Korean Job Discussion Forums

Dev · Joined: 18 Apr 2006

Another poster, Sody, hit the neail on the head when he / she wrote

"The problem is that in Korea they are obsessed with looks and not just plastic surgery of the face, but the whole image including body weight and clothing."

So true. I know several foreign teachers who have been called "pigs" by their students for being overweight. There seems to be no tolerance in Korea for people with different looks and body types.

There was a teacher's wanted ad talked about on a thread here on Dave's from the work 'n play website that said they would not hire overweight people.

A Korean female student back in Canada told me she'd have to lose weight before she returns to Korea because she gained 4 kg on Canadian food. She said that her mother wouldn't be happy about the extra weight.

What's fueling all this? Is it national pride? Koreans all have to be thin like toothpicks and dressed up to the 9s? What's your take on all of this?

darkhorse_NZ · Joined: 20 Feb 2007 Location: South Korea

my vice-principal called me a "pig" on sports day, which is rich given it looks like he's nearly full-term with a rhino.

i should have said something to him, 'cos a westerner who isn't as understanding as i am of cultural gaffes, would probably just sock 'im on the nose.

Alyallen · Posted: Mon Jul 09, 2007 8:38 pm Post subject:

I've been called fat. Never mind that I just ran the Jeonju Marathon in April. I ignore it and chalk it up to child-like innocence, denseness and crassness.

Most adults tell me I'm thin (not that I ask for their opinion in the first place). I think it just translates over from Korean. The idea must be that It's OK to talk about it in Korean so it must be OK to talk about it in English.

The opinions of other people don't really matter anyway. If this sort of crap sends you into a depression, then Korea is not the place for you....

Dev · Joined: 18 Apr 2006

Bibbitybop · Joined: 22 Feb 2006 Location: Seoul

RACETRAITOR · Joined: 24 Oct 2005 Location: Seoul, South Korea

Dev · Joined: 18 Apr 2006

I was wondering how big a problem bulimia and anorexia are in this country?

When I went out for dinner with my Korean buddy, he went to the washroom several times and we weren't even drinking beer.

pkang0202 · Joined: 09 Mar 2007

its all about conformity. Its ingrained in their collectivist culture. The majority of the population looks thin so being "different" is a bad thing.

Whereas in the West, we value individuality. We actually teach our kids at a very young age to be "different". Be yourself. Be all you can be. Beauty is only skin deep.

Its a different culture. In this culture, its not unusual for the parents to call their own kids fat, and tell them they need to lose weight or get plastic surgery. Heck, my family has been living outside of Korea for over 25 years, yet my mom called me on the phone the other day to tell me to get braces and all my moles removed because its cheaper over here.

You throw the message the Media sends to the general population about acceptable looks and you have the problem with image.

Its just as bad in the West. You might not think so, but go to a middle/high school in the US and just listen to what the kids say to each other. Teenage school girls can be the meanest people on the planet.

mikowee · Joined: 03 Aug 2006

Most Koreans think I should gain weight Confused

Alyallen

kalkamagi · Joined: 17 Jul 2006 Location: Seoul

"Why Are Koreans So Obsessed With Bodyweight and Looks?"

First of all:
Replace "Koreans" with "Americans" (or a number of other countries for that matter). We're all the same. Once a country has reached the "food is no longer a scarcity" stage, people have time to care about other things like looks. This one European girl I know said about a Canadian girl we both know "I hate fat people". What's up with that?!?

Second, I think that Westerners tend to keep rude comments to themselves (the European girl notwithstanding), whereas Koreans generally feel free to comment on your weight. "Oh, that girl, big size!" is one that is particuarly annoying.

Doogie · Joined: 19 Jan 2006 Location: Hwaseong City

tigerbluekitty · Joined: 19 Apr 2007

gatorchick82 · Joined: 24 Oct 2006 Location: Seoul

RACETRAITOR · Joined: 24 Oct 2005 Location: Seoul, South Korea

It's funny reading some of the comments here. "In America, we don't mind if you're fat or thin or grossly obese." "Where I come from, individualism is valued and encouraged by teachers." Maybe some of us have been here too long to remember clearly.