Modern Korean Body Concept in “200 Pounds Beauty” Essay (Movie Review)

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How the dimensions of natural and artificial beauty are represented in modern Korean culture?

In Korean popular culture and 200 Pounds Beauty, in particular, appearance is represented as an important component for success. The main heroine of the film Han-na could not succeed in life despite her musical talents (Minyeo-Neun Goerowo). She decided that she could improve her body, and normally reasonable aspiration for self-perfection is a positive factor (Halliwell and Dittmar 105). However, the film shows what a radical level that aspiration can reach in Korean modern culture. The thin body image is considered a somewhat standard of beauty in many cultures, but the main heroine did not just lose weight. She went through a string of plastic surgeries.

Moreover, she did not think deeply about it, and the film shows how uncomfortable she was at first in her new image. The worrying thing is that supposedly she could not be successful in her job without looking as she was expected. However, interestingly, the discussion between the fictional producers displayed that the concept of natural beauty begins to gain popularity, even though now there are many artificial elements to the concept.

What is the attitude towards plastic surgery in modern Korean culture?

200 Pounds Beauty expands on the topic of how common plastic surgeries have become in modern Korean culture (Yang par.7). The general attitude towards them is acceptance; they are considered as something more like a form of art than medical necessity (Park par.1). On the one hand, it is quite a special phenomenon, and it is a way of giving people the freedom to create their image themselves. On the other hand, there is a danger that people who are satisfied with the way they look might be forced by public opinion into changing something about their appearance. In some way, both Han-na and her best friend were affected by this issue. However, the film finds a way to present the attitude towards plastic surgery in a very ironic and funny way.

How does the film 200 Pounds Beauty show the standard of beauty in modern Koran culture?

200 Pounds Beauty depicts how one-sided the beauty standards sometimes can be in popular culture. For example, when meeting with producers, Han-na, who already had many plastic surgeries is told that she needs her eyes to be made wider and her nose to be pushed up (Minyeo-Neun Goerowo). Another standard is slimness that is a controversial standard of appearance at the cross-cultural level (Jung and Seung 353).

The stereotyped standards of how to affect people on many levels, including their self-esteem and relationships (Ko and Chang 783). The problem occurs when people are desperate to achieve the desired body image, or their talent is not recognized because of the way they look. It would be a worrying message from 200 Pounds Beauty although the film tries to show how today the standards are at least beginning to change for the better.

Works Cited

Halliwell, Emma, and Helga Dittmar. “Does size matter? The impact of model’s body size on women’s body-focused anxiety and advertising effectiveness.” Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology 23.1 (2004): 104-122.

Jung, Jaehee, and Seung‐Hee Lee. “Cross‐cultural comparisons of appearance self‐schema, body image, self‐esteem, and dieting behavior between Korean and US women.” Family and Consumer Sciences Research Journal 34.4 (2006): 350-365.

Ko, Sun Hyeong, and Chang Seek Lee. “Structural Relationship between Self-Esteem, Appearance Management Behavior, Body Image, Interpersonal Relationship and Hope of Adults Workers.” Indian Journal of Science and Technology 8.8 (2015): 783-789.

Minyeo-Neun Goerowo. Ex. Prod. Hak Jun Kim. South Korea: Kim Yong-hwa, 2006. Film.

Park, Soo-mee. “The heavy price of feminine beauty.” Korea JoongAng Daily, 2007. Web.

Yang, Seong-hee. “On The Big Screen, Being Thin Still Rules.” Korea JoongAng Daily, 2007. Web.

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IvyPanda. 2021. "Modern Korean Body Concept in "200 Pounds Beauty"." March 30, 2021. https://ivypanda.com/essays/modern-korean-body-concept-in-200-pounds-beauty/.

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IvyPanda. "Modern Korean Body Concept in "200 Pounds Beauty"." March 30, 2021. https://ivypanda.com/essays/modern-korean-body-concept-in-200-pounds-beauty/.

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