9 Reasons Why South Koreans are Obsessed with
Plastic Surgery
Mention South Korea and chances are, you will
get responses related to the Hallyu, or Korean
Wave.
Hallyu refers to the increasing popularity
of Korean music, particularly Korean Pop or
Kpop, and entertainment such as dramas and
variety shows not only locally but also all
over the world.
Remember Gangnam Style?
The Hallyu has become such a big hit that
many Koreans aspire to be Kpop artists or
drama actors and actresses.
Many train to be one from a young age.
In extreme cases, some even do drastic measures
to look like one in order to be famous someday.
Koreans seem to place great emphasis on physical
beauty.
That said, it comes as no surprise that they
are considered the plastic surgery capital
of the world, as the country has the most
procedures done in a day compared to the rest
of the world, including the US.
Unlike other countries where admitting undergoing
a plastic surgery procedure is somewhat taboo,
in South Korea, it is even heavily promoted.
In fact, reports say that one in every five
women has had plastic surgery in South Korea
and, surprisingly, men also undergo surgeries
too, but the ratio is not as high.
But why are South Koreans so fixated with
undergoing plastic surgeries?
Listed here are some of their major reasons
for doing so:
Number one: The effect of the Hallyu wave.
As mentioned, South Koreans are fanatical
with the Hallyu Wave, especially the Kpop
idols.
So much so that many of today’s youth aim
to be just like their Kpop idols.
Those who really want to become stars themselves
take drastic routes in order to be noticed
by the biggest entertainment companies in
South Korea, and to do so, they undergo various
procedures from head to toe just to look like
what a Kpop star should.
Number two: Competitiveness of South Koreans.
South Koreans, by nature, are pretty competitive,
even extending to matters involving plastic
surgery.
Whenever they see or hear about someone who
underwent a procedure, many South Koreans
undergo the exact same procedure, or a different
one, just to be able to say that they also
had it done, had the money to pay for it,
and had better results than others.
Number three: It is considered normal.
Plastic surgery is so common that some have
even remarked that they assume that the South
Koreans they see on the streets have undergone
a procedure or two.
In fact, it’s pretty common to see people
who have obviously just got out of the surgery
clinics walking around the streets and nobody
really bats a double eyelid about them.
In fact, plenty of graduating students request
plastic surgery procedures as graduation gifts.
Number four: Criticisms about their looks
push them to alter their physical appearances.
Instead of getting the typical comments during
family reunions and other get togethers, South
Koreans will normally hear comments like “you
would look better if you have a double-eyelid,
tapered jaw, narrower nose, etc.”
These kinds of comments are what motivates
many to just undergo the procedure until they
finally hear the comments they want.
Number five: Pricing is competitive and surgeons
are known for their skills to make the results
look as natural as possible.
Unlike in other countries, plastic surgery
is relatively cheap even without involving
healthcare.
Most surgeons also have such topnotch skills
that even if a patient underwent drastic procedures
with a remarkably altered face afterwards,
they still won’t look like they went under
the knife.
This is also the reason why South Korea promotes
medical tourism for foreigners who wish to
undergo similar procedures.
Number six: It makes them feel good about
themselves.
There are also many cases wherein people choose
to change their physical appearances in order
to look good and feel good.
In fact, it’s a common occurrence that those
who experienced major life events undergo
plastic surgery because they see it as a way
to make a fresh start in life.
Number seven: For many, it’s the “in”
thing to do.
Undergoing procedures has become such a norm
that everybody has to have it.
In fact, many conversations nowadays touch
around the topic and when one finds out that
he or she is surrounded by those who had something
done, chances are he or she will also undergo
a procedure just to be able to join the conversation
and say “hey, I also had something done!”
Number eight: They want to achieve what South
Koreans consider, “the perfect face”.
South Koreans, both male and female, have
come up with what they see as the must-haves
for the perfect face: a set of double eyelids,
doll-like eyes, a narrow nose, and a v-shaped
jawline.
Anything aside from that is not really considered
beautiful.
This is the reason why these particular features
are common nowadays in the faces of South
Koreans.
In fact, there was a gif a couple of years
back where a compilation of the faces of the
contestants of Miss South Korea were merged
and people noticed that all the contestants
had nearly the exact same eye shapes and noses.
Number nine: Many South Koreans want to marry
into great families and they believe that
in order to do so, they have to look beautiful.
It is common for people to aspire to marry
into financially stable families and South
Koreans, women in particular, are no different.
They believe that they will catch the attention
of well-off men, chaebols or company heirs
in particular, if they are physically attractive
so they opt to undergo surgery to have a better
chance of that.
Plastic surgery in South Korea has been well-known
all over the world, even besting out Brazil
and the United States who were once the go-to
places for these procedures.
It’s no wonder they got that reputation
because the locals undergo the procedures
so often that it even feels like a normal
everyday chore.
And it’s one of those things that seem to
have no signs of stopping anytime soon.
