Shalini Roy, Kolkata, West Bengal

As you know, the high level of beauty standard is a well-known feature of Korea for a long time which has mostly been influenced by media, actors, and K-pop idols. Most of the people in Korea desire to look perfect like Korean celebrities which have led to the fixation of such high beauty standards. There are many features that define the ideal type of Korean beauty standards. Lets have a look over five of the most common ones.

Pale Skin

Having pale skin is one of the most common as well as an important feature of Korean beauty standards. The desire to have pale skin was relevant even in the old Korean days. The ancient Korean people also sought skin-lightening treatments. Apart from these beliefs, it is a natural thinking process of the Korean people to be fair-skinned. Most of the Korean celebrities, be it K-pop idols or actors, follow this standard while only some celebrities can be listed as exceptions, for example, Jessi, Hwasa, and some more.

Slim and Straight figure

We know that there are different beauty and health standards around the world, and mostly the westernized ones are accepted around the world, Korean standard for an ideal and perfect body type is a bit different. According to the beauty standards of Korea, a slim and straight figure is preferred over curvy figures. Again, this is directly relatable to the Korean entertainment industry which prefers slim and straight body types. This itself is proof that Korean people, in general, are much influenced by celebrities. This standardized beauty feature is a must for Korean celebrities but there are always some exceptions like Hwasa from Mamamoo, Jessi, Seunghee from CLC, Ailee, and so on but these stars were subjected to criticism at some point in their career.

Small Face

Another prominent feature of Korean beauty standards is having a small face with a V-shaped jaw. The perfect measurement to be precise for a small face is considered is 18 inches. Having a small face is not a glamourized trait in western countries but in South Korea, it’s a reflection of true beauty. According to some people, it is because Korean people tend to have smaller eyes which makes their faces look bigger. Therefore, to counter back this illusion, a small face is highly desirable.

Big Eyes with Double Eyelids

Korean people, prefer to have big eyes over small ones. Beauty standards for the eyes include Aegyo-sal, which is the small swollen and fatty skin under the eyes, that makes one look more youthful and having double eyelids. Double eyelid surgery or ‘blepharoplasty’ has always been popular in Korea. Korean people also believe that having ‘aegyo-sal’ and double eyelids makes their eyes look bigger. A lot of Korean actors and K-pop idols have this feature, except, some like Dahyun from Twice has monolid eyes, same with famous actors like Park See-joon, Gong-Yoo, and some others.

Heart-shaped and Plumped Lips

Having heart-shaped and plump lips is another prominent feature of the existing Korean beauty standards. A prominent cupid’s bow adds to the beauty of a person. Plump or full lips make a person look younger and attractive. Heart-shaped lips is not something that every Korean is born with. Sometimes they undergo surgeries to have it. Some idols have adorable heart-shaped and full lips like Jin and Jimin from BTS, Jisoo from Blackpink and some others.

The article does not refer to any particular individual. It is a review of existing beauty standard practices followed by the Korean people. We would like to remind you that you are beautiful the way you are and you should always believe in yourself and your capabilities. Different countries follow different types of beauty standards. We should always remember that we all are made uniquely beautiful, we should love ourselves without being conscious about the standardized perception beauty because it is what in the inside that matters.

Do let us know in the comment section what are the features that you like about the Korean people.