And Do You Measure Up?
Written by Becky
Certain standards of Korean beauty have existed unchanged for a surprisingly long time.
Take a look at works by the famous Joseon-era artist 신윤복, particularly his Portrait of a Beauty.
The fair skin, long, dark hair and round face are still qualities desired today where female Korean beauty is concerned. 신윤복 often painted women, and his work is full of insights on Korean femininity in the Joseon-era.
It’s not really a secret that Korea is a patriarchal society. There are numerous stories of women wielding their beauty and charms to gain influence over men in a society where she would otherwise be powerless. In the hands of a clever woman, beauty truly is a dangerous thing.
How does this tie into modern day Korea?
Today, the patriarchy is alive and thriving. Being a woman is no easy thing. I won’t get into all the reasons for the anti-feminist movement, gender pay gap and low birth rates, but all of those things rear their unpleasant heads when we talk about Korean beauty standards.
Because in Korea, appearance is everything.
From long ago, there was the belief that a beautiful soul could only live in a beautiful body. Therefore, a beautiful woman must also be a dutiful daughter, faithful wife and excellent mother. Fair-skin meant you did not work hard labor and indicated that you belonged to a higher class.
The way things are going now, if you have short hair or don’t wear makeup, you could be labelled a ‘feminist’ - currently a derogatory word in Korea. Being overweight is associated with being lazy, making your job search that much harder in an intensely competitive workforce. If you want an edge here, the way to do it is to win employers over with a top-notch resume and a lovely, unoffending face.
Essentially, being pretty means you’re a better person and will have a better life.
So you better be pretty.
This is by no means confined to only Korea. However, I believe that the beauty standards we are held to are particularly restrictive and narrow.
If meeting the Korean Beauty Standards is essential for making it in such a ruthlessly particular, appearance-obsessed nation, what happens to those who don’t fit the standards?
Look no further than mixed-Koreans. We do a wonderful job of holding up the mirror to Korean society and having all of the unsaid realities reflected upon us.
If you have the coveted double-eyelid, naturally white skin, extra height, and a high, straight nose all from your non-Korean side? You are absolutely worth the envy and Korea will admire you!
And if you don’t have that? Well, being treated badly or indifferently is an all-too common story.
Why am I saying all of this?
Maybe I’m going a little overboard with the exposé here. It’s coming from my own personal struggles of embracing how I look and being constantly measured against fully white or fully Korean girls. I never would wish that upon any of my friends who exist within two different societies with different ideals of beauty. That journey of self-acceptance was also derailed for many years as I worked in the Korean model industry, coming head to head with the arbiters of modern Korean beauty and being told every day that I’m coming up short.
While there are so many lovely things about Korean beauty that we should be proud of, a lot of it has also been twisted to fit a narrow-minded idea of what a successful, beautiful woman is supposed to look like.
My personal conclusion is that when it comes to makeup, plastic surgery, or whatever you do that alters your natural face, it should be out of a place of choice and self-care, rather than out of a desperate desire to ‘fit in’ to a certain beauty standard.
I also understand how hard it can be to do that.
Let The Halfie Project be a source of encouragement while we explore these topics, making our own beauty something that we enjoy rather than feel pressured to perfect.
Original Me
Me on a Korean app. Notice anything different?
So now that we are all in a healthy place about our own self-worth and individual beauty (right, guys?) let’s go through the Korean Beauty Checklist.
Nose jobs are one of the most popular surgeries done. There are multiple terms to describe precisely what sort of nose you might have (short nose, dragon-nostril nose, uneven nose, low nose, etc.) to help you decide which procedure is required to attain the ‘perfect’ nose - that is, straight and high bridged, as opposed to the typical flatter Korean nose, and dead center. The nose is what affects the face the most - choose wisely.
A quick naver search will reveal which celebrity is considered to have the ‘ideal’ nose.
And if you have a good eye like me, it will also reveal that their noses have all been perfected surgically.
NUMBER ONE EXAMPLE: 민효린
NUMBER ONE: High, Straight Nose
A woman of well-maintained beauty will keep her youth forever. A sly trick to help you obtain that impossible dream is to have straight eyebrows instead of arched ones. In many places outside of Asia, the arched eyebrow is popular. It seems to have a sort of femme fatale feeling but it also can age you if not matched appropriately to your face shape. It also gives a strong first impression.
Straight eyebrows, on the other hand, have a more innocent look. It is quite common to get semi-permanent eyebrow tattoos done to accomplish the straight-eyebrow shape without drawing it in everyday. Don’t over pluck, over draw, or over frown.
NUMBER TWO EXAMPLE: IU
NUMBER TWO: Straight eyebrows
There are innumerable posts that I can write about Korean skincare. I’ve tried it all over the past ten years and adore sharing what I’ve learned.
Hear me out: your skin wants to take care of itself. What you must do is provide the right environment. Korean skincare is about glowing from the inside out. Clean your skin gently and thoroughly, moisturize abundantly, apply sunscreen lavishly, and if you are in Korea now, get regular 피부관리. The daily multiple steps all add up to maintaining your glow.
There will be many things I will share about skincare here, so be sure you subscribe to the newsletter so you know when something new comes out.
NUMBER THREE EXAMPLE: 송혜교
NUMBER THREE: FLAWLESS SKIN
NUMBER FOUR: V-Line Jaw
and Round Face
I am far more influenced by Korean beauty than American standards, so when I first learned about buccal fat removal I was stunned. I couldn’t understand why you would want to make your face look more hollow. It’s a whole thing, apparently.
However, you might be stunned by the fact that many Korean women undergo jaw or cheekbone surgery to restructure their face shape. The ideal face is not too long, nor too square, nor too wide, nor too angular. A slender V-shaped jaw with a nicely rounded face gives you a delicate yet cute look.
If surgery sounds drastic, you can get botox injections on your jawline to relax the masseter muscles and achieve a slimmer face that way.
Before you decide that your jaw is too strong, consider the newer trend of the L-shape jaw that is also gaining some admiration. I have the L-line jaw. For many years, I was told my jaw is too big and masculine, but maybe it was me who started the L-line jaw trend…. an entertaining thought.
V-Line Example: 손예진
L-Line Example: 김태리
NUMBER FIVE: Small, cherry lips
A small mouth, defined M-shaped cupid bow, and pouty lower lip is achievable through lip fillers and surgery. The 규 모양 means having your lips upturned at the corners, making you appear ever-so-slightly like you’re smiling. This lip wasn’t always Korea’s favored look - in the not so distant past, thinner lips were more admired. In the 90s, 송윤아 was considered to have the most beautiful lips.
Today, 지수 from Blackpink has the perfect lips.
The list could go on for much longer but we’ll stop here.
There are many fun things to explore when it comes to this topic of Korean skincare and beauty! But I promise I will always tell you, these are not THE standards of beauty, simply ones that have been manufactured by Korean society, and no society is perfect.
So. Do you meet the Korean Beauty standards?
Have you checked all of the boxes? No? That’s alright. Neither do I. But I’m having fun learning about it and incorporating some things into my own life in a self-loving, self-embracing and appreciative way.