Music / Idols
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What’s the big deal about plastic surgery in Kpop?

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Written by On September 3, 2011

With Shindong’s latest cosmetic surgery announcement being very publicly discussed and tweeted about, the topic of cosmetic surgery amongst Kpop idols comes up once again.

There’s no doubt that cosmetic plastic surgery is on the rise globally. Korea, a country of considerable power, influence and wealth, has gained the new tradition and stereotype that being beautiful and looking perfect is the key to success in life. According to The International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ISAPS), Korea is number 7 for all plastic surgery procedures done around the world in 2009. (Number one was the ubiquitous United States). Interestingly, breast augmentation and liposuction topped the list for procedures there. Blepharoplasty, or eyelid surgery, came in at a close third. This doesn’t count the number of Korean-Americans or other Asians undergoing eyelid surgery living in the US, however.

Kpop and other Korean celebrities in the public eye are scrutinized, compared, and picked apart by the media if even a mere suspicion happens to arise. Before and after comparison pictures, such as the one above, are everywhere and meant to both show that even they’re not perfect, to ridicule the way they looked before and even berating them for choosing the augmentation to begin with. Common targets include Tiffany of Girls Generation, Goo Hara of KARA, and Park Bom of 2NE1. The before and after pictures tell a hundred stories and certainly more than a thousand words. In most cases, it’s obvious they’ve done some work.

When these celebrities are asked and accused by the media in interviews or live on video, they or their managers vehemently deny them all. Goo Hara actually broke this trend by readily admitting her surgeries. In contrast, earlier this week Lee Min Ho has been accused of plastic surgery due to old pictures that were recently surfaced. He followed the denial trend and called the allegations ridiculous. Otherwise, it’s shameful to be caught having plastic surgery. It sends the wrong message. They’re considered weak-willed and should have debuted with the faces their parents gave them. Losing weight, losing a tan, heavy makeup, lighting and Photoshop are often blamed for the discrepancies. Sometimes they explain that a past injury or a medical condition rendered the surgery a requirement, and the cosmetic enhancement was just a nice side-effect. It seems claiming to be a “natural beauty” is always countered with pictures from netizens circling the minor differences between their past and present pictures. Being branded a “plastic doll” is one of the worst offenses as a Kpop idol.

My issue is – why the questioning, the finger-pointing, and the snickering to begin with? So Tiffany and Jessica got some work done. Maybe they had the skills, but not the look needed for the job, so they underwent some surgery to better fit the image and overall appeal to the Korean people’s ideals. (Tiffany and Jessica are orginally from the US, where Asian standards of beauty are much different). These young women are just that – women, and like the rest of us they also want to look in the mirror and not cringe at their reflection. I’m sure they’re all much more self-assured, satisfied and secure in their looks, and that confidence translates to a better performance and a solid form of expressing themselves.

Netizens, antis, fans, and the media in general love bringing up plastic surgery accusations and scandals as something newsworthy. To be frank, it’s not. While it’s fascinating to see what a celebrity looked pre-fame, it should not be used as a means to judge their decision or integrity. I find it painfully ironic that a country with such high ideals for beauty and equally high rates of procedures done also look down at those who succumb to the pressure and get the surgery they think they need.

Judging a celebrity for getting her nose reshaped or her breasts enlarged is frankly none of anyone’s business. In the work they’re in, image is everything, and to succeed, you must have the easy-on-the-eyes beauty that’s required. There’s an unspoken rule among Korea’s celebrity culture that looks are number one, and that will trickle down to the other aspects of your career. With celebs being followed and idolized so closely, it’s no surprise that normal people feel the same pressure. However, just because you can’t afford to get your jaw shaved doesn’t mean you have the right to call Goo Hara a “slave to the biz” because she decided to get her eyes fixed. Even if it was ordered by her label, it’s all a business and if she ends up looking great with no ill side-effects as a result, then more power to her.

Is it a sad truth that looks trump over so many other factors in show business? Perhaps, but many say that’s the price for fame, fortune and fans fawning at your feet. Regardless, plastic surgery is not a big deal anymore. The netizens, media, and antis need to get over it. Maybe with Goo Hara’s admission, people’s expectations will finally begin to taper off.

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  • eboy07

    Tiffany looked pretty fugly.

  • maldita

    AGREE. I will never really understand this dislike or negative connotation of plastic surgery in Korean celebrities. One would think that it’d be more acceptable, especially since it’s so damn common there. Parents let their children have eyelid surgeries or nosejobs as high school graduation gifts. I’ve always thought that it’s nobody’s business if one chooses to get plastic surgery. Hell, if I had the money or someone offered to pay for some kind of plastic surgery, why not?!

    Netizens can criticize Tiffany all they want, but GDI that girl looked so good after plastic surgery. She’s the one who used it to her advantage. If someone ends up looking like Heidi Montag is a whole other story though.

  • medenriquez_2@yahoo.com

    It’s a double standard, I guess. Even though surgery is prevalent in Korea and could be considered almost normal, celebrities get bashed for it. If you’re an idol, you have to be born perfect.

  • Mer

    I don’t care what any one does to their face as far as surgery goes.  It’s their face.  I will say this tho,  some of these nose jobs that people came back with are jacked!  They end up looking really unattractive, like that guy from SS501.. can’t remember his name.

    • maldita

      Actually, all SS501 members have pretty jacked up nosejobs. Their maknae’s lucky his is the most normal-looking one.

      • MeToday

        i dont think heo sang had a nose job

  • asianromance

    hmmm…did Tiffany get surgery??  Her features still look the same to me though her skin color is reeeaaallly different (i hope whatever chemicals she used to bleach her skin aren’t going to give her cancer later in life). 

    Stars getting plastic surgery don’t bug me too much, though sometimes I am saddened when the surgery really changes one’s face – like Hwanhee from Fly To the Sky and Kim Hyun Joong.  I miss seeing old Hwanhee (he was such a cutie!!  but i think he got the surgery because he wanted to be more manly than cute) and Kim Hyun Joong (I don’t recognize his picture as easily as I used to)

    I think my problem with plastic surgery in korea concerns those young teens getting plastic surgery with the approval of their parents.  It bugs me that some korean parents offer plastic surgery to their kids as presents.
    The teen years are full of emotions and angst.  I feel like these kids need some time to feel more comfortable in their bodies. 

  • Oh Ji’s Ho

    The only thing I dislike about the prevalence of the plastic surgery, is the fact that young teens are receiving it as ‘gifts’ when their bodies and faces are still changing and developing as well as their self-worth and brains.  I also don’t care for the message it sends out and it only seems to propagate the problem when it comes to the pressure of perfection in someone’s looks – which is not possible to attain without losing something else along the way.  The same can be said about American culture too.  The fact that the stars are seemingly forced by their management to do it as well would have to be detrimental to their mental health at some point.  The fact that the netizens point these procedure’s out and blast the stars for having them comes across as a tad hypocritical considering plastic surgery is rampant among the ‘common’ folk too if the articles are to be believed.  If the person having the surgery does it of their own will and to boost self-esteem, then good for them, but if he/she is too young or being heavily coerced into it by management or outside pressures then it needs to be reevaluated.  Good on the stars that admit what has clearly taken place.  I respect that more than the stars who act as though they haven’t, but clearly have. 

  • Kiu

    I really don’t see how Tiffany is plastic?? Her features look the same to me except slightly bloated like a typical teen going through puberty (and when I was around that age, my features especially my eyes were more poofy and therefore looked smaller as well). And her skin is dark cuz she lived in Cali. My skin was once that dark too…and now that I’ve stopped staying in the sun, I’m often paler than everyone around me. So unless if she herself says she’s done it, I really don’t believe it.

  • ConfusedHere

    Wanna be plastic?? Hey, it’s their choice. What gets me bothered is…them claiming to be “all natural/a natural beauty”. THAT is when I want to bitch slap someone.

  • http://other-worldly.org Justine

    It’s so weird how people criticize idols for becoming plastic-dols but bash them incessantly when they begin to gain weight and look ugly in photos. I mean, there’s your reason right there. As for me, I don’t mind idols getting plastic surgery to “ENHANCE” their beauties.. let’s take for example Tiffany. I think she looks gorgeous now. However the same can’t be said for Bom because I think she’s doing her face more harm than justice :( I wish they kept her natural beauty. Shindong too, I hate what he did to his eyes. He looks like a doll now and it’s scary.

    It’s part of the business. And we all know k-pop is not just about selling your talent and skills but also your face so if it’s needed then why the fuss? Although in my opinion, I think most k-pop idols didn’t get much plastic surgery.. it’s mostly those collagen injections to enhance their features especially their noses.

  • MoDayRu

    Like someone said…as long as they dont claim that their all natural beauty when clearly they’re not.. im ok with it…dont really care what they do with their face….its their choice…and their money…but im not going to lie tho’….its entertaining seeing the before and after pictures when they do come out :P

  • pat

    I feel like Koreans hate their own God given ethnicity which is really creepy and self-hating or the whole society would not do it so easily. The Japanese are proud of how they look, no matter how much they are put down for it by the West.

  • Lindsey

    You can’t blame the netizens for criticisms of idols just as you can’t blame idols and their companies from living up to the standards of their society. Both are just products of a society and culture which has a warped sense of beauty and self-worth, among other issues. Netizens just come across as worse because they all have internet access and are freer to express themselves, while idols must deny plastic surgery rumors and let the talks die down, or come clean and face all the bashing and criticisms.

  • Chi-chan

    LONG, LONG COMMENT: 

    It’s interesting seeing this article and then seeing the other one here in Seoulbeats with the video about that American girl who filmed life as a high school student in Korea.From seeing the girls there and hearing them speak about how necessary plastic surgery is, I realized this is something that cannot be taken with an “I don’t care. Their bodies. Their choice.” attitude. It seems to be a very vicious cycle that is warping up people’s notion of beauty and confidence. One girl said her own mother only started telling her “I like/love you” after she got plastic surgery, and it’s all because she became prettier. It made me sick. Another segment of the video was about girls talking about getting plastic surgery and having boyfriends, while cleaning the classroom. The talks of plastic surgery seemed as common as asking someone what they’ll be doing after school. It must be on those girls’ minds all the time: the need to be prettier. The maker of the documentary said, “You’re beautiful just as you are.” and the girl visibly looked shocked, even terrified with being confronted about confidence in her own skin. And then the girl started saying, “No, no, no. I MUST get plastic surgery. I MUST.” These girls, on top of studying 14 hours a day, still have other teenage issues to deal with. They live in a society where standards are more ridiculous than most countries, especially towards women. I agree that plastic surgery can have good results and do wonders for someone’s self-confidence. I knew a girl who had a huge nose and got teased a lot for it. She got a nose job and she looked better. She’s also happier and more confident about herself. There are also some people who look better with plastic surgery, so there are advantages to it. I’m not denying that.But for some people, especially idols who are subject to much scrutiny and attention, plastic surgery may become an addiction, an illness that they can’t cure because they’ve always been dissatisfied with their looks or they were “made” to be dissatisfied with themselves either by their own companies, or the environment/culture they grew up in. See SolBi and the tragedy that is her face nowadays. They’ll always be looking for flaws in themselves, even when there’s none, and ways to treat them. Many countries in Asia seem to have adopted extreme ideals of beauty that include pale skin, long straight hair, big eyes, small face, etc. It’s not limited to KPop. The issue is with the whole culture(s) itself. Someone who looks into the mirror and cringes at him/herself, calls themselves ugly, worthless, and useless unless they’re pretty, has issues that must be addressed in a psychiatrist’s office, not in a plastic surgeon’s clinic. Unless a person has has an accident and half their face was torn up, and plastic surgery is necessary, I believe that plastic surgery is not just a purely physical course of action. It has emotional and mental repercussions, which many people may not realize until after the fact that they’ve become addicted to it. Many KPop idols were not ugly pre-debut. They were average-looking, but then so are 95% of the population. Only 1% of the world population are born with supermodel looks. That 1% is the “anomaly”, not the norm. The companies who hire these idols play on their insecurities by listing all their flaws: you need to diet, you need to color your hair, you need to whiten your skin, you need to fix your teeth, you need a new nose, etc. before you’ll be good to debut.I can’t imagine an idol ever being confident and self-assured about him/herself. These idols were only kids when they became trainees under their companies. They were vulnerable and easily influenced. What can be seen as confidence and self-assurance on stage may not be that at all. It might just be a result of being told, “You’re so much prettier now! The surgery worked! Maybe next time a 2nd round of nose job?” It may make these idols happy for now, but you gotta wonder if they ever look at themselves in the mirror and be genuinely happy with the “new” them? Do they see past the superficial and think, “How would I look when I’m 40 and my face can’t move due to all the sh*t I’ve done to my face when I was younger?” Would they do the same to their own kids? Force their ideals of beauty upon their children and teach them that the only way you can be happy with yourself is if you get sliced and diced and get an entirely new face?The fact that those high school girls in that documentary can talk about plastic surgery so easily, just shows that these girls are growing up in an environment where plastic surgery is shoved in their faces 24/7, and to them it’s just something that they must get in order to fit in and receive praises. It doesn’t have to be the idols who influence fans. It can be their own families and friends. There’s something inherently wrong and very, very disturbing with mothers/relatives giving nose jobs and boob jobs as graduation and birthday presents to teenage girls. If parents can’t be good role models for their kids, there’s a big problem.   How can people think this is a non-issue? Again, it’s a vicious cycle that can’t be taken lightly. We’re exposing kids to beauty regimens younger and younger these days. Does anyone know the show Toddlers and Tiaras about 3-year old beauty pageant contestants? Are people still gonna say, “Well, it’s their lives. Their choice. Their parents know best.” Those kids don’t know any better. They’re growing up surrounded by like-minded people who choose to beautify children and make them look and act like adults. It’s the same in Korea. Those high school girls in the documentary probably didn’t even stand a chance against the pressure to get plastic surgery when their own mothers probably suggest it to them. They don’t know any better. So I won’t say it’s their choice to get plastic surgery and that it’s not a big deal, given that they don’t really have much choices in the first place. It’s either beautify themselves and fit in, or be called ugly and endure criticisms. 

    • AllStar

      This. This entire comment is better written than the entire article.

      I agree, this attitude of “well…as long as they’re happy.” Isn’t a good attitude at all. At what cost are they happy? They’re happy because they changed themselves. It encourages the attitude of, if you don’t like the way you look, then change yourself. It pressurises the need to be beautiful, like being pretty is a necessity.

    • Kheart_Qusa24

      Your comment is longer than the whole article

  • MsKim

    I think it’s kind of amusing how the superfans always “support” their idols by either saying they didn’t get surgery when it’s obvious they did or by justifying it when it’s so obvious they can’t deny it. First off, you can’t 1) grow a nose/bridge/evolve your nostril shape, it’s just not physically possible 2) your chin cannot elongate itself or become thinner/wider 3) your jawline cannot narrow over time 4) your eyes cannot suddenly develop double eyelids. You CAN however lose/gain fat in your face, become paler/darker based on sun exposure, tweeze your eyebrows etc. Please stop kidding yourselves, thinking that the level of beauty most of these girls exude is attainable or natural. You should care because these girls are the “heroines” our youth is looking up to, and will want to emulate. What kind of future are we looking forward to that demoralizes our youth, makes them feel ugly as they are and idolizes plastic surgery? Sure it’s a product of the industry, but its the fans that MAKE the industry. They cannot sell albums/concerts/posters etc without you, hence it’s within your power to support or stand against it. Why do you think some netizens tear these girls apart? Because they are aware that these girls project an unrealistic and FAKE ideal of beauty. Maybe they’re jealous, maybe they’re just outraged. Either way, get over it. I don’t listen to music because the girls are pretty and can dance well. I listen to good music because the singers are talented, the beat is good and the lyrics are meaningful. 

  • Kheart_Qusa24

    Goo Hara didn’t do plastic surgery! Look at her pictures when she was in elementary school! It’s because of the make-up and her aging!

    • NicoNico

      No point in defending her, she already admitted it. -.-”

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  • Anonymous

    Am I the only one who thinks Tiffany and Jessica look the same before and after?

    I must be the only one who looks completely different from when I was a kid.

  • applesaribay_04

    As a celebrity,they have to do it. Of course,they want to be presentable and acceptable in the eyes of viewers. Being criticized everyday of an ugly look is more severe and stressful. Being questioned your qualification as an actor,singer or whatsoever just because you have a no looks  is more harsh. Admit the fact that you there’s a less chance to make it to the top if look is not on the list in show-business.

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