomes successful and lives happily ever after...

Nope, it ends with her getting head-to-toe plastic surgery and THEN living happily ever after. Of course.

It makes me really worried for my middle school girls because some of them are a little heavy (just like I was). But I had movies and books like Shrek and Hairspray about girls who realize they are beautiful on the inside. "You're beautiful just the way you are" was a common theme. It was something to cling to on days when I felt terrible about myself (usually brought on by movies and magazines about perfect-looking people). What do these girls cling to when they feel fat or ugly or unaccepted? I really worry...

[Jrong]

My last co-teacher got a nose job. My current semi-co-teacher is getting her teeth 'fixed' so that they don't stick out like (in her words) a rabbit. I don't mind that people recognize and appreciate aesthetics but the importance placed on looks here is really nauseating and reminds me of what I love about American culture that is reflected in movies like Shrek -- maybe even most of Hollywood. I find, at least, that American cinema in general is very "real" compared to other places. I miss it.

[Cereal]

You know what? Despite their obsession with looks and the lengths they will go to achieve their ideals, I simply don't find Korean people attractive.