JOIN OUR WHATSAPP CHANNEL
5 Toxic effects of South Korea’s Beauty Standards
Korea is notoriously known for its hyper fixation on outward appearances and cosmetic surgery. The extreme focus on appearance pressures women to conform to societal expectations and under
The small v-shaped face, light skin, symmetrical eyebrows, slim bodies, and double eyelids are just a few characteristics that female K-pop star beauty standards place considerable emphasis on. The primary aesthetic objective is to present idols as innocent and youthful. Female beauty standards have also improved throughout time.
Even though certain female artists are still the targets of this harmful trend, many stars have defied these beauty norms. To thrive in the business, the idols undergo various procedures and methods to meet these standards. The majority of icons face criticism for not upholding these criteria, and occasionally idols still get it even after having surgery.
Many idols have suffered because of unrealistic and harmful beauty standards, and the K-pop business has long been critical of the idols for forcing them to match these criteria. K-pop Extremes reveals some of the K-pop industry's hidden truths by giving readers a glimpse into idols' lives outside of the glitz and glamour. The toxic beauty standards that female K-pop idols must overcome to thrive in the K-pop industry are examined in this article.
5 toxic beauty standards that female K-pop idols go through to be in the industry are:
1. Thigh gap
The area between a person's inner thighs is known as the thigh gap. For female K-pop idols, it is regarded as one of the most important beauty criteria. To keep this up, idols engage in a lot of exercises and regimens. However, people occasionally undergo procedures to live up to this strict ideal.
One of the directors of the renowned Gangnam Moon Clinic cosmetic surgery center, Park Moon-soo, exposed the truth about K-pop idol procedures in a YouTube video titled "Comment Defenders" with AYO. He added that he had worked with K-pop singers and that, as is frequently emphasized in the media, many of them had liposuction on their legs.
2. Hip pads/bra pads
The requirement that female K-pop idols have specific X- and S-shaped bodies is another poisonous beauty standard. Unfortunately, idols must undergo a variety of procedures, adhere to strict diets, and even wear hip and bra pads to preserve the proportions of their trim figure to uphold this standard. For similar reasons, curvaceous female K-pop idols are uncommon. Eating disorders affect idols' overall health and well-being significantly. Fans do enjoy seeing female K-pop celebrities in such characteristics, but the cruel truth is that keeping up their figures comes at the expense of the idols' general health.
In addition to using bra and hip pads, people also use diet pills, liposuction, breast augmentation, fat burning, and other surgeries and treatments. Idols also significantly cut their weight and body mass to preserve their figure unhealthily.
The most tragic aspect is that, even after undergoing these treatments, female idols may still suffer criticism for wearing hip/bra padding. ITZY's Yuna is a recent illustration of this scenario. She was charged with wearing hip padding on a Korean forum. The star faced heavy criticism for donning them, but several internet users stood up for the performer.
Tina, a former Blady member, also revealed in a video that wearing pads that adhere to a particular industry standard for female idols almost became the standard. She also admitted that to improve their physique, she and her teammates had to wear hip or bra pads.
3. Heart-shaped lips
Having full lips or lips that are heart-shaped is another criterion of beauty that is frequently adored by admirers. The lower lip should be fuller than the top one in this situation. Additionally, idols must have a lip line that faces upwards when grinning.
Idols generally undergo several procedures, including lip fillers, as required by the agencies to satisfy these standards. While many female idols, such as Joy from Red Velvet, match this beauty standard, others refused to follow this trend, like Apink's Bomi and MAMAMOO's Moonbyul showed how different can look beautiful too.
4. Pointed nose
It has become fairly typical for idols to have this quality. A nose job or rhinoplasty may be necessary in some cases for a small, pointed nose. The beauty criterion for female idols calls for them to have a petite face that complements a small, pointed nose. Many idols, meanwhile, have steered clear of this fashion. Weki Meki's Doyeon is a well-known example of someone who defied the beauty standard by having a wide, high, straight nasal bridge.
However, several female idols have encountered criticism even after choosing treatments to conform to these criteria, such as subpar work on their nose jobs. The idols' mental health is also impacted by this. Winter from AESPA and Nayeon from TWICE are two examples of people who have faced criticism for the same behavior.
5. Glass skin
Translucent skin is another widely accepted beauty criterion among female role models. The unattainable ideal of having glass skin—pale, flawless skin—harms an idol's mental health. Numerous procedures are used to obtain this porcelain-white skin tone, which leaves the idol's complexion free of wrinkles, pimples, and blemishes. Botox, fillers, laser procedures, and other therapies are among the treatments.
Among idols, practices like whitewashing have also been widespread. Additionally, it has become rather popular to edit idols' images to meet this norm. To acquire this look, they frequently follow a rigorous skin care regimen.
But unhealthy norms force female K-pop idols to use excessive makeup, which causes acne and other skin issues. While it is true that many idols have such natural skin tones, such as Chaeyoung of TWICE and Somin of KARD, many others who don't conform to the norm have faced hostility from internet users.
However, several idols have defied these rules, going so far as to reveal their true skin tones. Such harmful norms don't apply to idols like Eunchae and Sakura from LE SSERAFIM or Winter from AESPA.
One of the most talked-about topics has long been the Korean beauty standard. Artists and fans think that the K-pop business will thrive without upholding such harmful beauty standards because of its current progressive nature and idols who are defying convention. This would help spread a positive message and encourage admiration for idols for who they truly are.
Also read: K pop idols who defy the conventional Korean beauty standards, Ft BTS' RM & MAMAMOO's Hwasa
FAQs
Latest Articles
