100 Years of Korean Beauty

[mjspice.livejournal.com]

Research:

Behind the Scenes:

SOURCE: Cut Video

This is part of a video series by Cut Video which showcases 100 years of female beauty. You can see the rest on their Youtube Channel

Comments

[jaeslurpy.livejournal.com]

i've seen their other videos too. its really cool to see how we've changed our looks over the years

[froggster.livejournal.com]

I just keep wanting them to also show how the brows changed, but they keep disappointing me in that aspect.
and isn't korea more about the straight full brow than what they keep giving her? (why am I so focused on brows? idk)

[cottonowl.livejournal.com]

You're not the only one ticked off by the thin eyebrows haha. I was also expecting the famous dewy skin combo gradient lips for the 2010's.

[crystalheng.livejournal.com]

Same here. Even if not dewy with gradient lips, at least a clean and natural look...

[froggster.livejournal.com]

ia. it's such a trend. It was really missing.

[yakuniku-8.livejournal.com]

Gradient lips are the trend now and maybe last year. But i don't think it was in the early 2010's. About brows you are right.

[cottonowl.livejournal.com]

I always get confused, 2010's = 2010-2020 or 2000-2010? I found it weird that they would do 2010-2020 when we're only five years in so I probably got it wrong haha.

[jasmineakaiumi.livejournal.com]

Yeah, that and the SUPER white BB and barely there (but actually a lot there) makeup.

I don't remember anyone looking like that since I've lived here in 2010 tbh. Rest was really nice but not so sure I agreed with the last one.

[zeysech.livejournal.com]

they tweak the brows slightly, I think the problem might be that this model's brows are already so thin.

[froggster.livejournal.com]

But making brows seem thicker is easy. + They didn't do it in the other videos either. Where were the 20s/30s brows?

[zeysech.livejournal.com]

that's true.

[sra-interesante.livejournal.com]

it's interesting how they keep track of styling for North and South Korea
south korea follow western trends meanwhile north korea keeps a really simple but feminine style

[revertigo.livejournal.com]

lol @ "is it okay to say?" :(

[itsnvrcldinhell.livejournal.com]

This was so awesome, i like the fact they added north Korea also, they both completely contrast each other

[pwhyt.livejournal.com]

uh..............why'd they use a white lady makeup artist......it's all wrong...................what was the point of having a researcher

in that behind the look 2010s video, "why would someone want bigger eyes?" is a loaded/bait-y question and he got the answer he wanted -____- u have white ppl making "bigger eye" make up tutorials/round eye eyeliner techniques, but u wouldn't ask them why and fuck whoever said it's to look more western.

i've never seen anyone besides korean americans wear their eyeliner that thick, but even that was like mid/late-90's and they're saying ppl are doing that now? lmao@her using contour wrong AND bronzer too??

for the 90's they could've gone w/ the classic s.e.s hair (but that was teenagers), or the brown lip trend w/ strong eyes/eyebrows, with straight black mid-length hair that a lot of actresses had at the time.

[suxaholic.livejournal.com]

breath

[pwhyt.livejournal.com]

look after urself bb

[suxaholic.livejournal.com]

breath

[jasmineakaiumi.livejournal.com]

idk I've never seen Korean's use bronzer in the past 5 years. Their makeup is white, white, and more white. And maybe a bit of blush.

I was mostly hft until the last look idk

[jeliza]

I wonder if at that point they didn't ask for notes from the researcher and the makeup artist just went on her own assumptions/current media? She's a different makeup person than in the previous three videos, too.

(Also, the researcher is HAWT please more videos where she is talking.)

[jasmineakaiumi.livejournal.com]

Considering Lee Hyori is/was pretty big so if she was going off that then it'd make sense that it'd turn out this way!

(Latest reply ever)

[virginiaaa.livejournal.com]

preach!

[crystalheng.livejournal.com]

Dude, I want bigger eyes because I want bigger eyes, not because I want to look "western." And hardly anyone I've seen in Korea do their eyeliner that way. Too thick. I can't say anything about anything before the 2010s but the trend of the decade is clean, fresh and natural look - almost like nude makeup.

[yuzuruhanyu.livejournal.com]

ofc they'd ask the white woman why asians (lol the usual generalization) want bigger eyes god

[chimpansee.livejournal.com]

I didn't know these videos! Really interesting to see, going to look at the others now

[zeysech.livejournal.com]

I love videos like this

[teukiesu.livejournal.com]

as a korean i love this so much! esp the 1940s look. it looks great on the model.

the 2010s look looks like lee hyori

[yakuniku-8.livejournal.com]

It's pretty interesting. I hope they gonna make more videos.

[love-allure.livejournal.com]

'asians wanna look white' always makes me lol now. why they gotta make everything about themselves?

[aibajunior.livejournal.com]

People want bigger eyes because they want bigger eyes... it has nothing to do with looking "more caucasian"

like, no one ever wants to look more white lmao

[akito1994.livejournal.com]

Hmm. Is it really though? I see a lot of other people mirroring your thoughts above. But as chinese person with small eyes, I always wanted bigger eyes especially when I was a teenager. I thought it was because my beauty standards were based on the white celebrities on TV, because they were the models in beauty products and the "attractive" characters in movies. If that is not the case, why are big eyes, high noses, and fair skin considered attractive in the first place? (Not attacking you or anyone else, just genuinely curious)

I mean, obviously some Asians naturally have big eyes, double-eye lids and fair skin, but I would say it's not that common (at least in my country). So how did these features end up being considered "attractive" almost worldwide?

[agoongprincess.livejournal.com]

im not an expert or asian but where im from being fair is considered beautiful and in places like india/some parts of africa/middle east fairness creams are everywhere and it's a billion dollar industry.

why having big eyes/fair skin/double eye lids is considered beautiful in east asia is probably highly influenced by western imperialism as most beauty standards around the world are but also i assume it differs from country to country. for example, i heard in china having fair skin became important bcuz the poor would be tan from working the fields and the rich would be pale from staying inside. adding white western notions of beauty to the already established ones has lead us to where we are today.

in general though, no body wants to look more white but they definitely want to fit white western standards of beauty (subconsciously bcuz not many ppl are aware of how prevalent white western standards of beauty are).

[sra-interesante.livejournal.com]

yeah, i think caucasian looks are a global thing too
i can speak for people in my continent (south america)
blonde hair, fair skin and colored eyes ... they're not common in my country, but you can see blonde heads everywhere on tv shows and advertisement

[aibajunior.livejournal.com]

I see what you mean, I guess I have a skewed view on it, being from a country where the majority is caucasian (even though there are more minorities in the country, go figure) and the trend of being dark is beautiful is coming up fast. I guess I just don't see how anyone could want to look white when I find other races incredibly more beautiful than my own, but that may just be how people perceive themselves? Not sure if I'm making any sense haha.

But I see your point, where the western influence is prevalent, especially in South Korea and Japan, people are getting surgeries to get a double eyelid and to be paler. I find it interesting that it became such a worldwide thing too, how did it seep into other countries and why is it so attractive?

[scheisse.livejournal.com]

yeah, i think people conflate wanting to look white and being influenced by white/western beauty norms. wanting bigger eyes isn't "wanting to look white" but it might be a byproduct of the forced and very prevalent ideas of beauty from westerners/white people worldwide.

as for skin color in korea, isn't that a cultural thing? like, people with tanner skin were normally lower class people/people who worked outside while those with fairer skin were upper class/people who stayed inside because they didn't have to work?

[dot-rose.livejournal.com]

The paler part, I can explain (although not very in-depth).

In the past, a tan would signify that you were poor and have been working out in the field. The pale-ness meant you had enough money (rich) to not have to work the field as much or at all.

The western trend of having a tan only started after Coco Chanel came back from vacation with a tan. Since Coco was such a predominant figure for women, it became popular. Also because going on vacation = you're rich

I don't know about the eyes though. But as an Asian, I want bigger eyes because ...I just want my eyes to be/appear bigger. I guess this is the same with breasts? People want bigger breasts because they want bigger breast?

To offer an alternative perspective

[rainydayphotos.livejournal.com]

As another Chinese girl living in a western country, I've never truly wanted larger eyes. For the longest time, I thought I did because kids used to make fun of me, and family members used to (and still do) suggest that I get double-eyelid surgery to become "prettier". Only recently, I've realized, without outside pressure, I like my eyes for what they are. Although in situations of family pressure in China, they're always listed Asian celebrities as beauty ideals, and not western celebrities. Double-eyelids and fair skin are features that exist naturally amongst Asians, and are considered beautiful.

I've done some research on colourism (Shades of Difference by Evelyn Nakano Glenn is a good resource), for the most part, those features becoming "attractive" worldwide is heavily influenced by colonization, with European colonizers instilling that they are physically superior to the native population. However, in East Asia and South Asia, the beauty standard that lighter skin is more beautiful has its roots in classism, where the wealthy nobility/higher status people were more likely to have lighter skin while the peasants who toiled outside were more likely to have darker skin. My mom is horribly colourist, and more often she insults darker skinned people because she says "they look like they come from (poor) rural areas". There are studies in East Asian countries, that people with lighter skin are more likely to be hired because of its association with wealth. Although one can argue that westernization has exploited and profited from the existing system of inequality to make lighter skin an even higher status symbol. In fact, one of the biggest companies for producing skin whitening ingredients, and importing them to East Asia is a Canadian company. Also, East Asian countries like China have previously colonized South East Asian countries, and still have influence on them today, the spreading of East Asian beauty standards to the rest of Asia is also a factor.

From what I've read about larger eyes being a worldwide beauty standard, it has something to do with age and possibly ableism. Wide eyes are associated with youth, and especially for women, there is the pressure to look young, the sexist implication that a woman's worth is based on her age. In the 1800s (during the colonial period), there existed racist and ableist western biological theories that compared people with down syndrome to East Asians, implying that East Asians were biologically/mentally "inferior".

Re: To offer an alternative perspective

[modestgoddess79.livejournal.com]

thanks for the info and the book reference

[charlieu.livejournal.com]

The desire for bigger eyes have to do with human nature. High levels of estrogen means bigger eyes, bigger forehead, smaller chin, less prominent brows, etc. Testosterone gives men bigger jaws, etc. Breasts and hip means fertile and health with women, which is why men are attracted to curves on women. While culture has a lot to do with what we are attracted to, human nature is what steered us to pay attention to those things in the first place.

[modestgoddess79.livejournal.com]

I must be hella fertile cause my forehead is huge

[blackstarnebula.livejournal.com]

I think European colonialism has played a part but I've never heard of a culture who prized small eyes, especially for women. The eyes being the windows to ppl's souls, I think the bigger the better. Plus, larger eyes make things/ppl appear more innocent, docile, etc which men tend to prefer in their women

[lazmy.livejournal.com]

loving the 2000/2010 look the best b/c that was my fav hyori era
if i hear one more person say asians wanna be white ima hurt somebody tbh!!!

[uledy.livejournal.com]

can we stop saying "western" when we mean white? k, thanks.

[cherrypop.livejournal.com]

I don't think the 2010's is very accurate. Girls never wear hoop earrings. And, think what you want of it, but a lot of girls do wear whitening make-up. It's common. That, and matte lips with fuschia or red tint. Hani from EXID is a really good example of the current beauty trend.

[oppameansit.livejournal.com]

lol did she do the gee dance for the 2000s?