Socio-Economic Forces behind the Korean obsession with Plastic Surgery Essay - 35

Socio-Economic Forces behind the Korean obsession with Plastic Surgery - Essay Example From this study it is clear that traditionally, the Korean female ideal was one of submission and subjectlessness. Confucian men were encouraged to engage their minds and expand their territories while women were confined to domestic roles. Therefore, any alterations of the physical body would be done for the benefit of the male. However, times have changed; women in South Korea are now equal participants in the economy. They are well educated and career-driven. Therefore, a number of them now reject these traditional definitions of womanhood. As the study outlines Korean women today are highly empowered and now regard personal gratification as a priority in their lives. They want to feel better in their skin and will go for surgical procedures in order to satisfy themselves. Fairclough explains that most South East Asian women are accused of having sleepy or dull eyes. They thus seek to widen their eyes in order to have a youthful look. These individuals simply believe that they will have more fun if their eyes pop. Some critics claim that these surgeries perpetuate negative body self examination. However, most of these women go for body alterations voluntarily. Furthermore, a number of them already had negative views of themselves; therefore, surgeries are a solution that enhances their self image. One of the subjects in the above article affirmed that eye surgery allowed her to enjoy eye makeup more. In the past, this was not possible because of excess fat on the eyelids. Therefore, the subject explained that the surgical decision was not done to please anyone. Instead, it facilitated her own satisfaction with her body.