Regardless of our age or origin, many of us desire the ability to turn heads. We desire a face capable of launching a thousand ships, and for millennia, women have been plucking and painting, shading and sculpting in order to achieve this. However, beauty standards are subjective.
In the twentieth century, the Victorian woman’s ethereal pallor gave way to the California girl’s sun-kissed beauty. The Renaissance woman’s sensuous proportions have been supplanted by the chiseled outlines of today’s fitness guru.
However, it is not simply the era in which we live that determines what we consider to be beautiful. Additionally, culture has a significant part in establishing the ideal of beauty, and in the new century, Korea and Japan are leading the way.
What Does K-Beauty And J-Beauty Mean?
To comprehend Korea’s and Japan’s beauty industries, it’s necessary to first grasp what they share and what they don’t. In terms of the global beauty business, Japan may have an advantage due to its age and established presence in the global arena. Although the Korean beauty industry is relatively new, it has recently grabbed the world beauty market by storm. Whereas Japan is the gold standard, the undisputed diva of the Asian beauty business, Korea is the upstart, establishing new trends and redefining what it means to be beautiful in Asia and beyond.
What the industries share is an emphasis on prevention and preservation, on slowing the passage of time rather than attempting to reverse it. This explains why both cultures place a premium on skincare, from cleaning, toning, and moisturizing to at-home facials and moderate chemical peels to moisturize, polish, and protect the skin.
Tradition And Modernity
Japan’s culture is old, and it values its deep ties to its illustrious history. It’s unsurprising that beauty standards and practices have remained quite the same over the years. Japanese women continue to place a premium on mild, natural ingredients and a balanced diet in order to retain their young radiance.
Women in Korea frequently want to mix things up a bit, experimenting with the latest tips, techniques, and technology to achieve the ideal effect. And it has paid off handsomely, not only for the Korean beauty business but for the global beauty industry as a whole. The Korean Face Mask has transformed the worldwide beauty business in recent years, as everyone from the most beautiful Hollywood actress to the Baby Boomer next door goes to their favorite mask to achieve that wonderful, revitalizing, spa-like sensation right in their own bathroom.
Not just the Korean face mask is attracting attention – and enhancing faces. Additionally, the Korean beauty business has introduced the globe to a very effective ten-step (yes, we said ten!) skincare routine that is achieving remarkable results worldwide.
Beneath The Knife
When it comes to plastic surgery, Beverly Hills is undoubtedly the first place that springs to mind. Indeed, South Korea is the world’s plastic surgery capital, not Hollywood! However, in the United States, cosmetic surgery is mostly concerned with the body, with breast augmentation, tummy tucks, and liposuction is the most often done operations.
However, in Korea, the emphasis is much different. Korean ladies favor treatments that focus on the face, such as rhinoplasty and eyelid surgery. Plastic surgery has become more accepted as the norm for these patients, readily included into the beauty regimens of women of practically every age and socioeconomic level as a “improvement” that boosts self-confidence and encourages social success.
The Message
Beauty standards vary significantly between generations and cultures. What stays constant across time periods and societies is that the quest for beauty is not a vain, frivolous, or self-centered endeavor. Beauty routines are an integral part of self-care, and in today’s chaotic world, self-care is all too often neglected. Women frequently place themselves last on their priority list due to the obligations of house and family. And if you work in one of the several caring professions dominated by women, from nursing to teaching to social work, it may easily appear as though every waking hour is spent caring for someone else rather than yourself, since there isn’t.
However, the contemporary beauty industries of Korea and Japan have empowered women worldwide with the knowledge and resources necessary to conduct self-care. They have equipped women with techniques for nurturing their bodies – and by extension, their souls – so that the outer more accurately reflects the beautiful, confident, young woman they know themselves to be on the inside. Best of all, they’ve empowered women to do so without fear of shame, guilt, or humiliation. That is, after all, how it should be.