Standard of Beauty: Choson vs Contemporary Korea

            Frequent descriptions of women’s ideal beauty during the era of the Chosun Dynasty  were round and smooth face like a moon, wide and rigid forehead like a sky, eyebrow like a branch of a willow tree, horizontally long, slender eye, and small lips like a cherry. I think people during the time valued harmonizing themselves with the nature, and woman whose face that literally bears the likeness of nature were perceived beautiful as a woman’s facial beauty was often compared to natural elements, like the description above. Standing together with their value about nature, moreover, was the Korea’s Confucianism, a religious and philosophical system that focuses upon the relationships between individuals, between individuals and their families, and finally between individuals and general society. Under the system, people regarded one’s body as a gift from one’s parents and any alteration to it an act of disrespect. As a matter of fact, and making up one’s face too different from one’s natural look or even cutting one’s hair were considered acts of dishonor.

"A Portrait of a Beauty" by Shin Yoonbok

            This is obviously different from currently accepted ideal beauty in the Korea which include big eyes, a sharp and pointed nose, a small chin, and coke bottle body shape – so-called Western, or Caucasian look. A good example of is Lee Ha Nee of 2006, Miss Korea. There must be multiple causes that led such abrupt change in standard of beauty, but I thinks the main cause is rapid modernization, large import of western culture, and spread of mass media. 

Picture of Lee Ha-ni, 2006, Miss Korea

            Together with other Asian people like Japanese and Chinese, Koreans are said to be inherited some genetic characteristics that come from Mongolians, who gave typical Asian characteristics to them; “Relatively small eyes and noses, and wide-set cheekbones, and thick bodies…….” These traits are long-term natural selection of best suitable physical appearance for the Mongolian ancestors who lived in the extremely cold environment.  This, indeed, is beautiful, proud evidences of human survival, which still consists majority of Korean women's appearance. But there are a number of Korean women who conduct plastic surgery in order to fit the current, westernized standards of beauty.

            Comparing traditional and these days’ beauty standards in Korea to the typical appearance that had been built for a long time, the old standards highly correspond to it, but the current westernized standards don’t. And many Korean women conduct plastic surgery to fit this current, westernized beauty standards. But I think it is ridiculous to pursue unrealistic standards that are completely different from the looks brought by natural selection.

Source:

http://www.sisapress.com/news/quickViewArticleView.html?idxno=11591

http://weekly.cnbnews.com/category/read.html?bcode=3769&hcode=3