Korean Job Discussion Forums

[freethought]

why is it only the women who do this?

why do they do it in the first place?

I've asked students, adults etc, and the most common answer is that it's embarassment. And I don't understand that answer at all. Are they embarrassed they are laughing??? Why?

One explanation I got was that they don't want to be seen, so they cover their mouths. And that doesn't make any sense whatsoever.

I thought maybe it had something to do with bad teeth, but women with perfect teeth and prehistoric caveman like teeth both do it.

[calicoe]

I've been reading a book called Uncovering the Codes: Fifthteen Keywords in Korean Culture," by Kim Yol-kyu. It's a pretty good book except for one passage where the author goes off on a rant and actually refers to foreigners as "big nose," and makes some uneven comparisons.

But, she does a decent job of revealing some of the gender codes. One of those codes is the covering of the mouth when females laugh. I'll let the author explain it:

"Korean women, for example, were taught not to laugh out loud in front of others. Not only were they forbidden to make laughing noises, it was also considered improper to reveal their lips when laughing. So for ages, Korean women have been turning their heads away from others or covering their mouths whenever they laughed or smiled. Laughter was considered an unfeminine behavior that should be hidden or covered up ... The culture imposed this inequality on women, and today, such discrepancies can clearly be seen as a form of discrimination.

Although crying was not exactly taboo for women, like laughing, there have been many oppressive restrictions."

[freethought]

the author uses the past tense in that paragraph. Does she say how/why the current manifestation of this practice came about? do the parents tell the daughters to do this in the home? Is it in a textbook for school girls?

clearly just some stupid sexism, but why/how it continues to this day is of interest.

Also, when you read about the dumb ModEdit that people come up with that is 'improper' it really makes you realize how stupid and primitive we all used to be (and in some cases still are).

[itaewonguy]

jesus I wonder if the western people are gonna try and influence more change on the locals ...
personally I like how koreans are not like US.. wont be long before they are more and more like us..

[freethought]

who said anything about making them change???

I just want to know why. I want to understand. Which some would say is not only tolerant but a sign of respect.

[Junior]

[tzechuk]

I sometimes cover my mouth when I laugh - same reason why I wouldn't open my mouth when I eat. I don't particularly want people to look inside my mouth. I think the inside of one's mouth is pretty gross, even when it's empty...

[Nemo]

Bad breath.

[Deep Thirteen]

Halitosis

They do this in Japan also. I read that it originated with Buddhist purity notions in that showing white bone can be seen as impure.

Or it might be so you don't catch any flys in your mouth.

[bassexpander]

About a decade ago, it was very popular for Koreans to get that little flap of skin under the tongue cut. It's sick, but the reason they did this was because it was advertised that they could speak English better if they did it.

For those that did this, they now have to cover their mouths when the laugh, or their tongues would hang waaay out like Gene Simmons from Kiss.

Gee, after that, I think it's time for another Korean women/dating thread!

[Khenan]

I'm pretty sure they do it because it's sexy.

[benji1422]

Why do Westerners chew with their mouth closed?
Because it looks better.
Because it looks "higher" class.

Same thing with asian women covering their mouths when they laugh. If you want an obedient traditional wife, this kind of gesture goes a long way towards projecting that image.

[lithium]

[crossmr]

[Leslie Cheswyck]

To make up for when they don't cover their mouth when they sneeze or cough, duh!