Over at Haps, James Turnbull looks at South Korea’s line obsession, (e.g. “S-line”, “V-line”, “X-line”) and those that push them. He has some especially choice words for the “Bagel Girl” concept.
One more, is the deeply misogynistic, almost pedophilic label ‘bagel girl’ heavily promoted in the media, the “bay” referring to young, “baby” faces, and the “gul” referring to “glamour,” which means large breasts in Korean.
Problematic just for the blatant objectification alone, what is particularly worrisome is that the term is used only for young women, rather than middle-aged ones for whom looking youthful might be considered a plus. Pause to consider what charming individuals would be attracted to busty 18-year-olds with childlike faces, and it’s difficult not to conclude that it’s the combination of developed bodies and implied childlike personalities that is the real attraction.
And while the public may get caught up in the craze, it all starts, much as in the West, with a product to push.
Expectations surrounding women’s bodies—in the West and Asia—that endure to this day, are all manifestations of the same, utterly utilitarian, reductionist view of women upon which modern consumerism relies.
You can read the rest here.
On a personal note: I have a pretty decent doughnut working around my waist, but I imagine there is little in the marketing schemes of the fashion industry aimed at “doughnut boys.” Though nothing a little Photoshop can’t remedy (or at least present something for me to aspire to).
And on the ‘dentist got your tongue?’ front:
You might remember Ms. Brooksbank-Jones, she of the UK, who had her tongue lengthened to speak better Korean. Now, some Korean dentists are apparently pushing tongue surgery on their patients for better pronunciation of English.
The doctor in charge came back with a proposition: Wouldn’t you like to fix your tongue to improve his pronunciation in English, especially the “l” and the “r.”
Since he was quite confident in his English language skills, he said he did not need the procedure but the doctor kept insisting on the need to correct his tongue.
This was also posted on The Marmot’s Hole
