Korean television dramas are popular for featuring the typical Korean beauty. And for women, that definition of beauty is narrowly defined by highly popular cosmetic plastic surgery practices. Whether it involves creating a double eyelid or reconfiguring the nose, one in five women living in Seoul, Korea are enduring the pains of plastic surgery to fit this description of beauty. This data alone fascinates me and brings on a number of questions. Why are these South Korean women willing to spend thousands of dollars to fit this highly constructed notion of beauty? Are these women undergoing these procedures to be accepted by society? This subject matter has been a hot topic of debate recently but I want to bring up the equally alarming rate at which Americans lavishly spend money on plastic surgery procedures.

America is well known for promoting self-improvement. Maybe this ideal is where our infatuation with plastic surgery stems from. Americans are equally fixated with celebrities and emulating their lifestyles. I recently read an article about a full grown 33-year old man named Toby Sheldon who spent ＄100,000 on plastic surgery to look like Justin Bieber. The list does not just stop there. Nicholas Ryan spent ＄5,000 on Botox and filter injections to look like Ryan Gosling. Myla Sinanaj spent ＄30,000 on liposuction, lip injections, and breast implants to look like Kim Kardashian. Lisa Connell spent ＄60,000 on breast implants, liposuction, and an eyebrow lift to look like Demi Moore. The list just goes on and on. This is a concept I have yet to wrap my head around. Why would you be willing to spend large sums of money, especially in times of economic hardship, to sculpt your face to look like a person that does not know you exist?

We may laugh at the widespread nature of plastic surgery in South Korea but Americans are equally guilty of dumping money onto these pointless cosmetic procedures. In fact, I would argue Americans are taking plastic surgery to a whole new level. There is a fine line between getting plastic surgery to become a tweaked version of yourself and completely reconstructing your face to look like someone else. Perhaps we need to alter our societal views of what is valued in society.

Tony Yi
West High School
11th Grade