The Changing Faces of Koreans
An article in the Wall Street Journal discusses how Korean faces are changing over time. One reason is the popularity of plastic surgery, but interracial marriage and a changing diet can lead to different facial features, too. The Korea Face Institute, a private research center, has conducted a study to predict what a natural Korean face will look like in the future. It analyzed 20,000 photographs and determined that “around a hundred years from now…natural Koreans will look more like Southeast Asians.”
Students: Write a paragraph to answer ONE of the following questions. (Note: Please try to choose questions that are different from other students.)
1. How do feel about the article in the Wall Street Journal? Do you think the average Koreans will look (much) different in the future? Why or why not?
2. What do you think is the ideal Korean face? Describe it. (Post a picture if you wish.)
3. Will children born from interracial marriage influence Koreans’ perception of beauty in the future?
4. Will multiracial children experience more or less racism in the future because of different facial features?
5. In what situation do you think plastic surgery is acceptable
6. In what situation do you think plastic surgery is unacceptable?
7. What is a popular plastic surgery procedure in Korea? Describe it.
8. If you could change one physical trait about yourself, what would you change?
9. What is one physical trait you would never change about yourself?
English Language Pages 
7. What is a popular plastic surgery procedure in Korea? Describe it.
I think the most popular plastic surgery is a double eyelid surgery. It is one of plastic surgery that Korean prefer to others. I think a double eyelid surgery is most popular in Korea. First of all, it can make people’s appearance more beautiful than before. Because of that, appearance’s confidence increases gradually. In addition, the confidence is effective to people who had a trauma in regard to their looks. Secondly, it is easiest among the surgeries. Also the price is cheaper than others such as a nose job or jaw operation. For this reason, many parents have a daughter who is 19 years old give them this surgery by the gift congratulating their high school graduation or entrance into the university. Finally, it is due to the people who blindly imitate some of other people succeed in having plastic. Actually, most of young girls do that owing to success story of friends. They often think that if they’ll do that, they also can be like the success people. In conclusion, there are various reasons about having plastic surgery, but I think that considering about the surgery is important when they decided it.
I agree to you. We can easily find lots of girls who took the surgery among friends. But also, we can easily find some of that girls who should not have done it. I know the standard of men is quite different from of women in terms of appearance, but… frankly, those kind of girls is more likely to have been more beautiful before the surgery.
I have a same idea with you. Lately, people often think that double eyelid surgery is not a cosmetic surgery, for there are many human beings who got that surgery and it is not a hard surgery. For this reason, it is natural that eyelid surgery is most popular in the Korea.
I totally agree with your opinion. I’ve graduated girls high school, and I’ve seen half of my classmates had taken a double eyelid operation during the winter vacation after CSAT. It was too marvelous scene for me to forget.
5. In what situation do you think plastic surgery is acceptable
Today people discriminate everything of person’s face. They look face, body, clothes and determine people’s firt impression. Especially Korea is severe than other country. We often see ugly face or ugly body in facebook, korean easily comment badly and ridicule their face or body. Therefore I think this situation can be one of the reason why people wants to plastic surgery. They want to receive love and jealosy to people not laughing or ridicule. Moreover In Korea, when people find a job, interviewer see people’s face and body and determine empolyees. For this reason people tent to do plastic surgery to prepare interview. Most of people thinks this situation is very wrong, but this situation will be not change. In addition, people who having difficult problem to eat or talk to people or embarrase to show face can be acceptable. They need to fix thier problem. I think plastic surgery has to develop for difficult people. We can’t blame person thoughtlessly who did plastic surgery because people can’t know why they did plastic surgery.
I agree with you. The atmosphere in Korea that emphasizes a person’s appearance is a big problem. Maybe this atmosphere in our society is leading to increase of plastic surgery. In these situations, plastic surgery is pretty acceptable and I also think that this situation won’t change unless our society begin to change.
I also understand the atmosphere about people having plastic surgery. In Korea, some people insult other people who had a plastic surgery easily. But paradoxically, that people who insult others almost like someone who was so beautiful through plastic surgery. I thought it by reading your opinion.
I totally agree with your thinking. People determine people by their first appearance. Especially in Korea, I think it really does. We can easily see people in TV who have done plastic surgery. It dosen’t have to be blamed or anything. It is too common thing.
2. What do you think is the ideal Korean face? Describe it.
http://cafe.naver.com/xperiaplay/5171
Ideal means ‘perfectly right’. Ideal is relative between time and space. Before 20th century, Korean’s ideal face was ‘small’. Everything has to be small except forehead. Eyes have to be small and sharp. Moreover, women beauty was not just facial beauty but also characteristic. But now, everything’s are changed. Korean’s ideal face is becoming like an American. Specially for women. Women has to get big eyes, very sharp and high nose too. Because the standard changed. Many women got plastic surgery to fit their face into the standard. First of all fix their eyes to make them big and gather. They lift their eyebrows and fix with medical thread. Furthermore, put silicone in their nose to lift their nose. Look at this picture. They are all same. Same eyes, nose even same chin! Because they all got plastic surgery in hospital. The shocking fact is that plastic surgery doctor has a club. They meet regularly and talk about their surgery method. Even they share their surgery method. Even if it is shocked, We couldn’t blame. Because we made standard of beauty and followed.
Yeah, I totally agree with you. You explained well the changing of the beauty trend from 20th century to today. I have no idea about the standard of beauty in 20th. It is interesting because 20th girl is much more suitable for my ideal type. 🙂 I don’t like those women in the picture you uploaded. It is too artificial.
I disagree with your opinion, because naturalness of human beings is great itself. In other words, everyone has own face, so nobody can’t resemble other’s face. But as you said, a plastic surgery enables people to have uniform beauty. However they can’t make their children resemble them. That is, people who received a cosmetic surgery aren’t able to disobey the law of nature.
I am agrree woth you and I think that part of the problem is the imagen of beaty which appears in tv programas. cinema, etc.
I agree with you especially in this part, “Even if it is shocked, we couldn’t blame. Because we made standard of beauty and followed.” I personally oppose getting plastic surgery except specific situations such as facial disadvantages by accidents because face changed by surgery is not really my own face. However, the society tends to advantage good-looking people, so many people try to be prettier or more handsome by getting plastic surgery to survive in the competitive society. Thus, seriously, we couldn’t blame them. In one sense, people who get plastic surgery are the victim of the fierce society.
1. How do you feel about the article in the Wall Street Journal? Do you think the average Koreans will look (much) different in the future? Why or why not?
I agree with the article and I also think that average Korean faces will look different in the future. There can be two main reasons. First, increase of interracial marriage can lead to changing Korean faces. Since our world is being globalized, there will be more and more interracial marriages. Even these days, lots of guys who live in rural areas marry Southeast Asian women. And there are many foreigners who moved to Korea as English teachers, which means there are more possibilities of interracial marriage. Secondly, more and more people are doing plastic surgery. There are differences in last ten years of Korean faces because of increase of plastic surgery. Since Korea is famous for plastic surgery and it is rampant in our society, many people do not take plastic surgery as a big deal. For these reasons, I think average Koreans will look different as time goes.
I think the reports on multicultural marriages are exaggerated. The number of marriages between Koreans and SE Asians is still comparatively low and the number of marriages between Koreans and English teachers is negligible. Most multicultural marriages are between Koreans and ethnic Koreans from China, as well as ethnic Koreans from around the world. I have a sense that the conservative media is hyping the increase in multicultural marriage for political reasons.
6. In what situation do you think plastic surgery is unacceptable?
In my opinion, the theory which says the plastic surgery has changed traditional Korean faces is not acceptable. For one and the most important reason, plastic surgery is for only one person. As an example, once there was an article which is about a good-looking Chinese rich with masculine shape of face who married a beautiful wife whose eyes were round. They were happy yet after the baby was born, the rich got a huge shock because the baby didn’t resemble him or his wife. It turns out that the woman had a plastic surgery and got her beauty, and, of course, the baby looked just like her in the past. There are many surprising incidents similar to this one and by seeing that, it’s certain that the change gained by the plastic surgery isn’t inherited to his/her descendants. Another reason is that the intergenerational progress is literally in a person’s genes, not in a doctor’s hand. Human genes have changed over thousands of years from the great apes to the mankind. There is another research about the change of human jaw. It tells that human jaws have changed after the start of cultivation because the diet was changed from stiff and tough meat to tender and soft rice. Like this, man’s genes have been transformed by other causes such as diet or his daily life. Over all, the argument which says the reason of Korean face changing is the plastic surgery is unacceptable and I think it will be clearly revealed in the future although it is vague for now.
4. Will multiracial children experience more or less racism in the future because of different facial features?
In my opinion, multiracial children will be more troubled with racism because of their facial features. It can be explained with these two reasons. First and foremost, Korean education system will be not easily changed. Since Korean children were much earlier childhood, they have learned that Korea is ethnically a homogeneous country. This fact is a really important cause of why most Koreans tend to distinguish themselves and others. Even though international marriages presently account for nearly 13.6 % of all marriages in South Korea and have much more occurred until now, both the old-fashioned education and the awareness of multiracial issues seems not to follow the trend well. If today’s trend is going on, then multiracial children will be more likely to be troubled. Second, “lookism” will be still dominant in the future of Korea. Compared to other country, Korea tends to judge somebody by his/her appearance. For this reason, many Korean people want to be looked like a famous Korean celebrity so that they usually decide to get plastic surgery in order to be looked well like the celebrity. Then, multiracial people could be judged as strangers because of their facial features. The children, needless to say, could be. Clearly, if these trends of Korea are not changed, the multiracial children would face up to a black future.
I disagree with your opinion, because population of multiracial people is increasing gradually from past to now. Therefore, the policies for them will be established, and then the Korean’s perception of them will be changed to mild way. Thus multiracial children will experience less racism than now.
Then could you explain which policy has been enforced until now? Also, if the policy is established, then would it lead to an ideal way which is lots of korean people change their original awareness about multiracial people? I am not sure.
3. Will children born from interracial marriage influence Koreans’ perception of beauty in the future?
Nowadays,international marraige is on the increase.
I think children born out of international marriages are influence korean’s beauty in the future.
Beacuse korean’s thought are changing about international marriages.
In the past, many korean think about international marriages negatively because it is contradictory with traditional thinking.but today everyone have freedom of expression and nobody not to blame that.also,person of mixed race are looked favourably so, they are looked curiously anymore. Further, they used to made a guest appearance on the tv show, some people become celebrity. I think this change will influence future beauty standard.
Many people can imitate mixed race man such as at all time standard of beauty is changed.
If time gose by and mixed race children grow up, korea society may change more open than today.therefore, nobody can anything but it is sure that beauty standard will change continuously..
5. In what situation do you think plastic surgery is acceptable?
These day, there are so many people who had plastic surgery regardless of age or gender.
but some people criticize plastic surgery very negatively because of its side effects and danger. However I think plastic surgery has more advantage than their worries.
First of all, people how have complex about their appearance can gain confidence and happiness after the operation. For example, Korean TV show, Let me in(beauty) has changed so many people’s entire life with plastic surgery. Most of them couldn’t enjoy their daily life because of their appearance. But after the surgery, they change positively. Secondly some plastic surgery are really needed for some people who have facial defect such as lantern jaw and harelip. It is not matter of choice for these people. We don’t blame who have beautiful clothes or accessory, Plastic surgery is just like personal grooming product. We don’t have to worry about them and also we must not blame them.
As you said, people who have problem with their face need to get plastic surgery not to be held in contempt from others, because human beings don’t tend to accept a person who has an ugly face that is quite unlike ordinary person.
I agree with you. There are many people who have to do plastic surgery necessarily. And there are people who do plastic surgery even though she or he doesn’t have to do it. We can’t blame it. It is just their free choice and we have to respect. Having desire of beauty is not bad. And actually society wants beautiful people.
I totally agree with you. When the first time of the plastic surgery started. It was not for beauty. It was to fix some damaged face or bodies. It is miserable that plastic surgeries essence are changed by people. Most of the people tried hardly to change their face into modern standard. This mind should be changed.
I agree with that. Plastc surgery boom itself is not a good incident. But plastic surgery can be a nice method to heal a complex of appearance and have people who have complex to get confidence and live better life.
3. Will children born from interracial marriage influence Korean’s perception of beauty in the future?
In the Korea, the rate of interracial marriage increases every year, so there will be a reinforced standard of beauty soon. In the past, there were almost only Koreans, for less developed transportation couldn’t fully convey foreign people to the Korea. Therefore, the Oriental beauty was able to prevail without interruption of other’s. Then, what is the Oriental beauty? Maybe a woman who has black hair, single eyelid, and red lips is called the Oriental beauty. But nowadays, perception of beauty in the Korea is changing quickly, for example women perceive beauty that of the West. Accordingly, cosmetic surgeries are naturally prevalent between women in the Korea. In other words, they want to be a woman looks like Westerner who possesses a sharp nose, double eyelid, and v-lined chin. For this reason they are willingly received plastic surgery such as nose operation, double eyelid operation, and double jaw surgery to have the Western beauty. However if they marry Westerner, perhaps their children don’t need to receive cosmetic surgeries and can have natural Westerner’s face. That is, more Koreans will marry Westerners to resemble them. In sum, this trend will reinforce standard of beauty that the Western beauty is more superior to the Oriental beauty.
8. If you could change one physical trait about yourself, what would you change?
Actually, I think most people change their physical trait for complementing their weakness like angular jaw, low nose and etc,, that they think it’s not have balance for them. So, sometimes plastic surgery can be reasonable for them, if they improve their confidence by doing that. In my case, I have big weakness for my leg. Imbalance of the upper and lower body is my problem. Although I strive to slim my leg, I just got bumpy muscular leg. So if there are any way of changing my leg with who have slim legs, I want it so much.
5. In what situation do you think plastic surgery is acceptable
I think that plastic surgery is acceptable when the purpose of do it is for reconstructive facial abnormalities. Reconstructive surgery has two clasifications: first one, is to fix birth facial abnormalities and the second one are for fix the result of accidents.In my opinion in both of this cases the plastic surgery is acceptable.
I agree with your opnion. Especially second one is really need to people who have an accident, because appearance is a very importnant value in these days. By getting plastic surgery, they can live with confidence.
3. Will children born from interracial marriage influence Koreans’ perception of beauty in the future?
I think children born from interracial marriage don’t influence much Korean’s perception of beauty. Because including Koreans, people’s perception of beauty is influenced by the mess media. There are many opinions that Koreans want to resemble Westerners and that circumstance influence Koreans’ perception. But I think mess media’s influence is bigger. We are contacting mess media everyday and we see a lot of beautiful celebrities. So we are getting familiar to their beautiful face and their handsomeness becomes standard of beauty. Few years ago, in Korea mess media regarded Westerners’ appearance or people who resemble Westerner as beautiful people. So many Koreans thought people who have big eyes and a sharp nose are beautiful. But nowadays mess media looks Asians’ trait beautiful as well as Westerner’s and people who have apparent Asian’s trait like Korean model, Yoon Joo Jang and Korean actor, Esom start to receive attention. It changes Koreans’ perception. Still there are many Koreans who love westerner’s facial trait but there are also many Koreans who regard Asian’s trait beautiful as well as Westerner’s. For this reason children born from interracial marriage isn’t related to Koreans’ perception of beauty
My opinion is a little different with you. Actually, mess media also show us about children’s beauty of interracial marriage’s couple. Almost of Korean like the appearance of Westerners. Moreover, recent responses of Internet are similar to look some children who born from interracial marriage as people resembling Westerners. I think it is also one of perception of beauty as Westerner are better than us.
8. If you could change one physical trait about yourself, what would you change?
If I can change my one physical trait about myself, I want to make my height tall. you know what? my height is very small. I always have worry about my height. Since I was little, It is my complex. my friends make fun of me using this physical trait. Such as dusty butt, dwarf and so on. Although I thought that I wil grow up high sometime in my middle school days, I am in the university without a change until today. It’s terrible. If I become tall, I can have more self-confidence than ever before.
I’m disagree with you. When I was 14 years old, I was the smallest student in our class. But I didn’t mind my height. Instead, I looked for my another attractions. So you don’t have to get stress from height. Find out your own attractions and it’ll cover up your complex.
I understand you because I also have small height and my height was one of my stress. However, I am sure you can overcome that weakness. You can be attractive enough despite small height or you may be already an attractive person for many people. I hope you become a person who even loves your small height.
4. Will multiracial children experience more or less racism in the future because of different facial features?
I think multiracial children experience less racism in the future. As time goes by, international marriage will be increased so there are many multiracial children in Korea. In the futeure, multiracial people will not be a minority and they won’t be considered to have different facial features. An era of internationalization will also influence this thought. As a consequencel of the globalization , more foreigner will come or live in Korea than now so it is used to Koreans to see foreigner. With these changes, racism will be become a lot weaker than now.
5. In what situation do you think plastic surgery is acceptable?
I think plastic surgery can be acceptable in any situation. Because every people has their own property of their bodies, they also has the right to ( )their appearance, too. First, plastic surgery is needed to overcome one’s phyiscal complex. There is a TV show which is called ‘Let 美人’. This program helps people who are suffering from very serious physical complex. Watching this show, I thought that plastic surgery could be very useful help and also could be the only hope in someone’s life. Second, people who are suffring from discrimination because of racism etc. might be in need of plastic surgery. I’ve heard about a multiracial child who wanted to be white. In this case, she might be in desperate situation of having plastic surgery. Finally, plastic surgry is also acceptable to gain one’s one confidence. Today, it is not an exaggeration to say, contemporary people each has their own complex (of appearance, especially). Many people say, they experienced the increase in their confidence after having platic surgery. By overcoming physical complex, it also have effects on one’s mental too. In conclusion, physical surgery is accepatable for their good effects mentioned above.
6. In what situation do you think plastic surgery is unacceptable?
Plastic surgery can be an efficient means for improving low confidence. However, there exist several cases that plastic surgeries are unacceptable. The first thing is the addiction. Most of people often have desires to be more and more beautiful and handsome. Using such wishes, plastic surgery makes people become addicted to it. Such addiction is increased by the exaggerative advertisements of several plastic surgeons. The second case is, when it has riskiness. These days, some people go through with dangerous surgeries such as reshaping jawbone or cheekbone due to beauty. Having these risky surgeries, though, is absolutely not a desirable behavior. Several news reports appeared that some people who took these surgeries have been dead or got side effects. Indeed, people who consider taking plastic surgery must maintain optimal level.
In Korea, lots of korean want to undergo plastic surgery. However, actually most of them don’t have to take surgery; they just want to be more beautiful. I think there are two types of people who really need plastic surgery. One is those who got burns in their faces. They has suffered from it largely and really want to erase their wounds. The other is those who get disorder and it makes them uncomfortable. For example, someone have big problem in oral structure that they couldn’t eat something easily and as a result become underweight. So I think those types are acceptable to take plastic surgery.
I think that plastic surgery is really needed for those two people. But it is also useful for people who want to be more beautiful. If people who want to be more beautiful do not take plastic surgery too much, I think it woudl be fine. All men have their own rights to be more beautiful.
5. In what situation do you think plastic surgery is acceptable?
: I think that accepting of plastic surgery is useful for the various types of people. First, the plastic surgery gives a hope for people who are not satisfied their own face or body. These people hate themselves, and entered into depression very easily. However, through the plastic surgery, they change their face or body trouble, and then, they get a new satisfied life. Second, the plastic surgery makes people more beautiful than before. Even some person is really beautiful, but they also want to be more gorgeous. Also, in this case, the plastic surgery is helpful to create a better looks for the patient. Last, plastic surgery recovers people who have serious wound or scar by the accident. If plastic surgery does not acceptable, they live with their scar and wound complex. For these reason, when the plastic surgery is acceptable, there are lots of benefits for diverse people.
Nowadays, interracial marriage is increasing as a lot of countries all over the world have globalized more and more. As the percentage of interracial marriage goes up, of course the number of multiracial children is rising. In this change, racism on multiracial children is worried by numerous people, because, the biggest problem, they have different facial features from most non-multiracial people. However, in several reasons, multiracial children will not experience more racism in the future because of looking different.
First, as a lot of people around the world are exposed to globalization, the word ‘multiracial’ will naturally permeate to life of many people. As mentioned in the opening part, most countries all over the world are located in the middle of globalization. Then most people gonna meet more and more international couples and multiracial children. Of course, at first multiracial children will unavoidably experience discrimination because they look different from others. However, as the number of multiracial children rises, they and their different facial features will be accepted naturally.
Second, difference and diversity will be accepted more and more as the history shows, so multiracial children gonna experience less racism in the future. As time goes on, globalized people are learning more about the attitude of tolerance. It is the way the history has flowed and human civilization has developed.
Clearly, multiracial children and their parents don’t have to worry about racism because of different facial features because the world will be more and more occupied by open-minded and globalized people.
4. Will multiracial children experience more or less racism in the future because of different facial features?
5. In what situation do you think plastic surgery is acceptable
A beauiful face is always our common interests in society through history. But recently tremendous interests in beauty is arising especially in Korea. And there are lots of people who are obliged to do plastic surgery. First, lookism is prevalent in Korea society these days. Because a good looking has bocome more important in our society compared to previous society. Caring one’s own beauty has become competivness. So even if people dont want to care their beauty and focus on another interesting area they are blamed to not care about themselves by surrounding people. Second, people has a big desire to become beautiful than others. Since lots of celebrities have done plastic surgery and become so beautiful the public have followed plastic surgery. Because they want to be beautiful like them and plastic surgery has become popular. So as lot of general public have done surgery an average of looking became high and people who dont have interests in plastic surgery got to be interested in it. For these situations plastic surgery is not a problem of individual’s and can be acceptable in our society.
5. In what situation do you think plastic surgery is acceptable
Having a beautiful face doesn’t have any disadvantage. I mean that everyone maybe wants to have a looking-good face. I heard that many Korean people do plastic sugery. My girl friends have already done it. And even though they’ve done, they want to do more to be more beautiful. Some who haven’t done it, also they want to do. Decades age, Plastic sugery was shameful and something that people wanted to hide. But These days, It is not anymore. One of the reasons why many people do plastic sugery is because of this thinking, ” Looks are everything”.
So many people decide people by their first appearance, when they are new to each other. Looking good is one of advantages to live in 21th century. Looking nice doesn’t have any disadvantages than looking bad.
5. In what situation do you think plastic surgery is acceptable
Plastic surgery is ofcourse the same as other surgeries.
People do surgery when they are in desperate need of help. For example if somebody has cancer they try to get rid of the cause of that cancer. Like this I think people who need plastic surgery are those who can’t bare to have their faces, and people who have serious problem living. However, these days especially in Korea people regard plastic surgery as an accessory, something that can be bought with money and that makes them more charming. However, I think people overuse it and become somebody else rather than be cured. Being somebody else is not the same as being beautiful. Everyone has their own beauty that can only be performed when they love themselves. For those who need plastic surgery are people who literally needs to fix their face because they have been hurt on their face and does not look like human anymore.
5. In what situation do you think plastic surgery is acceptable
Would you ever consider plastic surgery? Nowadays, plastic surgery has become more popular for modern people. They believe that beauty of person is most important for life. On the other hand, other people disagree with it. They hate it because surgery involves risk. But, I can accept plastic surgery in special circumstances. First, people who has complex of their appearance like birth defect. It can alleviate mental illnesses which will harm people through worry about their appearance. If people has complex of their appearance such as protruded lip and wound, maybe they will become a laughing stock, so they will always have stress and injury of mind. When people who has complex have surgery on their appearance, their life will change. Second, people who has no self-confidence of their appearance. These people are always intimidated their appearance whenever they look for other beautiful people, so they will think negatively and stress will increase gradually. If these people do plastic surgery, they will have confidence. Therefore, I think, this two particular situations can be acceptable plastic surgery.
5. In what situation do you think plastic surgery is acceptable
Now days, there are many people have the plastic surgery just for beauty. However we should know that the purpose of the plastic surgery is treatment not the cosmetic. In Korea there have a program which is “Let 미인” , the program that helps people to have the plastic surgery and pay the all cost for them who has the complex on his/her face or body. and that prohibits people from living normal lives, such as someone who suffering burns to his/her face or body, so that lose self confidence. In this situation I really accept to let them have the plastic surgery if they can recover their confidence through the surgery. In sum, I hope everybody don’t have the plastic surgery as far as possible.