Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Ocean]

I've read some previous posts touching upon this subject, mainly dealing with weight issues, but as a whole, what are your thoughts about superficiality in the U.S. vs. Korea?

My thoughts:
I know everyone is superficial to a certain extent, but from my personal experience, Korea's superficiality was considerably more apparent. I mean, in the U.S. you can get a decent job even if you're not up to par in the looks department, but in Korea, especially if you're a woman, they measure you by your looks! Not only that, when I went to Korea for a short college stint, I was the only one who did not wear make-up / prissy clothes, etc. AND people's treatment towards me was heavily based upon looks. On multiple occasions, I got treated way better than my friend (who was chubby) which I didn't notice until it happened repeatedly. By no means am I saying that I'm attractive, but I am saying that there is a blatant discrimination and a high level of superficiality in Korea. I mean, sure, it exists in the U.S. too, but not to this extreme, and it's more subtle (like guys hold doors for hot chicks and give better service, and you get more promotions / job offers). Moreover, in the U.S., there is a sizable amount of the population that believes that the emphasis should be placed upon inner beauty... whereas in Korea, it's put on outer beauty.

Your thoughts and experiences?

[victorology]

I tend to agree with your opinion. From my experience, Americans and Koreans are both superficial but Koreans are much more blatantly superficial. I think a big reason is Americans feel the need to be more "politically correct" than Koreans.

In Korea, you can tell someone they're fat and it's just seen as being honest. On the other hand, someone who calls someone fat in America will be seen as rude. That doesn't mean the American who holds his or her tongue doesn't feel the same.

[bovinerebel]

Well certainly the U.S has a bit to answer to for its export of narcicism and shallow anti-values (see : sex and the city). Do you realise how distasteful and vulgar it's considered in some cultures ?

But for me Korea certainly takes the cake for the value of content over context. At least the states at some level seems to understand and think about its sickness.

Depending on the way you look here , you are in for a total different level of experience. If you're young and good looking you're going to get treated like a demi-god by the opposite sex. If you're not so young and good looking you will be an object of loath and disgust for the locals without even the most basic considerations for your well being taken into consideration. But that's just in one context .....in others you will be treated very politely regardless.

[anyway]

[stevieg4ever]

I am not American but surely this is a no brainer.

Look at how common plastic surgery is and that will tell just how looks obsessed Koreans are. I'm in elementary and i am sure some of my kids had surgery during the break. Parents will save from as young as 6 to afford plastic surgery in the future.

Quite frankly I have never met people who are so obsessed with being white.

Korean obsession with appearances is so primitive and debased its laughable. I think a lot of Koreans know this and have said as much to me before.

[kiwiduncan]

It's not just with their own personal physical appearance that Koreans show a great deal of superficiality. Look at the way they promote their cities. Admittedly every country and municipality has a reality gap between the images they show in their promotional material and what you get in real life, but Korea cities take it to new levels.

Down here in Yeosu they are getting all hyped up and excited about the 2012 Expo but the way they are going about it is farcical. The whole focus of the Expo is supposed to be eco-friendliness, clean oceans and what not but I've never seen coastlines in more of a sorry state than the coastline down here.

All their preparations so far seem to be centred on building new motorways and hotels and I would be surprised if, at the end of the day they spend any more than a fraction of a percent of their budget on actually cleaning up the coastline and seawater and giving the locals a proper education about preserving the marine environment. They'll have city hall staff out in huge numbers on the main streets of course, picking up every single cigarette butt for fear that it might be seen by the tourists, but anywhere where no-one's looking it'll be crap as usual.

All we'll see in Yeosu over the next few years will be loads of superficial gentrification of the city centre and some new street signs, trees and planter boxes. They'll post up cute little cartoons of fish and dolphines too, then mow down another hillside for a golfcourse.

[captain kirk]

[aka Dave]

I'm from L.A., and Koreans are far more looks obsessed than even Los Angelenos.

I didn't even think that was possible.

This can be kinda sad, too. I had an overweight Korean student (in my "teaching English as English class" for teachers taking the teaching certification exam) who gave his mid-term teaching lesson plan on weight and health.

He started by saying, essentially, "Look at me, I need to improve my health", which was just a downer to me.

[kiwiduncan]

[bogey666]

[Beej]

Korea is a country where six year old kids know the square footage of their apartments. These kids also know the local apartment names and which ones are the most desirable to live in. Lotte Castle anyone?
The more well to do parents of these same kids tell their children not to play with classmates whose apartments are under x pyong in size.

[kingplaya4]

The dichotomy is I think that in the US we are supposed to feel guilty about it. We have slogans like "beauty is only skin deep" "beauty is only on the inside" etc. Particularly when it comes to their dating lives most people ignore these and to a lesser extent even who they hire. My male friends used to tell me it didn't matter what you look like you can get any girl you want. After being shot down repeatedly I learned otherwise of course.

So basically, I bought the hype for a time, and I imagine that I'm not the only one, and then you've got a large number of people who hide their prejudices, so yes, I would say we're a less looks obsessed society, although the difference probably isn't as great as it might look at first glance.

[Scotticus]

[kiwiduncan]

[ryouga013]

Korea: narcissism at it's worst/best

Korea: where the women want to be prettier than everyone else, and the men want to be prettier than the women.