PicoBlog

I've lived in Seoul the past four years, and the commentary that Bella's mother allowed/encouraged modifications at such a young age is completely normal here, and a sign of status and wealth and educational accomplishment (a combination of Western-influenced beauty standards and a Confucian-infused caste system). Students (girls and boys) are gifted plastic surgery--nose, eyes, jaws, teeth, ears--for good grades, middle school/high school/university graduation, job promotions, before weddings, etc. Photos are required for job applications, and children look nothing like their mothers. Many children have cosmetic surgery before they are fourteen, and this is seen as something to be proud of. It is normal to openly remark that people should surgically alter their appearance if they can. The effects that it has on people, especially the children, is devastating; they are living in a society that doesn't even pretend to care about other values. Your comment that it stalls personal/spiritual growth resonates so much (to not care about these things makes you irrelevant, a literal ugly duckling). My partner is South Korean, so as 'part of the family' I have been exposed to a lot of these pressures, by other women especially. I am trying to not be too hopeless about the whole thing, so my wish is that at least the definition of beauty can be expanded to go beyond physical appearance, as you said. Trying to contextualize this same-but-different version of beauty culture, and the of beauty culture in my own country (and how it has spread) has been possible because of your newsletter, so thank you.

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