[Pann] 'Abnormal Summit' views on Korea's plastic surgery issue

[theemii.livejournal.com]

Pann: The culture of plastic surgery in Korea observed by the members of 'Abnormal Summit'

Daniel (Australia):
When asked what he didn't understand while living in Korea, he replied, "Plastic surgery. When I go to Gangnam, I notice that one out of every five I see has had surgery. I didn't notice it at first but I can tell right away now. Korean women can't have noses that look like that. In Australia, if you're ugly, people tend to dress stylishly or lose weight or change up their hair styles but they don't get plastic surgery. Koreans think that you have to be pretty or handsome to be successful and be respected by others. Australians look at what's inside the person and not so much on the physical traits. I was rarely called handsome in Australia but heard it for the first time in Korea."

Zhang Yuan (China):
When asked how he views Korean women as a foreign male, "Chinese men think Korean women are really beautiful. But lately, I think they've been getting too much plastic surgery. I wish they'd focus on what's on the inside than their looks. They're beautiful as they are."

Sam Okyere (Ghana):
"I truly think Korea is the empire of plastic surgery. Surgery here, surgery there, everyone's a plastic beauty. I honestly wonder how many Korean women haven't gotten a small procedure or a filler shot. They're pretty as they are. I used to think that Korean women were the most beautiful in Asia but nowadays, those thoughts are of the past because their features look so unnatural."


Guillaume Patry (Canada):
"I find Korean women to be the most beautiful in the world. In Canada, women don't tend to focus on fashion on but Korean women do so it looks nice. I consider plastic surgery as a type of self management. It's great if you become prettier through surgery. If my own girlfriend got work done? I'd be fine with it if she became prettier. Wouldn't all men think the same? But if she was beautiful already, I'd probably hold her back. For example, if she wanted to get her breasts augmented but they were already nice, I'd tell her that she didn't need it."

Alberto Mondi (Italy):
"It's true, (Korean women) care a lot about their looks and get a lot of work done. But I think that women tend dress themselves up to look pretty among other women and not for men. If they are getting surgery to look better for men, I'd like to tell them that they have it all wrong. Men see 90% of a person's charms. Charms and looks are different. I say this cautiously but in the eyes of foreign men, those who've had work done look similar to one another."

Tyler Rasch (America):
"Unlike America, Koreans require you to submit your picture for job applications and filter potential employees that way. Your looks can basically hinder you. This is basically the same as society forcing you to get plastic surgery done when you don't need it."

Takuya Terada (Japan):
When asked what he would do if his girlfriendw anted plastic surgery, "I don't feel charms in an unnatural face. I'd definitely hold her back."



1. [+166, -1] Let's all leave the country

2. [+114, -9] I heard that in foreign countries, having a small face gets you made fun of ㅠㅠㅠ and having a big face gets you praised because it means you're smart ㅠㅠㅠㅠ (packs my bags)

3. [+62, -5] Before you blame women for getting plastic surgery, how about you blame the culture that forces it... Employment looks at women's looks right off the bat ㅋㅋ idols need to be pretty to succeed... male actors can land jobs based off of talent without needing to be handsome but it's the opposite for women... Our country treats people differently right from childhood..

4. [+56, -4] Who actually gets plastic surgery because they like it. We all notice that people get treated differently right from junior/high school.. Pretty and handsome students get treated better, which makes kids begin to think, "If only I was prettier... if only I was more handsome..." then they get work done and gain some confidence and self esteem. Stop blaming this on Korean women! That's not the issue here. It's a difference in culture. Before people go around blaming women, they should try to understand the differences in culture and start to realize the need for change.

5. [+41, -1] The thing is, even if these men talk like this, it's not like their own cultures don't consider beauty. The whole world judges people based on appearances. Haven't you seen the hidden camera tests around the internet? In America or Australia, they had a female anchorwoman dress up in a fat suit and go around town and she was ridiculed by men in a harsher way than Korean men. The difference is that Western countries value individual rights and people can file lawsuits so people won't point it out to your face. It's wrong of us to assume that other countries treat the standards of beauty differently. People are all the same, just with minor differences.

6. [+36, -0] Even as a woman, I think being uglier is better than being a plastic surgery monster... If I had to choose between Lee Soo Hyun and Park Bom, I'd choose Lee Soo Hyun. Seriously.

7. [+34, -3] They're all lying for the sake of the show. Look at Enes. Women, don't misunderstand. If you're ugly, you're going to be treated like crap even in another country. You think an ugly Korean women will become a goddess in another country? As if.

8. [+26, -0] I don't think it's that foreign countries don't care about beauty... it's just that the standards are less rigid than Korea's. In Korea, you HAVE to be size 44 or else!! but in foreign countries, they value your beauty according to being small, thin, big, or chubby. You don't just have to be one specific body type.


Source: Netizenbuzz 1

Comments

[pikapika217.livejournal.com]

Tyler had the best answer

[nudecolors.livejournal.com]

I actually came here to say that in my country you have to submit a photo to your job application as well. I don't think that's all there is to it, but maybe it's just the way this was quoted.

[hearttaek.livejournal.com]

OT but anyone watching Where is My friends' house?

[donutism.livejournal.com]

I agree with Tyler.

It's not even just korea, when I was applying for jobs in taiwan I got asked for my photo for a software dev role. =___= they even asked for height and weight

[rennehollic.livejournal.com]

really??

If it was mandatory to put a photo I would so not get my job...I look like some prisioner that escaped from jail and stood under the sun way too long (minus the oily skin...I need to change the photo)

[rennehollic.livejournal.com]

well, Tyler's answer was the best.

idk how it's surgery seen in the US or even here in other European countries, but in portugal, what I see it's growing are the boob jobs. People really don't care that much about their faces, they just want to have big asses (not Kardashian big), big tights, tanned and big boobs. Women here are caring about their looks a bit more than what they used to, but not to the point they are willing to change their whole face/body to do it, just one thing or two (this is from what I see/hear.) Portuguese people don't like skinny, they like meaty women xD

Also, here if you have super white skin people start asking you what's wrong with you, if you're sick and if you need to go to the doctor. And if you're super skinny they think you have some kind of problem. Dressing size 36 (XS) is already too much for some guys...Here they like tanned women with meat in their bones!
I guess it just depends on how cultures see it.

[adenar.livejournal.com]

I'm from the UK but I think we're really similar in the boob jobs being more popular & other facial surgery being rare except for medical reasons. We definitely used to value paleness in the past but with the advent of long holidays to hot places being a sign of having leisure & money tanning's definitely taken a precedence

and I definitely remember being constantly asked if I was feeling ok growing up because I was so pale, even by my own parents haha. I used to get really grouchy about it.

[missingmisnomer.livejournal.com]

[+62, -5] Before you blame women for getting plastic surgery, how about you blame the culture that forces it... Employment looks at women's looks right off the bat ㅋㅋ idols need to be pretty to succeed... male actors can land jobs based off of talent without needing to be handsome but it's the opposite for women...

mte

[torontok.livejournal.com]

Tyler is on point as expected

[yoongjay91.livejournal.com]

yes at tyler..they asks for photo in my country too. a part of me thinks i still dont get job offers because i look like a 14 year old ;~;

[1111-am.livejournal.com]

Agreeing with Tyler and #3 and #4 netizen comments. It's kind of a damned if they do, damned if they don't. If they get called "plastic" or unnatural, but if they don't they could get called ugly, judged, and miss out on work opportunities or something. Also, even though there's more females who get it, men get plastic surgery too...

[hongaerin.livejournal.com]

It would have been so much more interesting if they asked this question to a bunch of women instead. Sometimes I really wish there was a women only version of Abnormal Summit. This show is really lacking female points of view.

[piyolitics.livejournal.com]

I don't know if you ever heard of Global Talk Show, which was basically a female version of Abnormal Summit that aired from 2006 - 2009. You can find a lot of episodes online if you're interested in a more female perspective. I remember some episodes talked about buying bras in Korea and aegyo.

[iznanassi.livejournal.com]

I remember reading this last night and I just...wow what a mess. Biggest disappointment comes from the canadian guy.

I have so much to say about this but I'm afraid it'll sound stupid/incoherent. The issue isn't really whether or not PS is bad bc people have the right to do what they want with their bodies, like net #4 said when society puts looks at the forefront of everything AND has super rigid beauty standards you can't turn around and start criticizing people when they feel obligated to meet them. This is like when people in education here tell you to "do a career that makes you happy" but then have politicians make fun of you for getting an arts degree.

I don't really want to touch the fetishist sounding stuff they said, but wow.

[mlmello.livejournal.com]

+1

[audiograms.livejournal.com]

preach number 4

[caramelorchoco.livejournal.com]

tyler gets it

[leopolitan.livejournal.com]

i just care so little about mens opinions on womens personal choices

[bubblyshades.livejournal.com]

for real

[tungatunga.livejournal.com]

Ugh, mess, Tyler as usual is their saving grace. I like Abnormal Summit but whenever they discuss some serious issues I can't between constant face-palming or strong urge to throw remote at TV. I won't even start on Canadian guy. And why they talk like only women feel pressure to get procedure?

[cotxpaxi.livejournal.com]

I don't watch this show but i wonder how much of it is prompted and scripted. Well it looks like the cast gets to say what they truly feel since some say some really screwed up shit. It wasn't the case for Chat with Beauties, keep in mind that show started airing in 2006 or so and western~ foreigner presence in S.Korea has increased a crapload ever since. I have a friend who was part of the original cast of Chat with Beauties and she left because the benefits were wack and she wasn't allowed to freely express her opinions. One episode was about plastic surgery too and she had submitted her statement to the PD's for review, it was about how she felt self conscious about her face and tooth-gap in the past but actually does not want to undergo any procedures and now feels confident about her looks. Day of the shoot she was handed a script that was the complete opposite. She was prompted to say that she would like to get minimal procedures in order to become prettier because what woman doesn't want to become prettier. So that bs + no benefits like the CF deals, pictorals etc that the Abnomal Summit cast gets nowadays made her quit! - - Other women from the show have stuck around in Korea but you don't see them gaining much traction in the industry ... wonder why ... :'(

[piyolitics.livejournal.com]

holy shit, are you serious? that's so fucked up. is your friend still living in korea?

and i noticed that too. the abnormal summit members boosted into popularity just based off of a few episodes, but chat with beauties aired for years without any friction. damn.

[piyolitics.livejournal.com]

whenever they talk about women on this show the only people that make me not want to close the window is tyler and alberto

[britgirlsf.livejournal.com]

I've started wondering if a big part of the reason why foreign men go to Korea is that they're hoping their archaic attitudes towards women will be more acceptable there. So, racist and misogynyistic, good job, guys.

[yakuniku-8.livejournal.com]

Beauty is important everywhere but i guess we are more reserved here. I was shocked when my Korean friend was told by her friends to loose weight. It's even more shocking when parents tell their children they should get plastic surgery.
Plastic surgery is becoming a trend all over the world so it's annoying to read the same articles, always about China or Korea. but only my Asian friends asked me "if you had money which kind of plastic surgery would you get?". Here we would ask " if you could change something what would you do?" implying you can't change it anyway. But that's just my experience.

[bomsnose.livejournal.com]

This whole topic is just looks sad to me. The fact that it's men talking for women makes it worse.
It's a swirl. One will never be perfect. You will never be fully content with your body. Everyone has imperfections. If you fix one, another one will seem bigger. If there are medical reasons -- sure, go for it. Otherwise it's just one of the many businesses that make profit of people's insecurities. The "women do it for themselves, makes them feel better" is such a popular view these days, I don't even know which person to try to wake up first. Societal pressure, the other lame excuse. People do much worse things due to societal pressure, and somehow don't learn that if you give in to it, it will only get worse. /lame rant over

[xxyumekaxx.livejournal.com]

My country practically also requires pictures for job applications, but unlike korea they're more looking for grades, social engagement and nowadays how you're doing at their tests (at least for bigger companies). The money I spent for travelling around and doing all those 1 to 2 days lasting tests... .
Well, even with pictures attached, I can't see any discriminations against "ugly" people here, since 1000 of applicants get invited and tested to find those few people who are literally the best suited for the company.

I don't have much of an opinion towards plastic surgery, though. Whether someone uses make up to change their face considerably (I'm doing that sometimes) or has a little nose job - it's practically the same to me. After all it's true, being pretty has a lot of benefits in most cases. It's just that korea has this specific picture of a "beauty", unlike other countries, where a lot of traits can be considered pretty.

[zeysech.livejournal.com]

I mean, it's so strange because I'm not against plastic surgery, I'm against a culture that prioritizes outer beauty to the point where you feel it's necessary to get plastic surgery. It's the same as my feelings on whitening products.

[winegums.livejournal.com]

mte. It is NOT normal in most cultures to have your face cut into and injected for minor things that don't fit the mythical ~beauty standard of that particular culture.

and it's starting so young, I mean one netizen comment is basically calling Akmu's Suhyun ugly and the girl is freaking 15 years old. wtf @that kind of poisonous shit, fuck the culture that thinks it's ok to not even spare actual children (I've seen nasty shit written about some child actors too) and values one narrow idea of physical beauty over all else. The true monstrosity in 'plastic monster' is not those people who get stuff done, it's the social standard that pushes them to believe they're lesser if they're not fixing their faces.

[goshipgurl.livejournal.com]

they also ask for photos when you apply for a job in my country, but unless youre applying to be a model or whatever your education and grades are def. more important than your looks. who cares if you look like a child or a hobo when you work in a office all day long, as long as your smart. no one needs a beautiful girl with no brain.

imo, if you had an accident and your face looks totally different than before after the accident (sad example, the one girl from ladies code), or you feel uncomfortable with your nose or whatever (and i mean REALLY uncomfortable, not just "oh i hate my nose"), then yeah, go for PS. but korea is really overdoing it. they get PS like other people get tattoos or idk, go to the dentist.

[embroideredkiss.livejournal.com]

tyler and alberto speaking sense, as usual. I think guillaume has been in korea too long (it's like, over ten years now right?) and he's drunk the kool aid and full on bought into a lot of Korean cultural standards.

[winged-monster.livejournal.com]

Tyler's comment is the only thing that should be said about the topic. Alberto was sensible as well. His comment applies to all women imho not just Koreans.

Guillame was the grossest. He basically said that it would only be ok for a woman to get PS if HE liked it.

I need to get back to waiting for 4minute's MV release lol.

[xxhna.livejournal.com]

That's nice and all, but I'd like to know what women have to say on this matter.

[hipployta.livejournal.com]

A bunch of men talking about this should have been focused on the cultural issues pushing plastic surgery

If someone wants it they should have the agency to make that choice but if EVERYONE is getting it and you're treated badly if you don't that's another issue.

Also that photo business is an easy way to get sued in the US...

In Miami plastic surgery happens alot. The focus is on boobs and butt with maybe lipo to keep the weight off. It's so common I got used to people asking if mine were real. Alot of people are just getting what looks attractive on their frame versus the very large ones.

Some of the new procedures for weight loss are scary as hell though

[leighbee333.livejournal.com]

There are a lot of great things about Miami but I found the superficiality there almost oppressive when I visited...