Plastic Surgery

Ok, many of us have probably contemplated a little cosmetic enhancement... some botox there, a little microdermabrasion here. But have you seriously considered going under the knife? Well, I've learned that in Korea (and Japan) plastic surgery is as common among women as getting your teeth cleaned. I'd estimate that one in four of my students had had her eyes done and the statistics were only slightly lower for the nose. It's a bizarre phenomenon where the culture favours large-eyed western-looking women with "high" noses and narrow faces. I honestly can't count the amount of times I was complimented on my head size. Imagine being continually told: "Oh, your head is so nice and small." Or even better: "Your nose is great, it's so high."

In North America plastic surgery usually means a pricey boob job or some hip lipo. Yet in Asia surgery seems designed to change your ethnicity. The traditional-looking Korean woman (think Sandra Oh) is quickly being replaced with her doe-eyed, thin faced offspring. I'm not trying to be self-righteous. I fully understand that this is a culture where you have to attach a photo and state your age on your resume. Better looking women get better jobs, period. But isn't it a little creepy to have ladies strutting around with the same nose bones and eye shapes?

Truth be told, I did run into some insecurities of my own. One morning after a long evening of night club dancing and tequila shots I was eating my breakfast gimbab with a young, cute Korean boy. He was trying to take a photo of me with his cell phone and given my ghastly state I brushed him away with my chopsticks. "You have pictures of me on your digital camera already, remember?" Well, apparently, those pictures weren't good enough because those pictures showed my WRINKLES. Suddenly the green tea went cold in my cup. "What lines on my face?" I asked as I maneuvered around him to look in a mirror. "Those ones...," he said as he pointed to my forehead. Simply horrifying. Sadly, that wasn't the last time a guy commented on my aged face in Asia.

Now back in Canada I'm slowly getting over my self-absorbed facial angst while at the same time trying to come to terms with Korea's.