Appearance is a strange thing in Korea.
Koreans are generally quite a vain people. You will notice them spending a lot of time fixing themselves in mirrors, doing their hair and adjusting their clothes. It's no surprise then that I often look like I have slept in a bin. (Once I did in fact sleep in a bin, but I was out of taxi fare and it was a matter of necessity.) They have a reason to be vain in fairness, they are a naturally very attractive people. God may not have equipped them with the ability to fight off invaders, but he did equip them incredible bone structure. Seriously, they are an incredibly handsome people and so I often feel like I look like Freddy Krueger on a diet of McDonalds and beer. (I went looking for T-Shirts last week and that was hardly an ego boost I can tell you.)
However, this concern with the the aesthetic is often taken to very damaging levels. The clearest example of this is the plastic surgery obsession. Plastic surgery is a very lucrative industry here, with many middle aged women capitulating to the craven urge to turn back the clock and also look more Western. The Western thing is just bizzare. What is exactly is more attractive about your average Westerner in comparison to a Korean? Have a look at Buchanan Street on a Saturday afternoon and it resembles a chamber of horrors. Nevertheless, adjustments to the eyes and to forehead ridges are all the rage. Moreover, a person cannot of course turn back the clock. An individual cannot make themselves look like they did when they were in their early twenties. However, you can make yourself look like a character from the Mos Eisley Cantina scene in Star Wars. You can make yourself look like your face was designed from a ADD afflicted toddler using Play Do. It would be funny if it were not so sad. To see middle aged women who could grow old with beauty and grace embracing the Michael Jackson guide to solving your problems.
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One of my students asked me if I knew Teddy Bear Poo. What? No, I mean the bears are not real. Stuffed animals cannot actually do a shit. Ah, it finally clicked, but I don't know if I will ever look at Winnie the same again.
Koreans are generally quite a vain people. You will notice them spending a lot of time fixing themselves in mirrors, doing their hair and adjusting their clothes. It's no surprise then that I often look like I have slept in a bin. (Once I did in fact sleep in a bin, but I was out of taxi fare and it was a matter of necessity.) They have a reason to be vain in fairness, they are a naturally very attractive people. God may not have equipped them with the ability to fight off invaders, but he did equip them incredible bone structure. Seriously, they are an incredibly handsome people and so I often feel like I look like Freddy Krueger on a diet of McDonalds and beer. (I went looking for T-Shirts last week and that was hardly an ego boost I can tell you.)
However, this concern with the the aesthetic is often taken to very damaging levels. The clearest example of this is the plastic surgery obsession. Plastic surgery is a very lucrative industry here, with many middle aged women capitulating to the craven urge to turn back the clock and also look more Western. The Western thing is just bizzare. What is exactly is more attractive about your average Westerner in comparison to a Korean? Have a look at Buchanan Street on a Saturday afternoon and it resembles a chamber of horrors. Nevertheless, adjustments to the eyes and to forehead ridges are all the rage. Moreover, a person cannot of course turn back the clock. An individual cannot make themselves look like they did when they were in their early twenties. However, you can make yourself look like a character from the Mos Eisley Cantina scene in Star Wars. You can make yourself look like your face was designed from a ADD afflicted toddler using Play Do. It would be funny if it were not so sad. To see middle aged women who could grow old with beauty and grace embracing the Michael Jackson guide to solving your problems.
************************************************************************************
One of my students asked me if I knew Teddy Bear Poo. What? No, I mean the bears are not real. Stuffed animals cannot actually do a shit. Ah, it finally clicked, but I don't know if I will ever look at Winnie the same again.
posted by Special_K at 6:08 AM
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