Missinterpretation- Korean dramas/ Kpop

    Lately, in Netflix you see these cheesy Korean/ Asian dramas and would just enjoy them. However these Asian dramas and beauty standards takes effects in self-objectification in young girls.


    I really began to contemplate these dangerous messages that are sent through shows, photos, or ads to younger girls when my younger sister told me that she gained some weight. Usually as a child, growing and gaining a healthy amount of weight is pretty necessary and I was glad that she was growing. However, her response to this as she told me this news was that she thinks its ugly and unfit. As a girl only eleven, I was shocked to hear this. Even now, I think she is actually underweight, and the fact that her gaining some weight is such a disappointment and a fear is really appalling. Not only this, when I explain to her how gaining some pounds is actually a step towards growth and healthiness, she tells me that not adding more pounds is actually more fit.
    I would ask, how does this happen? Why does my sister believe that simply gaining a couple pounds is terrible? I began to really think about the media she surrounds herself with. My sister is actually a big fan of Kpop and K dramas. In the Korean culture (which has made it to America), I noticed the certain type of character these films and entertainment, where the main and favored characters were these super skinny and beautiful Asians. As I look more into K pop and the singers, the idols are almost always super skinny and fit into a certain weight range. These idols do intense workouts and diets to maintain this type of body, which leads to becoming underweight and for some, anorexic. Although the Korean dramas may be innocent and entertaining, they contribute to the expected beauty standard. Even some of these actors or idols actually suffer anorexia or is unhealthy.
    The messages that are sent from these entertainment industries, such as the Asian ones, could be dangerous since viewers like young girls can compare these actors. A lot of times in these dramas, the protagonist starts off as an average so called "ugly" person that defies all the beauty standards in that culture, but soon has some kind of transformation or "glow up" and conforming to the common standard of beauty that helps them get the guy (such as the drama 200 Pounds Beauty). This kind of message show that the girl needs to "glow up" or somehow conform to these standards in order to be loved or worthy. My younger sister just proves the fact that in her mind, being over a certain amount of pounds is bad, and that any added weight is ugly. Just knowing that such a young girl is already having this mindset is frightening to me, and even more, my younger sister is already naturally really skinny. This makes me think about this impact on other girls, who suffer the same insecurities and starts to objectify themselves to meet this standard and feel excepted and beautiful. Entertainment industries could be sending the message that women needs to self-objectify themselves to feel confident, and that it is the main thing that defines them.
    Overall, I think that the implications that the entertainment industry has, such as the rising Asian dramas, may seem harmless at a glance, but could send dangerous messages and add on to the insecurities of women. By always emphasizing a certain beauty, or showing that women should look a certain way instead of being themselves, it limits the perceptions of women to the natural and diverse beauty that everyone possesses.

How To Become A K-Pop Idol: Life As A Foreign Trainee
Peace.
Livian