Dear readers, I continue to introduce you to excerpts from my book "Angels drink milk". This chapter focuses on the fashion industry for facial plastic surgery in South Korea.
Over the past few decades the
world of Korean fashion has undergone drastic changes. Modern Korean girls
believe that it is not enough to simply sew a fancy hanbok[1] for the holiday and
beautifully braid hair with flowers. They need something more, radical changes
in appearance! Strangely enough, despite the unique features of the Asian type
of face, the amazing, cute distinctive features of an Oriental person many young
Koreans are dissatisfied with the shape of their eyes, noses, cheekbones and
all their adult life they strive to change it. Fortunately, the technical
capabilities and specialized personnel of modern Korean plastic surgery clinics
allow you to do almost anything with your face and body, so citizens and
foreigners actively use these services.
Jin Ho was also not entirely happy when she looked at
herself in the mirror…
"What do you dream of, our delight? What kind of
gift do you want to celebrate graduating from high school and entering University?"
mother asked her beloved daughter.
"Mom, please, don't get me wrong! I dream of
rhinoplasty eye plastic surgery… I want my eyes to look a little bigger, and I
also want to remove a little bit here and here," Jin Ho looked critically
at herself in the mirror.
Her mother sighed, but she didn't show her
unwillingness, because it seemed to her that her daughter was already perfect
and beautiful.
"My little girl, are you sure you won't regret
this choice later? After all, there will be nothing to bring back!"
"Don't worry, mom, I will change only
"problem" areas just a little bit so that it looks better. Now all
the girls do this, look at the Korean fashion shows! Almost all my classmates
have already undergone plastic surgery."
"Well, find out at the clinic about the cost, dad
and I will pay for the operation. We just need to make sure that you don't have
any contraindications for this procedure!"
The delighted daughter threw herself on her mother's
neck, she did not even expect that her mother's quick agreement to such a
"gift". Although this was not surprising: today in Korea there the
industry of plastic surgery of any body parts is widespread, mainly Koreans
want to change facial features. Of course, most of the time it's just small
maneuvers, improvements, so to speak. Giving certificates to "beauty
clinics" is acceptable for both young people and older people, and even
for the elderly, regardless of gender "this is considered an excellent
gift, since any person can find in their body a "flaw", which they
want to correct by means of plastic surgery. It may seem surprising in other
countries, but Koreans do not hide the fact of visiting the clinic and even
brag about it to their friends. In turn, relatives, colleagues, and friends
usually look at the results of surgeons' work with delight and loudly
congratulate the person with "newly made" face.
A few weeks later, Jin Ho popped out of one of the
plastic surgery clinics, excited about her new appearance. From the outside it
seemed that her eyes began to look larger, the skin folds were removed through
the bridge of the nose, and the shape of the nose was slightly changed. The
face as a whole seemed to become more fragile and tiny, which is very revered
among Korean women. It would be hard to say that the girl had become more
beautiful, rather against the background of a new appearance, the Oriental
charm given to her by nature has been lost a little. But overall Jin Ho looked
no worse than before, just a little different. Her friends and colleagues at
the University didn't even recognize her at first:
"Jin Ho, is that you? Have you decided to go
ahead with plastic surgery?"
"Yes, but just a little bit."
"Your new nose and eyes, they're beautiful!
Congratulations! We should celebrate this."
"Yeah, we should, I invite everyone to the cafe
after class," Jin Ho was proud, overwhelmed with emotion and felt special.
In the evening, their cheerful group of first-year
students went to congratulate their friend, and celebrate the change in her
appearance, as it seemed to them, for the better. As they say, each epoch has
its own fashion!
[1] Hanbok is the national traditional
costume of the people of Korea. Traditional women's hanbok consists of a
Jeogori, a blouse, shirt or jacket, and a cohima, a long skirt.
