Korean Pop Culture is extremely popular among the youth in Korea which influences their hair and clothing. Young Korean men tend to wear makeup, dye their hair blonde and sport an overall feminized look which maybe unrelatable to some American men but has the Korean girls swooning over their metro-sexual appearance. Their culture has not only taken over Korea but has spilled over into American culture as well. The famous Youtuber, Megan who is mixed race (biracial mother, black father) has moved to Korea as an English teacher and has became quite famous. She was introduced to Korean dramas and food through a friend and has since learned Korean and appeared multiple times on a Korean dating show. Her success on her Youtube channel (ChoNunMigookSaram) has sprung from her bubbly personality, clever jokes and her already fair skin and racially ambiguous look. Due to, the fact that she is mixed race she is very marketable to Koreans because they value fair skin and often bleach, avoid sunlight or wear makeup to obtain a fair complexion. Her channel has been around for over three years and receives many American and Korean viewers. She has recorded her trips to very creative Korean restaurants, created her own music videos as well as displayed her updated wardrobe which is an reflection of Korean fashion. I have learned so much about Korean culture without ever going to Korea. For example, in one of her videos she spoke of her experiences with very blunt Koreans. According to her Korean culture is very obsessed with beauty and a thin body frame. Koreans will not hesitate to tell you if you need to put on makeup to enhance your looks or if the clothes in the store will be to small for you. She also spoke about the prevalence of plastic surgery even for teen girls. Procedures such as nose jobs and double eye-lid surgeries are extremely popular among many Korean actors and singers to the point that they look unrecognizable. Plastic surgery is not only important in the entertainment industry but for professional jobs because photos must accompany their resume. Megan, is not the only black American who is indulging in Korean culture, Whitneybae is another Youtuber finding some success in Korea. Unlike, Megan, Whitneybae does not fit into the Korean beauty standard of fair skin which makes her transition into Korean culture harder. Regardless it is refreshing to see black women breaking the mold and learning about other cultures. |
AuthorMy name is Kiara and writing is the way I express myself. Archives
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