Hallyu and Cosmetic Surgery in China
Introduction
In episode 5 of Hurry Up, Brother!, a Chinese version of the South Korean hit reality game show Running Man, Deng Chao, the team’s leader, said “What? No! I can’t do that, my nose is fake! I just had it done in the Korean style! (YouTube)” In fact, this is not the first time Deng has parodied the prevalence of cosmetic surgery in China. In fact, undergoing the knife is neither a rarity nor a secret in the PRC’s entertainment industry; in truth, even under Mao’s tightly controlled communist regime, where the pursuit of beauty was prohibited, celebrities underwent cosmetic surgery to address issues such as physical imperfections and aging (Wen 39). However, nowadays, more and more celebrities …show more content…
In particular, I am interested at looking at the evolution of beauty standards in China, especially since the mid-2000s, to examine how the advent of Hallyu has influenced what is considered as the ideal beauty in today’s China. In doing so, this paper will first look at the change in beauty standards through contemporary Chinese history, providing examples of beauty icons from the 1980s to modern day. It will also delve into arguing against the Westernization of Asian features despite the current trends for big eyes and high nose bridge; instead, the paper argues that the pursuit for this sort of features lies in the popularity and consumption of the Korean Wave in Mainland China and the culturally perceived advantages of having bigger eyes. I will then look at the receptivity of the Korean Wave in China and conclude that its success lies in its hybridization of Asian and Western values, which provided a more conservative and acceptable alternative to Western culture during the age of globalization. Furthermore, the history and popularity of cosmetic surgery in Korea will be discussed in regards to the prevalence of cosmetic surgery in the Korean Wave to understand the role and importance of cosmetic surgery in constructing contemporary beauty …show more content…
Moreover, this paper will attempt to look at the social impacts and consequences of the rise in popularity of cosmetic surgery. In particular, it will address the impact cosmetic surgery has had on women both in their professional and personal endeavors, where one’s physical appearance has become an invisible resume to be considered and scrutinized. Lastly, it will examine the addiction to cosmetic surgery as a negative consequence of this social phenomenon and elaborate on the rising “beauty economy” as a result of the commodification of beauty in China, and how that will impact perceptions of beauty in the
Introduction
In episode 5 of Hurry Up, Brother!, a Chinese version of the South Korean hit reality game show Running Man, Deng Chao, the team’s leader, said “What? No! I can’t do that, my nose is fake! I just had it done in the Korean style! (YouTube)” In fact, this is not the first time Deng has parodied the prevalence of cosmetic surgery in China. In fact, undergoing the knife is neither a rarity nor a secret in the PRC’s entertainment industry; in truth, even under Mao’s tightly controlled communist regime, where the pursuit of beauty was prohibited, celebrities underwent cosmetic surgery to address issues such as physical imperfections and aging (Wen 39). However, nowadays, more and more celebrities …show more content…
In particular, I am interested at looking at the evolution of beauty standards in China, especially since the mid-2000s, to examine how the advent of Hallyu has influenced what is considered as the ideal beauty in today’s China. In doing so, this paper will first look at the change in beauty standards through contemporary Chinese history, providing examples of beauty icons from the 1980s to modern day. It will also delve into arguing against the Westernization of Asian features despite the current trends for big eyes and high nose bridge; instead, the paper argues that the pursuit for this sort of features lies in the popularity and consumption of the Korean Wave in Mainland China and the culturally perceived advantages of having bigger eyes. I will then look at the receptivity of the Korean Wave in China and conclude that its success lies in its hybridization of Asian and Western values, which provided a more conservative and acceptable alternative to Western culture during the age of globalization. Furthermore, the history and popularity of cosmetic surgery in Korea will be discussed in regards to the prevalence of cosmetic surgery in the Korean Wave to understand the role and importance of cosmetic surgery in constructing contemporary beauty …show more content…
Moreover, this paper will attempt to look at the social impacts and consequences of the rise in popularity of cosmetic surgery. In particular, it will address the impact cosmetic surgery has had on women both in their professional and personal endeavors, where one’s physical appearance has become an invisible resume to be considered and scrutinized. Lastly, it will examine the addiction to cosmetic surgery as a negative consequence of this social phenomenon and elaborate on the rising “beauty economy” as a result of the commodification of beauty in China, and how that will impact perceptions of beauty in the