These are some of the ads I see 3 times a week on my way home from church.
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Needless to say, we've got some interesting priorities here in Seoul. The pressure to be with someone and the pressure to be beautiful took me by surprise when I came, but I was pretty sure I'd be fine dealing with it. I had a boyfriend already, I thought cosmetic plastic surgery was stupid, and I thought I was okay-looking anyway.
Ten months later, and I actually asked my boyfriend, "I'm... okay... without plastic surgery... right?" Specifically, I asked if I was okay without a boob job.
And I was serious.
So, thank you, Korea, for chipping away at this part of my self confidence and for helping me get so much better at comparing my skin, my shapes, and my proportions to photoshopped, nipped, and tucked young girls. It's been a real thrill.
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| These larger than life (and lovelier than life) faces glow from their frames on the walls heading down to the Sin Bundang Line in Gangnam station. |
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| It really is this accepted and almost expected in Korean society. Be beautiful, and be this kind of beautiful. |
Whoa! That's pretty intense.
ReplyDeleteAlthough the second picture looks like she just took her hair down.
But anyway, I always thought you were beautiful and super cool (my half awake mind almost said "sooper coool"), but what other people think doesn't always make you feel better.
Scout- Thanks, sweetheart.
ReplyDeleteMy mom sent me an email when she read this post telling me to come home ASAP to get away from these lies. It made me happy to know that I'll be on my way back to the States soon.