Korean Job Discussion Forums

renzobenzo1 · Joined: 08 Sep 2007 Location: Suji, Yongin

Koreans don't tend to have a lot of body hair and would I be right in saying that facial hair is pretty much non-existent as daily shaving seems to be the norm here?

I was just looking at the 10,000 won note and noticed the dude in the picture is sporting a styly goatee beard and moustache.....

Yet my principal told me once to shave-he said you will look more handsome when I was sporting some 2-day stubble growth one-day....
begs the question-what rights do you have with facial hair at work-what if I said no?...

With Winter coming-and I feel it's gonna be a cold one....a bit of extra warmth of the face could do me some good.

anyangoldboy · Joined: 28 Sep 2007

Generally they like it better if you do shave like everyday. Think they must have a deal on the razors here. Kidding.

They just aren't used to seeing people with beards cause lot of them went into the army and you cant have a beard there and also they dont want you to be different.

reactionary · Joined: 22 Oct 2006 Location: korreia

i had the opposite. boss complimented me on my four-week laziness growth

marckot · Joined: 16 Jan 2007 Location: Mokpo

I have a nice full beard and I always get positive comments about it. Most Korean men I spoke to said they are unable to grow full beards. They say it usually grows in patches and not nice and thick.

The important thing is that you groom your beard frequently. I shave the parts of my face where I do not like to have facial hair, like my cheek bones and low down on my neck. Keep your beard looking clean and healthy and most people will not have a problem with it.

ernie · Joined: 05 Aug 2006 Location: asdfghjk

i find that the razors here last at least twice as long as the ones back home...

GoldMember · Joined: 24 Oct 2006

Actually Koreans do have a lot of body hair. With us it's distributed widely.
With Koreans (asians) it's highly concentrated in one spot.
It's a dense overgrown jungle down there.
Easier to trim a beaver than it is to wax a back.

Omkara · Joined: 18 Feb 2006 Location: USA

If you trim it neatly, they'll like it--assuming that it is full in the first place. A patchy beard looks terrible and is best shaved.

If you do have a full beard to grow in, expect that you'll get comments that you look "dirty." That's because you generally do, until it has filled in. I got all kinds of, "Teacher, no! Dirty!" while growing in my goat. That was my first year here, and I gave in and shaved it off.

I went back to the States and grew it in, and I expected to get the same comments when I came back. But I didn't. I get compliments on it all the time. Even strangers compliment me. I have not had one negative comment on it.

If you keep the lines sharp and don't let it get too long, the Koreans'll like it. The stuble look usually just looks lazy and hung over--in short, "dirty." But well-groomed is another issue.

If you can, get a detail trimmer sent to you from home and cut it with some style; don't just grow a bunch of hair around your mouth.

normalcyispasse · Posted: Mon Oct 08, 2007 10:13 pm Post subject:

I agree with the comments re: grooming. I get compliments on my goatee, but I also generally keep the rest of my face (cheeks, neck) clean.

Korean men don't often grow facial hair. Will they think it's weird? Well, you're already a foreigner; I think it might just be icing on the cake.

Dome Vans · Guest

Haven't clean shaved for 6 years. Beard trimming to the shortest level is the most I'll do. I like stubble and hate the clean shaven look. Never been asked otherwise. They're more annoyed about the fact I come into work nude.

renzobenzo1 · Joined: 08 Sep 2007 Location: Suji, Yongin

I had a few good comments today so I'll keep my FH there for the meantime.

PeteJB · Joined: 06 Jul 2007

Most Korean men only have a small amount of facial hair, and it grows slower and not as thick. Can't say I've ever seen a Korean with facial hair around the neck...

Boodleheimer · Posted: Tue Oct 09, 2007 12:44 am Post subject:

a lot of women here have mustaches. some of the female teachers at my high school have more facial hair than the boys they teach.

fromtheuk · Joined: 31 Mar 2007

I have a big beard, all of the adult males at my school are clean shaved.

I have been on both sides of the fence, clean shaved and now with facial hair.

I've had a beard since around 1994, it started off as a goatee and then a full beard.

A few people have told me I have a beautiful beard, but if I were clean shaved again I would feel like I'm naked, diminshed in some way and a bit effeminate.

I feel like a man with a beard.

I also have a shaved head, which goes nicely with the beard.

mspencer1983 · Joined: 17 Sep 2007

fromtheuk · Joined: 31 Mar 2007

How dare you besmirch my good name!

I'll have you know I shower everyday, and I apply soap to every nook and cranny of my being before I rinse myself clean.

I brush my teeth thoroughly, but once a day. And my clothes are always ironed and they smell terrific because I use loads of fabric conditioner, so there!

Effeminate and naked - that's ridiculous?!!! I suppose wearing a mini-skirt and powdering my nose would be a sign of real masculinity?!!!

Gimme a break! Shocked