![]() ![]() Doing so dishonors the rich diversity of humans, the differences among us, and the dynamism of our bodies. Our appearance should not be framed as a matter of personal responsibility. “It’s marginalizing, it deepens inequality, and it increases anxiety as we hustle to be deemed ‘worthy’ through changing and regimenting our bodies. “I think we all need to take seriously the ways we conflate physical beauty with morality, and appearance with worthiness,” said Hu. Promoting an idealized look through popular media can lead some people to doubt their self-worth and worry they don’t measure up. The forces I describe in Flawless - how an increasingly virtual and visual society drives changes to the physical body - are happening.” We can already see that trend among Gen Z, where previously hush-hush cosmetic work is now good ‘content’ on TikTok. But as innovation continues to make body modification less invasive and more affordable, I am willing to bet it will become more and more common here. In the US, the FDA’s regulatory hurdles to get aesthetic procedures (like injectables) approved keeps prices at a premium. “South Korea has the most sophisticated and mature cosmetic surgery market in the world, and competition drives prices lower. ![]() “One of the big differences is the cost,” said Hu. South Korea is sometimes referred to as the cosmetic surgery capitol of the world. There’s also a thriving k-beauty tourism industry. South Korea has the highest rate of plastic surgery in the world with around one in three women having at least one procedure. While this feeds into men, as well as women, feeling the need to conform to certain appearance standards, what I think is refreshing is that the flower boy presents a different kind of masculinity that, globally, people are beginning to gravitate toward, versus the hyper-masculine ideals that American culture feeds us.” “Male K-pop idols serve as aspirational models, and often embody a softer aesthetic, with perfect skin, not a bit of stubble on their faces, a gentle perm for volume or waves, lean muscles and, frequently, the use of make-up. ![]() “Roughly 13% of male skincare products in the world are bought by Korean men,” said Hu. Groups such as BTS, GOT7, Seventeen and EXO have served as brand ambassadors for skin care and cosmetic brands. K-pop star G-Dragon, for example, appeared in ads for the cosmetic brand Moonshot and also modeled red lipstick for The Saem. Male k-celebrities are not shy about promoting cosmetics or skin care products. Celebrities regularly appear at beauty events, become brand ambassadors for and do TV commercials for beauty products. This extensive - and integrated - government support helps drive the influence of k-beauty around the world.”ĭuring a visit to Seoul it’s not unusual to see scores of ads featuring picture-perfect celebrities selling everything from coffee to beer to pillows. At the same time, the government subsidizes k-beauty companies who sell abroad, offers incubators for export-heavy startups, and helps R&D experts from academia churn into the private sector and back. “It also supports the fashion industry, next generation content, and culture technology innovation. “The Korean government, through KOCCA, finances cultural industries like film, television, and music by building concert arenas, backing film festivals and KCON, and even regulating karaoke bars,” said Hu. In 2021 Korea’s Food and Drug Safety Ministry reported that cosmetic exports grew 21.3 percent from 2020, outperforming biopharmaceutical products and smartphones.įlawless is a book about k-beauty. South Korea is the third largest exporter of global beauty products after France and the US. “There is still top-down support for the Hallyu wave, but so much of it these days is organic because the entertainment industry does such a great job of making desirable art and music.” “Today, K-pop idols are essentially 24/7 ambassadors for Korean aesthetics and the products and procedures to get that look,” said Hu. In her book Hu employs the term “cultural technology” - that is using culture to fuel technology and then using technology to fuel culture. That move, coupled with Korea’s investment in digital technology and its status as one of the world’s first fully-wired nations, allowed visual content to flood audience screens across the region, and then the world.” So the administration jumped into action, creating what is now called the Korea Cultural Content Agency (KOCCA) and pouring taxpayer dollars into subsidizing a nascent pop culture industry. “A 1994 government report suggested that cultural products-such as making one film on the scale of Jurassic Park-could bring in as much money as the manufacturing of 1.5 million Korean-made cars. “In the 1990s, South Korea was looking for economic engines besides heavy industry,” said Hu. ![]()
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