Appearance is Everything

Before and after photos of an unidentified Korean
Before and after photos of an unidentified Korean "celebrity" showing the plastic surgery that she received.

 

Four out of 10 South Korean 20-somethings have had cosmetic surgery or treatments, a study of the UnivTomorrow Research Laboratory for the Twenties (UTRLT) showed.

A total of 459 South Korean people in their 20s who had ever considered any cosmetic surgery participated in the study, and 38.1 percent of them had had the experience of plastic surgery. Out of those, 46.9 percent had had was operations, while 44.0 percent of them had had treatments.

The most common reason for having had cosmetic surgery or treatments was “envying others’ appearance,” which accounted for 36.3 percent of those that had cosmetic surgery. Another 18.7 percent of those had cosmetic surgery or treatment because of “others’ suggestions.”

Out of the women, 17.4 percent had plastic surgery because of a “discrimination against appearance,” while 16.3 percent of men had plastic surgery because they “found dating difficult.”

A full 60.0 percent of those who had cosmetic surgery or treatments said they were satisfied with the result. In more detail, 72.6 percent of those said the surgery or treatment improved their confidence; 51.4 percent of them said that it was helpful for their relationships; 48.6 percent said that it was helpful for their romantic relationships; and 44.6 percent of them said it was helpful in their job search.

Sixty-three percent of the participants considering cosmetic surgery or treatments said pointed out their “eyes” as their favorite choice for the surgery or treatment, while 61.3 percent selected “nose,” and 38.0 percent chose “chin.”

Ho Young-sung, senior researcher at the UTRLT who conducted the research, said that it was surprising that envy was the most common reason for cosmetic surgery than “inevitable reasons” such as a job search or relationships. The research shows that the country’s current culture is very much emphasizing appearance, he said.

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