Plastic

No, this isn’t my save-the-sea-turtles post. I’ll get there eventually.

One thing has always struck me while traveling in Asia – just how good everyone looks. Everyone looks so well put together, their clothing impeccably stylish, their looks absolutely on point. After a while, it feels like being the only human wandering in a Barbie World.

When traveling to Jerusalem, you’re warned to cover up. Cover your shoulders, cover your stomach, cover your ankles, look at least somewhat presentable. It is the Holy City, after all. When I lived in Japan, we were told not to wear short shorts, crop tops, or athletic clothes off base. In this case, I don’t think it’s so much conservativeness as being considered presentable to the public. Clearly, different nations have different ideas of what is considered acceptable clothing. If “The People of Walmart” has taught me anything, it’s that the United States has no ideas.

At least in Singapore, wearing shorts seemed to be a more acceptable decision, which David was glad for. And there seemed to be less of a threshold for being presentable. But both South Korea and Japan, countries known for cultural emphasis on appearance, had quite high standards. It should go hand in hand then, that these countries are known for having a high per capita rate of cosmetic surgery.

According to the International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ISAPS), there has been an over 11.2% global increase in cosmetic surgeries performed in 2022 with an almost 42% increase in these surgeries in just the past four years alone (2022). Interestingly, the United States leads the charge with the most plastic surgeons and surgeries, followed by Brazil, Japan, China, and South Korea (ISAPS, 2022). While the US has the highest by quantity, South Korea has the highest per capita. There are around fourteen procedures done per one thousand people in South Korea (Choe & Park, 2020). In Seoul itself, one in three women has undergone cosmetic surgery (Yi, 2022). That’s insane.

Botox is a cosmetic procedure and is not typically classified as plastic surgery, so it is unclear if some of these evaluations include in and out procedures or only invasive surgeries. In the Berkely study, Botox is distinguished from plastic surgeries, so one in three women in Seoul has undergone invasive plastic surgery.

So, when I walk through the city and I think wow, everyone is just so beautiful here, it's advantageous for me to remember that one in three of the women who pass by me in Seoul may have undergone surgery to be so beautiful. That doesn’t quite help with the feeling of being a fish out of water, but I don’t think I would go under the knife to take the splash.

I know that Asian countries often put cultural pressure on appearance, with appearance being linked to professional success. I remember stories from a friend in Japan how everyone shops at specific stores for specific styles of work clothing because no one wants to stand out, and there is a strict emphasis on conformity. While talking about how being a shrine maiden can be one of Japan’s most important beauty contests, our tour guide in Osaka had mentioned the bias towards beautiful people in the workplace. He even asked would we rather work in a place full or ugly old men or beautiful young women? He disagreed with the notion, but wanted to emphasize to us that it was culturally normal in Japan. Appearance can go hand in hand with professional success and job market competitiveness.

Idols and Korean stars have incredibly stringent beauty standards and often undergo several operations themselves (do not get me started in the horrors of leg lengthening), and that also contributes to the popular desire for cosmetic surgery, especially among younger people. Also, with this popular acceptance of cosmetic surgeries, there’s less stigma and more desire to meet these ideals.

I should say, I am not opposed to cosmetic surgery, with maybe the exception of leg lengthening and some types of veneers. In those cases, it is typically because of the extreme health implications. At the end of the day, it is an informed individual’s choice. I haven’t undergone any procedures, but I’m certain I have friends and family who have. I would be lying if I said being here didn’t make me consider a thing or two myself. I think part of me just wishes that little girls didn’t grow up in a world where they felt like they must go through invasive surgeries to be beautiful enough to make it. Why can’t we be enough as we are?

References

Choe, J., & Park, H. "Cosmetic Surgery and Self-esteem in South Korea: A Systematic Review." Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, 2020. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12160-019-00150-1.

International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ISAPS). "Global Survey 2022: Full Report and Press Releases." ISAPS, https://www.isaps.org/discover/about-isaps/global-statistics/global-survey-2022-full-report-and-press-releases/. Accessed 10/6/2024.

Yi, Erin. "True Beauty: The Economics of Plastic Surgery in South Korea." Undergraduate Women in Economics at Berkeley, 23 January 2022, https://uweb.studentorg.berkeley.edu/blog/true-beauty-the-economics-of-plastic-surgery-in-south-korea.