With millions of people using Korean beauty products around the world, some have been left with the question: Are you being brainwashed by K-beauty? Dojeon Media team member and social media influencer, Lewis, uncovers the truth about K-beauty products, companies, and users!
With many K-idols and ordinary citizens for that matter trying to achieve the all perfect white skin, slim figure or muscle build for a body profile shoot, even down to the big sparkling eyes and shiny skin, Korean beauty products have left some wondering if it has led consumers to feel brainwashed, mainly because of the influence of some of these products in the entertainment industry.
For myself, coming from the UK, I am mostly used to seeing women wear make up, however I was surprised when I first arrived in Korea at the amount of men who also wore make up! At first, I thought perhaps it was down to sexuality, however I realized later that it was normal for men and women to wear make up here. This of course, comes from Korean idols’ stunning appearances have led to K-pop dominating the international entertainment industry.
In fact, South Korea’s global cultural influence ranking jumped from 31st in 2017 to seventh in 2022, driving tourism as well as industries such as cosmetics, and in 2024 the number has risen even more. An underlying factor of South Korea’s increased global interest is the country’s unique emphasis on physical appearance, which also comes down to plastic surgery and other procedures that are supposed to "show off" the perfect appearance. I heard that it is normal even for some grandparents to purchase plastic surgery vouchers for their grandchildren's graduation ceremony gifts, which just sounds crazy! That would be like my grandparents telling me that I am not handsome and need to get some work done.
Due to attractiveness still being considered a priority, K-beauty can harm your conception of what a beautiful person is. Your eyes are trained to believe true beauty exists only in the K-pop world. Though this applies to social media entirely, it impacts K-beauty the most because K-pop idols often go to extreme, unhealthy lengths to fit these intense standards. Also some job applications will select successful applicants on their level of beauty and appearance, which has led to many Koreans getting plastic surgery! Which, in turn, is also why Korea has become the worlds number one place to get plastic surgery. This for me does make it sound like big companies and the entertainment industry are brainwashing consumers into getting work done and purchasing beauty products.
Korea, does not have many natural resources, so the big push of K-culture can help Korea to become influential in the international market, and with that comes K-beauty products. In the UK there are also many K-beauty products on the shelves of stores and it has been believed that due to the incredible ingredients in some of these products it makes them competitive against famous bigger brands. I also, am contacted by companies and asked to try and review beauty products, so I receive various products weekly, and I do think they are very good, but would I buy it just because it was made in Korea? The answer is probably not.
The nature of K-beauty standards make it challenging to remember that no one’s hair can be that shiny, have makeup that smooth and possess skin completely free of blemishes all at once. Living a life where you constantly criticize what you see in the mirror and in public is exhausting. With the K-pop industry, it is possible to neglect the value of natural beauty. So, it is crucial to remember that the K-beauty world is saturated with cosmetic procedures, heavy makeup, extreme diets and filtered media. Remember that natural is always beautiful and although some of these products are good, you should not feel forced or brainwashed to use them if you do not want to.
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