The roots of South Korea's obsession with appearance can be traced to the ancient custom known as gwansang, which is a belief that claims that a person's face is comprised of a 'map' that reveals one's personality, as well as, their past, present and future. These beliefs created a receptive environment during the Korean War, where cosmetic surgery techniques were imported by U.S. doctors that performed reconstructive surgeries related to war. It was likely during this time that Korea's gwansang convictions of a fixed destiny caused the cosmetic surgery to surge. By the 1960's, cosmetic surgery grew into the profitable industry that it is seen as today, as a result of South Korea's societal need to invest in appearance.

In Patricia Park's Re Jane, Jane encounters posters that emphasize South Korea's need to focus on appearance by stating, "Another ad shouted, BECOME THE PERFECT BEAUTY! with side-by-side pictures of a woman's face. The one on the left was a broad, kind face with slivered-almond eyes and a small pug nose- she looked like Eunice. The picture on the right had big, round, double-lidded eyes, a prominent nose, and a pointy chin. There was something off about the gaze- something a little flat, a little dead in the eyes. It did not look like a Korean face at all. It took me a moment or two longer than it should have to realize that it was an ad for a plastic-surgery clinic."(p.162, Park). This observation made by Jane exemplifies how pervasive and persistent South Korea is with appearance, as their posters profusely encourage those to look their best. This is just one cultural note that Jane observes that not only reveals the advertisement contrasts between South Korea and the United States, where she was raised, but it also reveals the high societal beauty standards that are also quite different than the United States. This sight will leave Jane with a choice, to either assimilate into her mother's home-country's beauty standards, or to yearn more for her home-country, the United States.

Bibliography

Park, Patricia. Re Jane. Penguin Books, 2015.

Information Source: "Stanford Scholar Traces Roots of South Korea's Cosmetic Surgery Surge." humsci.stanford.edu. Stanford University. 8 Oct. 2018. Web. Date Accessed, 12 Nov. 2019, https://humsci.stanford.edu/feature/stanford-scholar-traces-roots-south-koreas-cosmetic-surgery-surge

Image Source: https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2015/03/23/about-face