Literature Application
Bi Rain embodies the perfect male celebrity, A strong representation of the “global and powerful Korea” that Epstein and Joo talk about. However, this ideal perfection that Rain represents may be negatively affecting Korea’s standards of beauty. As new physical ideals are being shaped for the Korean male through celebrities like Rain, we see people come to Korea for “Korean-style procedures, frequently in imitation of popular celebrity looks”(Epstein and Joo, p.9). Bodily perfection and ideal celebrity aesthetics have led men in Korea to plastic surgery just “to gain advantage in a competitive job market” (Epstein and Joo p.2). Furthermore, since Rain pushes the standards of physical beauty, “we see widely acknowledged levels of social competitiveness to produce growing demands for physical perfection”(Epstein and Joo, 1). Rain’s representation of the male physique increases body ideal pressures to become more like the “global and powerful Korea” that Korean men should be represented as. Essentially, Rain has played a role in the corrupted beauty standards of Korea, creating the unattainable male perfection, where men continually pursue the perfect aesthetic image, yet fail due to their skewed perception of the male body, and resort to the only option they have with plastic surgery.
The regular Korean male may have troubles in the competitive job market for the sole reason that the individual may not fit the beauty standard in Korea. Which then leads these men to perform plastic surgery whom may negatively impact their physical well beings. Bi Rain’s powerful and strong representation of the perfect male celebrity changes the Korean beauty standards, where males in Korea are expected to have a physique like Rain if they wish to compete in the job market or live their life to the fullest.
References:
Epstein, Stephen, and Rachel M. Joo. Multiple Exposures: Korean Bodies and the TransnationalImagina, 1st ser., 10, no. 33 (August 13, 2012).