Korean Job Discussion Forums

[peachgaru]

So after reading the overweight thread, I became nervous about reactions I will face in regards to my height-- I'm 5'11 but thin for a tall girl (~size 6) so hopefully I can avoid most fat-bashing...hopefully. I realize that I will never be able to buy a pair of pants, but will I also face daily insults? I realize that Koreans are not all short and that the younger generation is taller, but I often self-conscious in America so I know I that this feeling will only grow once I'm in Korea.

So I guess I'm asking if height is considered a very undesirable physical trait here and whether or not it will affect my daily life? I admit that I'm very sensitive to remarks regarding my appearance and need to grow a thicker skin. Any advice concerning how I can handle negative comments gracefully when I'm in Korea will be much appreciated.

((I think this has been handled in the past, but since I can't find any of the old threads, I thought I'd bring it up again. sorry ))

[Vancouver]

i've seen plenty of tall korean women. I wish i could trade heights with you T.T

[Seoul_Star]

Don't worry so much what Korean people think of you. The only Korean people whose opinions actually matter are the Korean people you work with/for and their clients. I'm sure they will not have a problem with your height, and if they mention anything about it, their comments will mostly likely just be along the lines of "you are tall!". You will get tired of hearing this. Eventually you may want to punch someone. The most graceful way of dealing with it, would be to eventually just ignore it when someone mentions it.

[doggyji]

I guess you are certainly on the very tall side for a girl by any standard on the globe. (Maybe not so much in Holland?) And yeah, itchy Korean folks you encounter will probably comment about it. But what can be negative about being tall? It's cool. More than that, I guess you will be constantly assumed and mistaken for a Russian girl for your traits.

[peppermint]

CLG is about your height, and I don't remember her ever having any trouble because of it. Once in a while a student would say something like " teacher is very long" but that's about it.

You'll get asked if you're Russian, but any woman with a light complexion does. In some cases it's the prelude to being asked " how muchee?", other times it's an honest question.

[IlIlNine]

Being a tall guy here is the best. I'm glad I'm not short,...

well, except for the fact that I can' buy clothes, I hit my head on the village bus, can't buy shoes, and I can't date really short girls (they look like my child from far away!).

That said, I get a lot of respect because of it. Sad but true.

It's probably different for girls. But .. who knows?! Let us know, will you?

[Canadian Club]

I'm taller than you, and a lot of people comment on my height, but they always smile when they do it. No one has insulted me to my face (that I could understand, anyway) about my height *or* my weight.

[cdninkorea]

I see quite a few tall Korean women- your height and up. And they wear heels. No, height is an attractive quality here.

Actually my ex-girlfriend, a British girl, was six feet tall. As far as I know, she never got any negative comments about her height.

You'll be fine.

[kat2]

YOu'll be fine. You will probably be complemented on it. You won't be able to buy pants or shoes (I imagine you have bigger feet and you don't want 3inch heels). I"m 5'9" so I never buy heels either. People will comment on it, but it won't be negative. Since you are also so thin, you will probaly get "teacher, you model?" sometimes.

[Sarpedon]

I'm 6'7" and thin (around 200 lbs) and honestly its the thing that I feel is going to annoy me the most about coming to Korea. It's next to impossible to find anything that fits right in the US, I can't imagine being able to buy anything to wear in Korea that is not custom made.

I love being tall, don't get me wrong, but even in the USA, it's a hassle.

But, I could care less about what the Koreans think of me being tall, as all of my coworkers and friends in the US joke around about my height all the time.

[peachgaru]

Thanks for all the replies. I was feeling a little bit apprehensive after reading the overweight thread and needed some reassurance. I feel like I stick out in the US so I guess Korea won't be much different. . .

In the US, I can never find shoes bc I wear the current most popular size (9/10, why do we have such big feet??!), In Korea I'll never be able to find shoes bc they just don't make them.

In regards to the Russian thing, its funny bc I've always been told that I'm Russian..even in the US. In the Europe, I constantly had the Germans muttering under their breath about my Russian-ness. Or they'd point to the eyes. Here in the US, I frequent a Korean restaurant, and the waiter finally got the guts to ask me when how long I've been in the US and when I immigrated from Russia..but I think he asked this bc I ordered in Korean. I just didn't realize that Russian = ho in hanguk.

[oxfordstu]

[peachgaru]

[ilovebdt]

I'm only 5'7 and my students consider me tall. No one has ever been rude to me. The only comments I get from my students are "Teacher you are tall" or "Teacher you have long legs".

ilovebdt

[SeoulShakin]

I'm about 5'8 and my boyfriend is 6'4. Last year when I worked at my hogwan, my boyfriend was waiting for me after work just outside the building. Some of my students saw him when we left, and all commented on how tall/handsome he was (I think it's the blonde/blue syndrome). Anyway, one of the smaller boys in that grade (he's tiny really) decided he needed to give me some advice the next day. His words of wisdom were "Teacher, you and your boyfriend, you can't marry". I kind of smiled, and asked him why he thought that. He said "Teacher is very tall girl, boyfriend is very very tall boy, so children will be TOOO tall". That made me laugh for the rest of the day. I think that was his own inferiority complex speaking more than anything else. Kinda cute though.