Understanding cosmetic surgery in Korea

Since someone wrote about plastic surgery for men, I thought I would offer a view for the other sex through this documentary review I wrote.

Documentary Review: “Good for Her: A Documentary about Cosmetic Surgery in Korea” by Elizabeth E. Lee

A rare endeavor in its own right, “Good for Her” by Elizabeth Lee tackles one of the most popular trends that has been invading the South Korean peninsula – cosmetic surgery. Under the patronage of the Fulbright Foundation, this work was inspired by the author’s personal experience during her previous trip to Seoul where she noticed the overbearing commercialization of beauty – from shampoo commercials to beauty billboards. Lee focuses on exploring how cosmetic surgery has seemingly penetrated the core thread of Korea’s social fabric, with special attention paid to Korean women’s reaction towards this new fad. Drawing her resources exclusively from personal interviews, Lee weaves an honest and rather well-balanced account of Korean society’s latest obsession with cosmetic surgery.

According to the documentary, which focuses on the population in Seoul, around 3 to 4 out of 10 females have experienced cosmetic surgery. Although no comparative statistic is offered, the interviewee, a dermatologist in Seoul, expressed that this figure is quite staggering. A decade ago, plastic surgery was a privilege of the wealthy. Today, plastic surgery is no longer a luxury and is commonplace not only among the teenage age group, but also among women in their 40s and 50s. Perhaps a measure of its ubiquity – and its worrisome pervasiveness – is the fact that parents are offering their middle school daughters the surgery as graduation gifts.

Lee’s most significant contribution to an area that is sorely lacking intellectual input is on the possible causes for the Korean female’s apparent obsession with plastic surgery. An early cause of the advent of plastic surgery in Korea was the idealization of Western beauty features. A Korean gender studies professor argues that the Seoul Olympics in 1988 brought in more than national pride. It created a new standard of comparison amongst the Korean public – a Westernized standard of comparison. Western beauty features were epitomized. Older Korean ideals of beauty - a narrow chin and a round forehead – were displaced by high cheekbones, sharp noses and larger eyes. As a Korean male college student blatantly put it, “In terms of attraction, I can see how Western features are superior.” Thus, Lee suggests that the import of a Western standard of beauty and the population’s embrace of its apparent “superiority” triggered the surge in cosmetic surgery.

The spike in cosmetic surgery is also linked to the concept of equality. The rise of the Korean economy and the increased earning power of the Korean public displaced the previous mentality of “class entitlement.” No longer was the good life reserved for only the rich and powerful but ordinary citizens now possessed the power to be like others – singers, actresses or rich people. Likewise, “beauty” remained no longer a privilege of the rich and famous, but ordinary citizens could also now be pretty. But this “equality” also bred competitiveness. A young male explained the culture of “ulchang” – the act of taking one’s picture and posting it online; a culture that would only serve to invite criticisms and comparisons. Thus, Lee suggests that the equality promoted by Koreans serves as a double-edged sword that did not liberate the Korean public but further confined the Korean public to rigid beauty standards.

How did the Korean female get sucked into this obsession? Through her personal interviews with college students and professors, Lee highlights a few of the reasons. The nature of Korea’s education system has left an undeniable mark on the lifestyle of Korean youth. An Ehwa University student laments that the obsession with college entrance examinations, which will determine one’s future in Korea, firmly places studying at the center of life, eliminating any time for hobbies. In a quest for a temporary escape, Korean youth turn to celebrities as a source of comfort. The emphasis on romanticism in TV shows and dramas reinforce the mentality that only beautiful women can attract rich, successful guys. Indeed, the impact of these showbiz influences extends far beyond a mere entertainment source – it moulds a homogenous perception of beauty amongst the minds of the viewers. More often than not, these girls do not even notice their obsession with beauty. As one college girl confesses, “I kept on commenting on the noses of celebrities that I did not even realize of my obsession until my dad mentioned it to me whilst we were watching TV together. It just invades your mind subconsciously.” Even celebrities are not able to escape this homogenous beauty standard, as confessed by an interviewee, “All the female celebrities look the same.”

However, some sources point towards the general mentality of the Korean female – a mentality that lacks ambition and an apparent surrender to the gender bias of Korean society. According to a survey conducted by a gender professor at Yonsei University, Korean female do not have a vision of life beyond their 30s. They dream of getting married in their 20s, and leading a stable, domestic life with children. However, as Lee rightfully suggests, this cannot be merely attributed to an inherent lack of ambition amongst the female populace in Korea. It belies the strong gender bias culture that is still gripping the Confucian peninsula. In the documentary, a recent, female college graduate laments the low expectations employers and even families have of your daughters. Even females that make it into big companies are directed mainly to serve coffee and make copies. The student’s disillusionment with the job market persuaded her to venture into teaching. It is important to note that it is not because she wants to fulfill the ideals of teaching, but rather because it is more recognized as a “female’s job” and she would not have to deal with the very significant gender polarization in the Korean labor market. But isn’t her resignation to the societal ideal of a female teacher instead of challenging the system a mere form of surrender? Lee does not offer an alternative view.

But perhaps the most striking reason is the apparent desperation among Korean females to gain a competitive edge in a slumping labor market. One college male student explains that the job market in 2004 was even worse than the 1997 financial crisis. The market is saturated with 4-year college graduates, and the extreme competitiveness has pushed female candidates to undergo plastic surgery to gain a slight advantage - in essence, succumbing to the gender bias. Does the end justify the means? This is the apparent message Lee leaves her viewers unsatisfactorily trailing. Statistics presented by a college professor revealed that there is an increased rate in employment amongst female candidates with plastic surgery – although a 20% ratio is not significant by any standard.

Lastly, Lee directs the attention to the issue of self-confidence. Does plastic surgery increase self-worth? Apparently so. Interviewees speak of cosmetic surgery as a tool for self-esteem. Indeed, one went so far as to suggest that people treated her differently after undergoing a double-eyelid surgery. Even she was surprised at what a minute physical difference could do to social interaction. Admittedly, I myself was surprised at that insinuation, which to a foreigner, might suggest a highly superficial society. The Dean of University Relations and Development at Ewha University cites data that showed an above average scale of satisfaction among females that have undergone plastic surgery. She goes on to point out that 40% of patients do experience side effects. Interestingly, the side effects rarely intimidated them into rejecting plastic surgery; indeed, patients develop a plastic surgery addiction. 32% of patients have gone under the knife twice, and 9% have done it more than 3 times. This is extremely startling as females start using cosmetic surgery as a means to overcome their apparent complex. Sadly, the Dean points out that more than a few have committed suicide due to the failure of plastic surgery.

In offering an alternative viewpoint, Lee proves slightly unsatisfying. Only one interviewee rejected the concept of cosmetic surgery strongly. She mentions how pretty girls do get through things easier, at the expense of learning new things and experiences. A pretty brave reasoning, but how many females actually submit to such a realization? Also, Lee does not offer an insight into a possible future scenario. Is this obsession just a phase? Is there a cohesive effort to reign in the plastic surgery wave?

Although the quality of the video editing is questionable, one must applaud Lee for
tackling a subject that lacks scholastic analysis. There are a few shortcomings that, when addressed, might help create a more smooth, thematic continuity. Lee does not make an effort to really differentiate the concepts of cosmetic surgery and plastic surgery. Her synopsis mentions her exploration of the cosmetic surgery fad in Korea, but the English subtitles uses both terms, which creates a conceptual disconnect. Indeed, my intentional interchange of the terms plastic and cosmetic surgeries illustrates this conceptual lapse. Every interviewee in the documentary speaks about surgery within the aesthetics point of view. Additionally, Lee could have been more effective in presenting the urgency of the phenomenon. There is no mention of surgery among males, or comparative statistics to other countries. Thus, a novice will not be able to fully grasp the seriousness of this fad. But perhaps most damaging is how the problem of cosmetic surgery is eclipsed with the overarching depiction of Korea as an extremely gender-biased society, where the commodification of the female beauty is not only perpetuated, but embraced even by Korean females. Perhaps Lee intends to emphasize the link between high cosmetic surgery rates and gender-biasness. However, we do know that even in countries with significant gender equality like the US, cosmetic surgery rates are still relatively high. It would be interesting to see if Lee attempts to do a follow-up of her pioneering research.

- ARC