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Dev
Joined: 18 Apr 2006
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 Posted: Sun Dec 03, 2006 9:15 pm Post subject: Do You Think Young Korean Women Overdo It On The Make-up? |
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If I could give out awards to Asians, I hand the "most made-up" award to young Korean women. This is because I think they wear more make-up, get more manicures, have more plastic surgery, and get more perms than any other group of women in Asia. I don't think you really see women going all out on their appearances like this in other Asian countries. Plus, there are more cosmetic stores than convenience stores in Korea I think. "Oh, my dear! My lip gloss has run out! I have to get to a store right now!"
Why do you think they do it?
Because they can afford it?
Because they're beautiful enough to take it to the next level?
What's behind this phenomenon? |
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Mashimaro
Joined: 31 Jan 2003
Location: location, location
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| Posted: Sun Dec 03, 2006 9:33 pm Post subject: |
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| It's because most of them look crap without it |
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Curious_george
Joined: 25 Aug 2006
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| Posted: Sun Dec 03, 2006 9:59 pm Post subject: |
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Obviously Korea cares for appearance, the women especially. But if you've ever been to Japan, the trends there totally exceed the Korean style trends by miles..I'm talking scarves in the summertime here..
I've always liked natural beauty, or just a little make-up would do! Probably explains why Korea has so many friggin' mirrors everywhere.. |
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crazylemongirl
Joined: 23 Mar 2003
Location: almost there...
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| Posted: Sun Dec 03, 2006 10:06 pm Post subject: |
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| I used to think that, then I looked in my fridge and realised that I had more beauty products in it than food. |
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ChuckECheese
Joined: 20 Jul 2006
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| Posted: Sun Dec 03, 2006 10:15 pm Post subject: |
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I think Korean women are most make-up prone women not only in Asia, but in the world.
When you're dating a K-woman, it feels like you're dating two different women: Make-up on and make-up off. They look totally different from night to morning. Sometimes very disappointing.  |
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ilovebdt
Joined: 03 Jun 2005
Location: Nr Seoul
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| Posted: Sun Dec 03, 2006 10:15 pm Post subject: |
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No, I don't think so. Admittedly there are some who look like they have applied it with a trowel, but then there are others who wear hardly any.
It's just the same as back home.
The only thing that I do notice which is a bit scary is that some women like really white faces. Spooky!! |
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Badgie
Joined: 13 Nov 2006
Location: Stuck in idle mode
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| Posted: Sun Dec 03, 2006 10:40 pm Post subject: |
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| ilovebdt wrote: |
The only thing that I do notice which is a bit scary is that some women like really white faces. Spooky!! |
I had a Korean roomate for a year in uni and I was fascinated by all the face products. Half the time I wondered why such a beautiful girl would want to look like she had on quasi kabuki make up till I caught sight of all the tan-in-a-botttle and please-make-me-look-healthy-and-sunkissed powder that I had round the place. We both looked a bit daft though, she would get points for the interesting make-up choices where as I just looked like I was coated in iodine.  |
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kermo
Joined: 01 Sep 2004
Location: Eating eggs, with a comb, out of a shoe.
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| Posted: Sun Dec 03, 2006 10:44 pm Post subject: |
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| I often forget to wear make-up, and am happy to forego it most days, but at one school I noticed a big reaction from my Korean co-workers on days when I wore it. I asked why, and they said that women wear make-up because "it's polite." I'm not sure if it was a translation problem but after that I felt sort of obligated. |
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OCOKA Dude
Joined: 04 Oct 2004
Location: Seoul
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| Posted: Sun Dec 03, 2006 10:44 pm Post subject: Re: Do You Think Young Korean Women Overdo It On The Make-up |
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| Dev wrote: |
Why do you think they do it?
Because they can afford it?
Because they're beautiful enough to take it to the next level?
What's behind this phenomenon? |
It's the influence of shamanism (which emphasizes certain rituals and acts to cure or correct what are believed to be outward defects or manifestations of inner spirits), hence the emphasis on makeup, plastic surgery etc., -- which a shaman would interpret as healing -- combined with the influence of Confuciansim, which emphasizes and encourages superficiality, especially the purification of the inner man through outward acts in order to make what the Chinese Neoconfucianists called "Qi" -- or outer man -- conform to "Li", or the inner man.
In Neoconfucian thinking -- which is the brand of confucianism that has predominated in N.E. Asia for the past hundred years -- the purification of 'Li" or the inner man is the object. The Neoconfucianist, having rejected theories such as Karma or reincarnation, seeks to sanctify himself with outward acts. The idea of sanctification or purification of the outward man is not new to the West, as it is a concept shared by other religions, such as Christianity.
In Christianity, the believer seeks sanctification as well,, but differs in how it's achieved. The believer achieves sanctification simply by believing in Christ and the Holy Spirit, and putting his faith in God thereafter for a continuing renewing of the soul.
The Neoconfucianist, however, seeks to achieve the same objectivenot by faith in a higher power or a god, but simply through himself -- by improving himself and making himself/herself appear/perform/act better and better.
This 'self-improvement' philosophy, which bears a lot of similarities to the self-help or new age movement in the U.S., is really quite different though, in that the Koreans' social compulsion for self-improvement operates at a much more compulsive or manic level than in the West -- approaching sometimes near obsessive or religious levels. |
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kermo
Joined: 01 Sep 2004
Location: Eating eggs, with a comb, out of a shoe.
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| Posted: Sun Dec 03, 2006 10:46 pm Post subject: Re: Do You Think Young Korean Women Overdo It On The Make-up |
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| OCOKA Dude wrote: |
| Dev wrote: |
Why do you think they do it?
Because they can afford it?
Because they're beautiful enough to take it to the next level?
What's behind this phenomenon? |
It's the influence of shamanism (which emphasizes certain rituals and acts to cure or correct what are believed to be outward defects or manifestations of inner spirits), hence the emphasis on makeup, plastic surgery etc., -- which a shaman would interpret as healing -- combined with the influence of Confuciansim, which emphasizes and encourages superficiality, especially the purification of the inner man through outward acts in order to make what the Chinese Neoconfucianists called "Qi" -- or outer man -- conform to "Li", or the inner man.
In Neoconfucian thinking -- which is the brand of confucianism that has predominated in N.E. Asia for the past hundred years -- the purification of 'Li" or the inner man is the object. The Neoconfucianist, having rejected theories such as Karma or reincarnation, seeks to sanctify himself with outward acts. The idea of sanctification or purification of the outward man is not new to the West, as it is a concept shared by other religions, such as Christianity.
In Christianity, the believer seeks sanctification as well,, but differs in how it's achieved. The believer achieves sanctification simply by believing in Christ and the Holy Spirit, and putting his faith in God thereafter for a continuing renewing of the soul.
The Neoconfucianist, however, seeks to achieve the same objectivenot by faith in a higher power or a god, but simply through himself -- by improving himself and making himself/herself appear/perform/act better and better.
This 'self-improvement' philosophy, which bears a lot of similarities to the self-help or new age movement in the U.S., is really quite different though, in that the Koreans' social compulsion for self-improvement operates at a much more compulsive or manic level than in the West -- approaching sometimes near obsessive or religious levels. |
Wow. You might be on to something there. |
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endofthewor1d
Joined: 01 Apr 2003
Location: the end of the wor1d.
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| Posted: Sun Dec 03, 2006 10:46 pm Post subject: Re: Do You Think Young Korean Women Overdo It On The Make-up |
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| OCOKA Dude wrote: |
| Dev wrote: |
Why do you think they do it?
Because they can afford it?
Because they're beautiful enough to take it to the next level?
What's behind this phenomenon? |
It's the influence of shamanism (which emphasizes certain rituals and acts to cure or correct what are believed to be outward defects or manifestations of inner spirits), hence the emphasis on makeup, plastic surgery etc., -- which a shaman would interpret as healing -- combined with the influence of Confuciansim, which emphasizes and encourages superficiality, especially the purification of the inner man through outward acts in order to make what the Chinese Neoconfucianists called "Qi" -- or outer man -- conform to "Li", or the inner man.
In Neoconfucian thinking -- which is the brand of confucianism that has predominated in N.E. Asia for the past hundred years -- the purification of 'Li" or the inner man is the object. The Neoconfucianist, having rejected theories such as Karma or reincarnation, seeks to sanctify himself with outward acts. The idea of sanctification or purification of the outward man is not new to the West, as it is a concept shared by other religions, such as Christianity.
In Christianity, the believer seeks sanctification as well,, but differs in how it's achieved. The believer achieves sanctification simply by believing in Christ and the Holy Spirit, and putting his faith in God thereafter for a continuing renewing of the soul.
The Neoconfucianist, however, seeks to achieve the same objectivenot by faith in a higher power or a god, but simply through himself -- by improving himself and making himself/herself appear/perform/act better and better.
This 'self-improvement' philosophy, which bears a lot of similarities to the self-help or new age movement in the U.S., is really quite different though, in that the Koreans' social compulsion for self-improvement operates at a much more compulsive or manic level than in the West -- approaching sometimes near obsessive or religious levels. |
yeah. it could be that. or maybe they just want to look more attractive. |
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ilovebdt
Joined: 03 Jun 2005
Location: Nr Seoul
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| Posted: Sun Dec 03, 2006 11:00 pm Post subject: Re: Do You Think Young Korean Women Overdo It On The Make-up |
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| endofthewor1d wrote: |
| OCOKA Dude wrote: |
| Dev wrote: |
Why do you think they do it?
Because they can afford it?
Because they're beautiful enough to take it to the next level?
What's behind this phenomenon? |
It's the influence of shamanism (which emphasizes certain rituals and acts to cure or correct what are believed to be outward defects or manifestations of inner spirits), hence the emphasis on makeup, plastic surgery etc., -- which a shaman would interpret as healing -- combined with the influence of Confuciansim, which emphasizes and encourages superficiality, especially the purification of the inner man through outward acts in order to make what the Chinese Neoconfucianists called "Qi" -- or outer man -- conform to "Li", or the inner man.
In Neoconfucian thinking -- which is the brand of confucianism that has predominated in N.E. Asia for the past hundred years -- the purification of 'Li" or the inner man is the object. The Neoconfucianist, having rejected theories such as Karma or reincarnation, seeks to sanctify himself with outward acts. The idea of sanctification or purification of the outward man is not new to the West, as it is a concept shared by other religions, such as Christianity.
In Christianity, the believer seeks sanctification as well,, but differs in how it's achieved. The believer achieves sanctification simply by believing in Christ and the Holy Spirit, and putting his faith in God thereafter for a continuing renewing of the soul.
The Neoconfucianist, however, seeks to achieve the same objectivenot by faith in a higher power or a god, but simply through himself -- by improving himself and making himself/herself appear/perform/act better and better.
This 'self-improvement' philosophy, which bears a lot of similarities to the self-help or new age movement in the U.S., is really quite different though, in that the Koreans' social compulsion for self-improvement operates at a much more compulsive or manic level than in the West -- approaching sometimes near obsessive or religious levels. |
yeah. it could be that. or maybe they just want to look more attractive. |
I think if you look like the back end of a bus no amount of make=up is going to make you look good.
ilovebdt |
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OCOKA Dude
Joined: 04 Oct 2004
Location: Seoul
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| Posted: Sun Dec 03, 2006 11:09 pm Post subject: Re: Do You Think Young Korean Women Overdo It On The Make-up |
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| endofthewor1d wrote: |
| yeah. it could be that. or maybe they just want to look more attractive. |
Certainly. But I'll agree with the op that this phenomenon is much more pronounced in Korea than in the West, specifically, that attractiveness for Korean women is much more directly tied to their sense of self worth than it is with western women.
Why, then, aren't Western women exactly the same? I think it's b/c of the dual influences of pluralism and Judeo-Christian thought on Western culture. I think the twin effects of these modes of thought have made it intellectually and spiritually possible for both women and men to define themselves in many different ways beyonds the outward, i.e., not just by their looks (for women), or by material success (for men).
We take this freedom of though for granted as Westerners. In Korea, this way of thinking is foreign and is not easily understood, let alone accepted by many Koreans -- even those who claim to be Christian. |
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europe2seoul
Joined: 12 Sep 2005
Location: Seoul, Korea
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| Posted: Sun Dec 03, 2006 11:38 pm Post subject: Re: Do You Think Young Korean Women Overdo It On The Make-up |
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| OCOKA Dude wrote: |
| Certainly. But I'll agree with the op that this phenomenon is much more pronounced in Korea than in the West, |
Define West. Are we talking North American girl with flip-flops and oversized sweater or Manhattan/London/Paris/Milan/Budapest/Moscow/Prague/etc girl?
Both are west. |
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OCOKA Dude
Joined: 04 Oct 2004
Location: Seoul
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| Posted: Sun Dec 03, 2006 11:51 pm Post subject: Re: Do You Think Young Korean Women Overdo It On The Make-up |
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| europe2seoul wrote: |
Define West. Are we talking North American girl with flip-flops and oversized sweater or Manhattan/London/Paris/Milan/Budapest/Moscow/Prague/etc girl?
Both are west. |
"West"=non-Asian countries, i.e., Western hemispheric countries, especially North America & Europe. |
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