What is Lookism?

 The quality of being physically attractive has been of interest to many not just in the present but for thousands of years. This can be seen through artwork created from prehistoric times, such as the carving, Venus of Willendork from “The Stone Age.” However, recently, the idea of lookism has reached the interest of more people through media development. Furthermore, due to the widespread usage of social media as well as the development of cosmetic goods, the age range of this phenomenon has increasingly targeted younger generations.

   Lookism can be defined as prejudice or discrimination based on physical appearance, usually towards those who are considered less attractive than others. The term itself was first used during the late 1970s in The Washington Post Magazine. This term eventually spread to many parts of the world including South Korea, where discrimination upon beauty was already taking place.

The Importance of Beauty, How Far Does it Reach?

   The basis of lookism begins with the views of society, as in how people perceive beauty. In South Korea, the majority perceive beauty to be highly important. According to a survey conducted by Gallup Korea in 2020, which asked, “How important do you consider one’s appearance to be in their lives,” 89 percent of the respondents answered, “Important.” Also, for the question regarding whether receiving plastic surgery for the purpose of getting a job or getting married would be understandable, 67 percent of the respondents answered, “Yes.” The Hanyang Journal conducted a survey among Hanyang University students with the same questions and received similar results where 86.8 percent of the respondents agreed that appearance is important in life, and 75 percent of the respondents thought it was understandable to get plastic surgery for improving beauty, getting a job, or getting married. These results differ in nations outside of Korea. According to YouGov, in Britain, only 47 percent of men and 20 percent of women consider “good looks” to be their priority when meeting new people or looking for a significant other. Furthermore, in nations like Sweden or Denmark, almost 70 percent of both men and women consider personality to be the most important characteristic, with appearance ranking third and fifth respectively. From these results, the weight put on appearance in the current society seems prevalent.

 High beauty recognition can be seen through the rising rates of plastic surgery patients. In 1994, where only 2 percent of survey respondents had surgery experiences, the rates have risen to 10 percent as of 2020. The rise of these rates can be credited to not only the increase in the supply of plastic surgery products and techniques, but also the rising attention for appearance as well. Song Seok-rang, a Professor from the Department of Creative Liberal Arts at Mokwon University, explained the potential problems of the rise in rates of plastic surgery: “It is important to understand that we all cannot have an appearance that fully fits the measure of lookism, and in fact, we do not have to. Therefore, if plastic surgery is conducted for the mere purpose of satisfying social standards of beauty, it is bound to lead to the negative result of losing one's unique appearance related to the mind.” Regardless of whether the desire for beauty is a natural phenomenon, various problems are arising from it.

Beauty Through the Eyes of the Media

   The widespread usage of media acts as one of the major causes of lookism in our society. Yu Hyun-jae , a Professor from the Department of Communication at Sogang University, explained how South Korea’s tendency to use the media as an extreme means of popularizing lookism standards is prevalent today: “Media is continuously providing an implicit message that shouts ‘comparison!’ This message encourages people to make comparisons in their daily lives.” Professor Song also spoke about objectifying beauty to stimulate humane desire: “The media uses the tactic of ‘repetition’ of beauty standards within numerous advertisements and various cultural content to draw viewers in and create an obsession regarding an objectified version of one’s face or body image. In our society, regardless of age, many people tend to evaluate and care for their bodies based solely on the image of the body created by the mass media.”

 Advertisements alone claim a large part of the media today, and therefore play a hand in Korean society lookism as well. Advertisements tend to use models that show beauty close to perfection. This marketing tactic is used to present unnatural flawlessness as something beautiful and worth spending time and money on. Going further, such advertisements present these “digital beauties” as role models or beings of awe. Professor Yu continues to explain the basis of advertisements: “It is plain to see that advertising is based on a structure that takes advantage of creating a gap between reality and the ideal reality.” Although it may seem pleasant to watch, these ads use the tactic of selfjudgment, which creates prejudices and inaccurate judgments towards natural and realistic appearances.

   Social networking sites (SNS) and their widespread usage also have had their hand in creating the standards of beauty today. South Korea ranks second as a nation with the most SNS users. Such pervasive usage has altered what people now look for in others. While in the early 2000s, where smart phones and applications were not widely used, honest and deep conversations were prioritized in a relationship. However, by 2019 , with an estimate of 2.5 billion smartphone owners in the world, the emphasis has changed to searching for relationships that last a short period of time. Due to this change in priorities, people have naturally begun to focus more on what they look like at a glance and use this first impression to judge the person entirely. Park Euna, a Professor from the Department of Psychology at Daegu 

University, explained what problems comparing images within SNS can cause. She said, “Seeing the slim body of a supermodel or the beautiful appearance of celebrities and influencers on SNS can lead people to think their own appearance is insufficient. This phenomenon is called ‘social comparison.’ As the criteria for this self-assessment is unrealistically high, most tend to perceive their looks as below average, which can lead to much more severe problems such as eating disorders.

Problems from the Wave of Lookism

   The wave of lookism in South Korea has indeed brought about numerous problems, related to the body, mind, and especially, society. Lookism is based on the idea that appearance acts as a factor that is able to determine an individual’s superiority and success or failure in life. With this idea acting as the basis of social comparison, lookism naturally contributes to physical problems, such as excessive amounts of plastic surgery, unhealthy dieting, as well as mental problems, including a rise in psychological stress or even depression. Furthermore, South Korea’s competition in the society is what adds onto the flame of social comparison. Students from a very young age struggle from competition and rankings among their fellow peers, creating a culture of competition. This culture builds up and impacts their views regarding appearance as well, naturally connecting to the rise of lookism.

   Social comparison is also called to be the direct cause of “perceptual distortion” of the body. According to Professor Park, “Perceptual distortion refers to the phenomenon where people perceive themselves as obese even though they are currently at a healthy state.” Professor Park continues to explain perceptual distortion by stating how over half of the women living in South Korea are victims of perceptual distortion, especially the younger generation who are more susceptible to the media. It seems that this perceptual distortion acts as one of the major causes of several issues, such as the rage for plastic surgery, lack of self-esteem, and other mental and physical problems.

   One of the main problems brought about by lookism is the act of discrimination by one’s looks. According to Professor Song, “Lookism is reported to cause serious problems of prejudice and discrimination across family relationships, friendships, education, workplaces, court judgments, and political areas.” Professor Song further explained that these cases demonstrate how caring for one’s appearance is no longer autonomous management but is something that resides in every part of society.

The Impact of South Korea’s Beauty Rage on Adolescents

 The wave of lookism in South Korea is not just limited to adults but also affects adolescents. In fact, adolescents are even more sensitive to the social atmosphere around them than adults. Lea Eun-kyoung, a Professor from the Department of Youth Education and Leadership at Myoungji University, stated, “Adolescence is the process of a human being becoming an adult as they grow out of childhood, meaning one is not fully mature. During the adolescent growth spurt, teenagers not only experience physical changes but also internal changes, along with cognitive and psychosocial growth. As they become more interested in peer relationships, they are greatly influenced by their surroundings. Since adolescents are in a growth phase, it is difficult for them to be confident with their looks, so they are easily affected by the appearance standards that society finds attractive.” According to statistics from the National Statistical Office, the obesity rate for teenage girls in South Korea is only about 14.1 percent, which is the lowest among OECD members. However, 3.5 out of 10 teenage girls consider themselves fat and are not completely satisfied with their bodies, according to a 2015 online youth health survey conducted by the Ministry of Education. This survey shows how many teenage girls in South Korea constantly feel pressured to take care of their looks by putting on makeup, losing weight, and getting plastic surgery. For example, 15 percent of customers at one plastic surgery clinic located in Gangnam turned out to be adolescents. As the media and entertainment industry develops, the number of teenagers that want to become celebrities increase, causing them to care more about their appearances. Consequently, adolescents have become the new target of the cosmetics and clothing industries. Cosmetic brands, like Etude House and Nature Republic, began to attract teenage customers with their affordable prices and sophisticated designs. This provides various options for those who like to style themselves and contributes to the rising interest in their looks. Kwon Il-nam, a Professor from the Department of Youth 

Education and Leadership at Myongji University, claimed, “The emergence of the cosmetic industry targeting adolescents can cause several problems. Most youths, who are not economically independent, have financial problems affording such cosmetic products as they become the subject of consumption. It is inevitable for them to earn money to enable them to be satisfied with their appearances, and most of them end up doing physically exhausting and non-technical work instead of exploring various career options, which is their duty as a student. For those who cannot get a job, it could even raise more serious problems, such as theft and violence, just to gratify their desires to look better.” Hence, it seems quite necessary for us to take an appropriate action to cease the negative influence of lookism on adolescents.

“Face-Spec”: the Advantages of Being Beautiful

   “Face-Spec” is a newly coined term, meaning that good looks can act as one’s competitive edge. Since one’s appearance is the first thing that people perceive, appearance tends to be the initial criterion for judging a person. The first impression plays a significant role, especially when getting a job. People with good looks receive better evaluations compared to those who are not, even though they have the same ability. Some say that there are many other ways to appeal other than one’s appearance, such as internship experience, GPA, and certificates. However, many job applicants have a similar level of skills these days, and it is difficult for human resources directors to completely exclude an applicants’ looks, including their outfits and facial expressions, when judging them, since these are the first things that catches their eyes. According to a survey by Job Korea and Albamon, nine out of ten employees between the ages of 20 to 30 agreed that good looks can add to one’s competitiveness, and three out of five have experienced discrimination based on their appearances in social life. Moreover, 12 percent of job applicants had plastic surgery, and 28 percent have considered plastic surgery as an option for getting a job. Lastly, appearance claimed third place among criteria that judge job applicants. Ryoo Woongjae, a Professor from the Department of Media Communication at Hanyang 

University, said, “Attention and concern for plastic surgery do not only exist in South Korean society. However, it is quite unprecedented as it has become a representative cultural and social phenomenon, along with the recent Korean Wave and the global emergence of our public culture, even coining the new term ‘Plastic Surgery Tourism.’ It is hard to say that one’s desire to look better is wrong, but it is problematic that people change their faces to a certain type of look, uniformizing beauty standards.” While it is undeniable that appearances affect people’s lives in many ways, such as causing people to get plastic surgery, now is the time for us to discuss how to manage the problems caused by lookism.

How Can We Learn to Love Ourselves?

   Advertisements and media platforms that emphasize unrealistic beauty standards in South Korea are negatively affecting many people, and the younger generation in particular. This has been recognized as a chronic social problem, and several attempts are being made to address the issue. There have been movements that deny the uniformized standard of beauty among the advertising, fashion, and cosmetic industries. They also convey a message that approves of diverse body shapes, which is referred to as “Body Positivity.” For instance, H&M, a clothing brand, developed a marketing strategy that emphasizes “Body Positivity” by using models of diverse races, ages, and body shapes. H&M broke away from using traditional unrealistically thin models and began to reflect average and ordinary body shapes. Additionally, Vivien, an underwear brand, started an advertising campaign called, “Hello, My Fit.” Various body shapes appeared in the advertisement to deliver the message that the most beautiful fit is already inside ourselves. Professor Kwon said, “There have been many changes in the standard of beauty over time, and it can be modified if we put in enough effort. For this, education that changes the standards or perspectives of looking at beauty is urgently needed. For adolescents who are going through rapid changes both externally and internally, appropriate cognitive education, which draws attention to cherishing and being satisfied with their looks as they are now, is essential.” Moreover, Professor Ryoo added, “To get back to a healthy mind of looking at beauty, various efforts, such as social interest towards media, changes in education curriculum, self-purification efforts from media organizations, and supplements in government’s policies, should be harmonized. For example, we should not only strengthen media education in middle and high school curricula but also reinforce critical media text criticisms, media productions, public culture, and cultural research subjects in university education. By doing this, specific changes should be sought in a way that gradually spreads from civil society and the public’s daily lives to a broad category in a bottom-up rather than a top-down method.” Not only personal efforts but also efforts from various organizations, such as the government and media organizations, are essential to rectify the unhealthy standard of beauty.

Taking a Step Forward

   Lookism has impacted many aspects of our society, mainly negatively, and it is time for us to take positive and suitable steps to solve the problems. Though it is hard to say that the “Body Positivity” movement is a mainstream trend in the media and advertising industry, it will create an atmosphere that rejects the unrealistic standard of beauty and become more prevalent as time goes on. Much effort from individuals and society will be required to seek the real beauty, not the one that media platforms promote, but for our healthy mental and physical lives. As Professor Song addressed, “In order to overcome the false ideology of appearance, individuals must work to free themselves from the capitalized society and seek their true, inner beauty.”