Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Yaya]

I'm sure everyone has seen a few of these expat weirdos who wear traditional Korean attire called hanbok, most notably that whale of a guy Michael Meyers and the guy who runs the blog the Marmot Hole.

Anyone else think these guys look absolutely ridiculous?

[BigStan]

I've ever seen that before but I can imagine it looking absolutely hideous.

[cazador83]

they wear them on a consistent basis? or just took a picture wearing them once?

[Yaya]

[bluelake]

Very seldom did I ever wear real traditional hanbok. I wore it at my wedding twenty-six years ago and a couple times since for special occasions. On the other hand, the modernized hanbok is quite comfortable and I've worn it several times, although not as an everyday thing (on my days off, I'm much more comfortable in jeans and a t-shirt).

[Juregen]

[Yaya]

[anjinsan]

Yup, some silly foreigners keep feeding into the nationalism in order to feel they've gained some type of acceptance in Korea. Funny thing is,
most Koreans on the street choose not to wear such functional
traditional clothing (I believe Meyers and Koehler wear the costumes based on the common folk design--the neo-traditional commoner clothing
which comes in earth tones and is a simplified overshirt, pants, and occasional vest, as opposed to the white attire of Korea's traditional
working class).

I'm wondering if they truly understand the nationalistic neo-traditional/
pro-peasantry movements which brought about the short-lived popularity of donning such costumes here in Korea which occurred (and ended) several decades ago.

Anywho, I reckon you can wear what you want, so what we think doesn't really matter.

Having said all this, I do wear my silk yangban-style traditional clothing
on holidays with my relatives. My kids do too (though my wife--being the patriotic Korean that she is--doesn't) so its sort of fun, and we all get a kick out of it.

[OiGirl]

I usually wear reformed or modern hanbok a few days a week, as do a very few other Korean and foreign members of the college of humanities. But then, I also do wear traditional American clothing (period costume) a few times a month as well. Obviously, I don't really care about how you think it looks.

Who's that one politician who wears hanbok? I can't even remember enough about him to effectively search for him.

[cdninkorea]

I've never worn hanbok, but I have a fantasy of wearing it and waiting for someone to ask me why I'm wearing Korean clothes, then pointing to their blue jeans (for example) and ask why they're wearing American clothing.

Yeah, it's different. What can I say? My inner child wants to break out and do stupid things.

[T-J]

[hellofaniceguy]

[quote="Why do you think it is ridiculous?[/quote]

For me, a person wearing the outfit... looks like a clown...someone in a circus or dressed for halloween. But hey, I've seen outfits in other countries that have the same look.....

[The Gipkik]

I guess if we were to examine why some foreigners, in particular, have chosen to wear hanbok regularly, outside of the comfort factor, it would be the desire (or need) to assimilate, to not look like a tourist. It is one of the few unambiguous markers that says that this foreigner is probably not here for a holiday or just passing through. I guess you'd ultimately have to ask Koreans what they think when they see a foreigner wearing the "uniform." But in a homogeneous society, there are very good reasons why an outsider would feel an unconscious need to wear traditional clothing. Comparing wearing hanbok to wearing jeans in the States doesn't cut it.

[Old Gil]

Hanbok is one of the least flattering outfits I've ever seen.

[cdninkorea]