Korean Job Discussion Forums

[marckot]

This topic might have been discussed before in a thread but I want to share a funny thing I saw in a sauna.

I was in Gwangju at the time and went to a gym close to the place where I was staying. It was one of those health complexes with all the facilities in one building.

Well after a nice workout I usually went to the sauna to relax. On this particular day I came walking out of the sauna into the locker room and saw these three guys sitting in a circle on the floor. In the centre of the circle stood a small case. Then to my surprise the one guy took out a small spunge, pad and a little container with make up in it and he started dabbing his friend face with this powder stuff. Like painting a room he put an undercoat on his friends Then they took out lipstick and took turns applying lipstick. Then more and more stuff was put on until they felt they looked good enough to go out in public

After that they spent an insane amount of time on their hair styles and now and again they touched up each others faces to make sure they look perfect. None of the other Korean guys in the sauna paid them any attention at all.

I have been living in Korea for 3 years. I have seen Korean guys with make up on,so I know that this is something that happens but for the life of me I can't understand the fact that three guys sat in a circle butt naked doing each others make up!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Call me homophobic or anything else. I don't care but there is one thing I do not understand. The fact that men feel the need to put make up on. I know that men made use of make up a long time ago.

but I think GROW A PAIR and BE A MAN for crying out loud!!!!!!!!!!!

I understand transvestites putting on make up or cross dressers BUT why on earth would a heterosexual male ever consider putting on make up!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

If you are a hetersexual guy wearing make up please enlighten me so that I might understand how your warped little mind works because up to now I think you are an IDIOT with NO B*LLS!!!!!!!

What do you think?

[RACETRAITOR]

The funny thing is, if you ask an average Korean male what they think about the roles of men and women, they'll say things like "Men is men and women is women" or "Men should work and women should pop out babies" or "I think there should be a clearly defined boundary between what is masculine and what is feminine."

[billybrobby]

That stuff is easy to laugh at. But the real problem with it is not the fact that it fails to confirm to the narrow and suffocating gender roles that western society has imposed and ruthlessly enforced on all of us. The problem is that it shows a more and more meticulous and ever-growing sense of vanity in the people of wealthy countries, which may be equally suffocating.

[marckot]

I agree with both of you. I have spoken to many Korean men about gender roles and most of them do have a conservative outlook. They see woman as baby machines who need to stay home and cook. There are those who do not see it this way. A Korean friend of mine had to leave her job after her husband told her to do so. She now stays home, takes care of the babies and does all the house chores. She is a highly educated person sitting at home bored out of her mind.

I also agree that society is becoming more and more vain. This definitely contributes to the trend of men wearing make up. The male cosmetics market is a multi-billion dollar industry spurred on by the cosmetics companies telling men they need the stuff to look better, younger nd more attractive for woman. HOLY SH!!T you are a bunch of pansy poofters if you fall for that.

[kermo]

It's about the spectrum. Korean women are so very very feminine that men don't have to crowd the other side of the spectrum to be masculine by comparison. In fact, by staying in proximity, they're ensuring that they have something in common with the ladies.

In a society where women eschew the far end of the feminine spectrum, and stake out territory in the neutral area, men have to differentiate themselves and become extra macho to maintain a sense of masculine identity.

Anyway, that's this armchair sociologist's opinion.

[faster]

I saw several men applying makeup on the subway last time I was in Tokyo, fwiw.

[Corporal]

[gsxr750r]

I'm tired of being PC about the whole issue. If the man believes the woman should stay home, and she's fine with that, then good for them. Women are better at raising children, in most cases. It's what they are genetically built to do. I believe a family functions best when the person who fills the role best takes the lead in that role. If that means the man works and the woman stays with the kids -- good. That is the optimal situation. If it means the woman works and the man stays at home -- fine.

Our western societies are suffering from a lack of family strength, and a selfishness that puts the children and family second after our own desires and goals. If your desire is to have both parents work, then don't have kids, IMHO.

I don't want my kids raised by hagwons and babysitters.

Kids these days are brats, in large part, because of a lack of parenting.

[jdog2050]

[hubba bubba]

Isn't this mostly due to the need for a two income family? Not many families can get by with only one parent working nowadays.


But back to the subject. Dude, I've never even heard of such a thing. If I saw three nude guys sitting around applying makeup, I would have been gone faster than you could say "Rue Paul".

Are you sure it wasn't a gay sauna?

Men who mear makeup need to watch more Rambo movies.

[marckot]

Don't think it was a gay sauna............oh sh$t that is why that one dude was staring at me the whole time and smiling!!!!

I agree with the point that we as westerners have been influenced by society to view gender roles in a certain way. The man being masculine and the provider and the woman being feminine and the one taking care of the man and her family. Maybe the Koreans just have another way of looking at these roles. Mind you it is only the younger generation that is doing the make up thing and the feminine clothing styles. It is a good point that was made about finidng a common ground between the genders.

BUT do you really need make up to find a common ground. Can't you just talk about common things and do common things together rather than looking the same?????

[RACETRAITOR]

[JeJuJitsu]

I'm giving the high % of effeminate Korean dudes a pass, as one has to weigh the good and bad. What would I rather see--a limp-wristed dude wearing mascara or an Ajosshi spitting/puking/pissing on the street? I'd prefer to co-exist with the former.

Besides, I'm curious where this trend will lead--to out-right homosexuality being accepted here, or simply the most effeminate males on planet earth?

[xingyiman]

[RACETRAITOR]