She also added: "I knew my old photos would turn up, but I was shocked the newspapers made it sound like I had claimed to be a natural beauty," said Kim. "I never said I was born beautiful." Let me say, she sure is a beauty. A beautiful, sweet, kind-looking girl and I think it's this deceiving factor that annoys me. I first read about this online and thought well she doesn't deserve to win at the pageant then.
I have been raised by my mother to appreciate natural beauty, even make-up is rarely used, only for special occasions and events, never casually. But over the past year I have started to have an open mind and attempted to understand why people would go under the knife as well as why was I so against it. I've realised that those who have plastic surgery FEEL THE PAIN. It's not like they just hand the doctor the money and 'walah', magic, now you are perfect. They have to sacrifice something to gain something, so why hate? If they think it's worth it, the money + time + pain... then why not let them be?
So I've been having a mini battle, no, actually, a giant frenzy of conflicting thoughts, in my mind trying to take a side. And I still can't. Those who go through it deceive people with their looks, a man will marry a woman thinking that her beauty is natural only to realise that his wife gives birth to an ugly child. Then what? Will the mother make the child go through the same pain she did just to get the same looks (as it is in Korea nowadays)? When will this cycle of pain end? Make-up is deceiving too, but at least there's no pain involved. (Hence this 'pain' argument works FOR and AGAINST plastic surgery).
 |
| Before Plastic Surgery: even if there are not credible sources to prove that she has done it to her whole body, she has done quite a lot to her face. These are high school photos and she's currently 21 so a lot has changed in little time for any of it to be natural. |
My mum, being the all natural promoting type of woman has recently been persuaded by some friends and my father, her husband, to undergo minor surgery to get rid of the dark bags under her eyes. Despite not having done anything yet, I had to admit I was slightly shocked. After all she stood for. And what has shocked me even more was that my father asked me if I wanted plastic surgery!!! How my world turned upside down. At least my mum told me not to do it because she explained that bone restructuring is completely different from cutting skin from underneath her eye, and I do agree that one is minor and the other is major.
But my father? How could you?! I'm not angry at him at all, not angry at all that what he asked directly suggested I kind of, just possible, definitely, needed it. I already know my nose isn't perfect, I know it's flat and round and unattractive. But I've seen worse noses and I have learned to deal with it in a natural way, wearing complimenting glasses and using makeup techniques for special events. Plus I'm too much of a chicken to go under the knife and wake-up having something that's not mine, in me.
So on the basis of ordinary people, plastic surgery is acceptable in my book of morals. But Kim Yu-mi is no ordinary girl. She was a contestant of Miss Korea and is now Miss Korea 2012, representing Korea in Miss Universe. I never realised until now that pageants didn't disqualify contestants who had undergone plastic surgery... and this is just a completely new level of disgust from me towards plastic surgery.
And this completely new level of disgust confused me. Why am I so disgusted? Are you disgusted? And if so, can you explain why you are as well? So here's how I've tried to figure out the reason for my feelings.
Beauty Pageants is about beauty, inner and outer beauty, and despite trying to promote that inner beauty is equal, or maybe even more important ... people know very well it's not. Outer beauty is the first impression judges receive of the contestants, inner beauty comes second (it's the same for daily life). To allow plastic surgery is a mockery of the contest, makes things so much more complicated. It's like a game with no rules anymore which angers me. It's now "Let's see who had the best plastic surgeon" and I don't think it's fair for those who believe in what's truly more important, inner beauty as well as natural outer beauty. (In this case with the Korean pageant, there really isn't much of this unfair issue going on because Koreans are famous for undergoing plastic surgery. Having the highest rate of plastic surgeries, it is almost certain that every single contestant has gone under the knife, and that's what's so wildly outrageous about it).
You could say, well that's their own personal choice, to give up the chance to win by sticking to your ALL NATURAL INNER BEAUTY IMAGE. And I guess it's true in a way. But really, this lack of rules means there are no boundaries to how crazy of an extent a contestant can go to to win. What truly matters seems to be suppressed.
So what are pageants for? Other than just for hot girls to flaunt their looks on the stage, I, myself would actually like to participate in one to actually learn and meet new people who are intelligent beings. It is an opportunity to do good things, the fact that so many people watch attractive girls on TV means that these pageants earn money which they can then use to fund good causes (But is it doing more harm than good to society is another question). As a pageant winner, they can have a larger impact when supporting worthy causes for the community because they have more power from their title, just like celebrities have more power to create change.
On a personal level, pageant winners, or simply contestants, are given many opportunities: to travel the world, to see new places, meet new people, create new bonds. It's an experience of a lifetime and also opens up many doors to their future. The ability to flaunt and make other girls jealous and make guys drool after them is not what I see as the dominant reason for why girls participate in pageants.
So could it be that in order to experience all those positive things, Kim Yu-mi decided to endure pain to look good and win? Maybe. But it's with no doubt selfish because it sends a really negative idea to everyone, she may not have said anything about her appearance being natural but it was highly deceiving. Korea can't be saved from this plastic apocalypse, it's spread too far, too wide. But other parts of the world still can.
Love this post? Visit The Faceless Style
Love this post? Visit The Faceless Style
Is winning the contest based only on looks? If so, then I think Andrea Lee is right: contestants should come onstage all wearing the same plain black bathing suit, no high heels, no makeup, nothing done to their hair, give the judges a good eyeful, and leave without doing or saying anything. The process would take about 15 minutes. Let me tell you, there's a lot more to being in these pageants, than just looking pretty. These women work hard to win. They often work towards it from childhood.
ReplyDeleteI think it's worrisome that people care so much about these beauty pageants, when, as you say they are completely sexist, pointless and absurd. People care less and less about them, and think they're cheesy, because they are.
Is plastic surgery a form of deception? Is it deceitful to wear contact lenses if I am nearsighted? To get braces if my teeth are crooked? To curl my hair if it's straight? To put on wrinkle cream if I'm getting old? To wear Spanx if I'm fat? Suppose I'm fat, and I diet and work out strenuously to become slim. No one would fault a girl for dieting and exercising. But I marry, my husband thinks, "I've got a beautiful slim wife", then I pop out a chubby chunky child with lifelong weight issues.
Suppose someone else in school was born being able to learn more quickly than I do. So I study longer hours, I hire a tutor, I use extra books the teacher did not assign. No one would fault me for working hard. But then I get a better grade than the smarter person; I get into Harvard and the other person doesn't. Am I deceptive? Is it fair?
In this world, we do what we must to be successful, to optimize our potential. Because when we fail, no one will give us a prize for being honest. But those who judge have to keep this in mind: that when we judge others based on results, the means or process used to produce the results will come to be regarded as unimportant.
The other issue is this: men have traditionally been judged based on what they do, which is something they have control over. Women have traditionally been judged based on how they look, which is something they don't really have control over. This is a means to oppress women. These statements form a generalization, but you see the truth in it. These days, men are being judged more for looks, and women more for achievements, etc. But the problem is JUDGING people. Saying someone is "worth" something because of what they do or have or are. Every human being is equal and deserves respect. If people didn't feel so judged based on looks, they wouldn't get surgery.
Your father told you to get surgery because he wants you to be successful and happy. Because he knows the ways of this world.
No offense, but isn't there a rule on beauty pageants against surgery? I don't oppose people who had something done, I think, it wouldn't be fair for others, am I right? You made yourself to be the most beautiful person there is, while others just work with what they have. But, kudos to her! She looks so beautiful! She looks so stunning!
ReplyDeletehttp://www.drman.com/adult-acne-treatment/
wow what a dramatic change to her face!! she's definitely beautiful but the fact these beauty pageants don't disqualify those who have gone under the knife is absurd..that basically leaves it open for whoever can afford plastic surgery. It sets unreasonable standards and a false perception of beauty to people watching, especially young girls.
ReplyDeletethanks for the post!
Laura x
demure-porcelain.blogspot.com
to be fair, i think there should be a separate pageant for those who had plastic surgery and the traditional pageant ONLY for natural beauties..
ReplyDeletethis is almost the same case with Miss World, regarding the issue of Miss Canada competing for the title, issues about her true gender came out and it was proven that he was a transgender.. after some time Miss World still allowed Him/Her to compete.. Really Unfair for the other contestants who are Real women.
it's the society that influences our mind-set. In many places in Asia, people found beauty to be more accepting...in America, they place more emphasis on individuality and variety. It is different..I think Americans are more open-minded about people since they know that people have their own opinions about what is considered to be beautiful, it is more laid back than it is in Asia. In Asia, there is no such thing, rarely..they have a fixed mind set of what is beautiful, thus, citisens are pressured to be beautiful, smart, in order to serve society.
ReplyDeleteThat is actually quite true
ReplyDeletethe only problem i have with you is the absolutely STUPID excuse of "if a man marries a plastic surgery woman, the baby will be ugly". any man (or woman) who marries someone to make their children look good are fuckin idiots. You marry someone because you love them or are attracted to them in some form. You know ugly people can have pretty babies, and naturally beauteous people can have troll looking babies.
ReplyDeleteLamest. Excuse. Ever.
I'm neutral about PS, but idiotic excuses like these make me smh on how idiotic some poeple can be. I bet over 90% of women would choose to look like the one on the right than the old, ugly version of her. Stop kidding yourself. Yes its true she is now actually beautiful and not that monstrous plastic surgery person, but I guess the "decieving" part like you said is what gets to people.
She can go ahead and have plastic surgery, the 'main' controversy here is that she's done it and gone to participate and WIN a very prestigious pageant.
ReplyDeleteI have never said "if a man marries a plastic surgery woman, the baby will be ugly", they MAY be, not they WILL be. They may be unattractive but that has nothing to do with a man marrying someone to make their children look good, I have never said that at all. I have not really delved into the purpose of a man marrying a woman, just that they may feel deceived when a woman gives birth to an ugly child.
I have said: "Those who go through it deceive people with their looks, a man will marry a woman thinking that her beauty is natural only to realise that his wife gives birth to an ugly child." You may have misinterpreted my words as this is only a scenario for me to discuss a point.
Oh and btw, do you think everyone whose parents got plastic surgery get PS themselves. Please. Most plastic surgery goers don't even have parents that do plastic surgery and most of them are against it. There wasnt widespreas PS in the 1900s ya know. Its society that changes,and if your kid isn't happy with themselves, it wont matter how ugly or natural you are, your kid WILL get surgery if he or she wants to.
ReplyDeleteI would think it is more likely that a parent who has had plastic surgery would mean that the child would also undergo some form of plastic surgery as well, as parents are highly influential. It may be true that "Most plastic surgery goers don't even have parents that do plastic surgery and most of them are against it" but parents who do have plastic surgery simply increase the rate. You say that "it wont matter how ugly or natural you are, your kid WILL get surgery if he or she wants to", depends how badly they want to. I'm not 100% happy with my appearance and my dad has asked me if i want to get plastic surgery but my mum has very strong views against plastic surgery. If she had plastic surgery I would think it's not a big deal and seriously contemplate and maybe even go ahead with it. My mum has really influenced me. But you are also right in saying that society has a greater impact of people's views, look at Korea's society who has the highest rate of plastic surgeries. Their birthday presents are plastic surgeries.
ReplyDeleteSuppose you’re fat and you work hard to become healthy? Well good on you! And then say you give birth to an unhealthy child, well then you’ll have to assist them in becoming healthy too, you don't want them to die of heart disease would you? Surgery is different. Will you assist your children to look like the new you? Surgery was once only about curing the sick and unwell, is 'not looking perfect' an illness? Is it necessary to go through the pain of the knife? What, when there's an easier way to simply build their confidence from the inside? Your children will look up to you and will think, "why am I so ugly and my mum so pretty? Mum’s gone through plastic surgery, I’ll do the same, maybe even more and perfect other parts that I believe are inadequate but mum was too oblivious to see in herself." They'll probably end up being superficial children. And what if you be a good parent and try and persuade them that looks don't matter? Well that’s just hypocrisy. Do you see the difference between being healthy and to live long to and do meaningful things in life, for society, than to waste time thinking shallow things?
ReplyDeleteChildren are most sensitive to their looks during their puberty and knowing the person they look up to is plastic means it’s ok in their mind to be too. Do you see that it’s not just about doing things to optimise our own potential, study hard and get good results, but at the end of the day plastic surgery is not only about the person undergoing the knife, their children, and other children, will be influenced too in a negative self-demoralising way. Study hard to get into a good university and good career to contribute to society with your skills. But plastic surgery? What benefits to society do they bring? This was the question of conflict which I posed in my post. Does their publicity which gives them the power to do greater charitable work outweigh the negative influence they have on the young population? I am by no means against botox and whatever celebrities use to look younger because these things won’t affect sensitive young children. Children won't be worrying about looking 'young', just 'pretty'.
And truthfully, I'm not against plastic surgery, not the whole package, just aspects of it. As I have said in my post, those people go through pain too to look good, they obviously think it’s worth it. But for Miss Korea to do it is really bad influence upon society. Have plastic surgery for your whole body , but please don't participate in a pageant, especially not one as big as Miss Korea that will go onto participating in Miss Universe. Her choice will impact on not only her children in the future, but also the world now. And I know my next statement is a huge exaggeration but in order to see the impact of this in the future... One day we'll just be clones of each other! Have you seen the Beverly hills people? With their bee-stung lips? They look like they have the same parents. But then maybe that's a good thing, maybe then can we all finally look past the appearances and truly see others from the inside.
Well, it definitely paid off. She looks really beautiful! And regarding what the others say about her, personally, I think what matters most is the inner beauty, which will never be changed by anything done on the surface. She might have gone under the knife, but she deserves it. :)
ReplyDeletehttp://www.davidhalpernmd.com/Dr-David-Halpern-Surgeon.htm
Haha, you want Mr. America? Isn't there, I know there are male pageants, but i find it very weird for them to exist because men are not suppose to be defined by their appearance whereas women have always been defined by their appearance since the beginning of time
ReplyDeleteOh please. All beauty pageants are fake... Even Miss America has fake boobs. If this is suppose to be real beauty no contestant should come out wearing make and doing their hair or wearing glamorous cloths. Heck... why is there no Mr. America??? Why? Why do women have to undergo so much superficial scrutiny?
ReplyDeleteYes, it is easier to have a pretty face in a pageant, and in Korean culture where everyone has accepted beauty to be 'normal'. It is hard for koreans to know that it's not normal to have plastic surgery, it's become their custom once they hit their late teens which is awful.
ReplyDeleteAnd thank you for reading, I appreciate your comments :)
beauty pageant or fake beauty pageant ? he he ...
ReplyDeleteI know sometimes its easier when you have pretty face but I think korean must to realise soon that being pretty (with plastic surgery) its not wise choice. Just stop it ..
by the way its very nice article .. thank you
Thanks for reading! I agree with you 100%, it does indeed set unreasonable standards.
ReplyDeleteWho cares?! If they want plastic surgery then who are you to criticize them. It actually shows how small minded you are. If it boosts their confidence and she wins Miss.Korea, well damn.. good for her! If she was not as attractive to you, I feel like you would think that was absurd that she won as well. And no, it does not give false perception to all young girls. Seriously, this contest isn't just based on looks and for you to think its "absurd" ...man, you're absurd and care way too much.
ReplyDelete