Korean Job Discussion Forums

[4 months left]

Girly Goods for Men Selling Well

Korean men in their 20s and 30s are becoming more feminine, not only by paying more attention to grooming but by wearing girdles, waxing their arms and legs, and crimping or straightening their hair.

Lotte Department Store sales records show that the proportion of men in their 20s among customers of hair curlers or irons rose from 10 percent last year to 35 percent this year. In Hyundai Department Store, the number of male customers in their 20s who bought waxing items for legs and arms increased by 34 percent since last year. And each branch of the department sells a monthly average of 50 girdles for men since their launch in October last year. Even the number of 20-something men who bought lip gloss went up 16 percent from a year ago.

In fashion, scarves now also seem to appeal to men. "A lot of male customers buy scarves because they are versatile -- you can put them around your neck like a cravat and wear them with a shirt, or you can tie it like a necktie," a Lotte spokesman said. Colorful skinny jeans, made popular among women by a girl group Girls' Generation, are also popular among men. The imported stock for men completely sold out just four months after they were launched.

"This is more than just a desire to copy celebrities," said Kim Ran-do, a professor of consumer behavior at Seoul National University. "It's a global trend that comes from the dismantlement of traditional gender distinctions that emphasize masculinity, and the emergence of feminine values."

http://english.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2009/06/23/2009062300503.html

[moosehead]

nah, all it amounts to is there are gay men who just aren't ready to acknowledge it yet - but they are getting there, slowly but surely

[samd]

[Tundra_Creature]

Whatever floats their boat. I can appreciate a guy who keeps himself presentable. I'll admit though, I'm not overly fond of guys who wear the girly clothing. But there are a lot of girls these days who do. Certainly seems to be growing here in the cities of Canada. I remember reading a few months ago that currently, 'nerds'/comedians and more feminine guys are currently more popular than macho guys.

I think I read it in Cosmo. So don't expect much scientific research in that.

[Morning_Star]

Finally! The nightmare of stinky, hairy men ends!

[Tundra_Creature]

Yikes, harsh dontcha think?

I don't ever remember stinky being sexy though. Hairy, yes.

Know a lot of older woman who love the hairy chests (Tom Sellek anyone?). I don't mind it either, as long it's not reminiscient of a Planet of the Apes movie. But you know. Some chicks dig it. Power to them.

[Epicurus]

[Epicurus]

[fermentation]

I thought this trend was made obvious by the number of guys wearing earrings that are clearly made for woman.

Being clean is one thing, but if men actually start to look like women I think there might be a slight problem.

[Joe666]

There is a world of difference between shaving down, getting a manicure (maybe a pedicure) and wearing girdles, lip gloss, femine clothing. Atleast I hope so.

Asian males wearing girdles. What for? Most are boney with little muscle mass. Are they trying to acquire an "hourglass figure"?

[Mr. BlackCat]

Actually, several of my friends are gay and they all are very 'butch'- if you will. Clean yes, but manly. The thing is they like men. Not men trying to be women. MEN. In fact, most crossdressers are straight (or at least lead a straight sex life). This leads me to believe that trying to dress in what we might interpret to be a feminim way doesn't really have much to do with sexuality.

I say live and let live, if it floats your boat and all that. The only problem I have is that although Korean men tend to be feminim in many ways, it is still a staunchly patriarchal society and also very homophobic. If I'm going to withold my laughter at a pink male halter top with a unicorn on it then this country should take spousal abuse and hate crimes more seriously.

[ardis]

[redaxe]

This reminds me of the South Park episode about "Metrosexuals".

Most women are not into girly-looking men, so this trend really just means the local men here pose even less competition for me than before. Hooray for "pencil-cut" jeans--they look hot on girls and they make other guys look gay!

[sharkey]

i shave my package, does that make me femenine ?

[diver]