#kpop surgery

Although the popularity of K-pop and K-dramas has increased the visibility of Asian men in the U.S., it hasn’t cured anti-Asian racism—it just gave it a facelift.

Before we begin, let’s remember plastic surgery is a sensitive topic. This isn’t about body-shaming individuals who get it. It’s about understanding the broad patterns of racism and systemic body-shaming that pressure Asians (and other POC) into getting surgery in the first place.

Many people see K-pop and K-dramas as an organic expression of Korean culture, immune to the long reach of U.S. imperialism. This is due to the misconception that Asians in Asia are culturally purer, a group untouched by Western influence, compared to a “diluted” Asian diaspora.

Yet South Korea is like the Philippines—their wars with the U.S. may have ended years ago, but U.S. influence and control didn’t. Instead, these countries became de facto neo-colonies, which is reflected in the kinds of media that gets produced and is allowed to reach U.S. shores.

In the Philippines, 333+ years of Spanish and U.S. colonization created a preference for actors with Spanish/white features. This minority population is used to represent the majority and to promote narratives that depict their features as superior—thus reinforcing the preference.

This is similar to the U.S., where white-mixed and white-passing Asians dominate the few Asian media roles available—like Keanu. He’s often touted as the most famous AsAm rep, yet always avoids directly calling himself Asian and said he doesn’t want to be a spokesperson for AsAms.

Korea is different. It doesn’t have a sizeable white-mixed population like the U.S. or Philippines. If the U.S. had a foothold in Korea for as long as Spain did in the Philippines, we’d likely see the same casting preferences. Instead, cosmetic surgery is used to compensate.

Double eyelid surgery was popularized during the Korean War by Ralph Millard, a white male military doctor who first used it on war brides brought to the U.S. His goal was to “deorientalize” them. To him and other whites, bad Asians had slanted eyes, and good Asians had surgery.

Since then, double eyelid and other surgeries have been normalized for all genders in Korea. Boys as young as 13 start to visit clinics for procedures. The current estimate is that 20% of Korean men get surgery, but some surgeons say it’s 30-40%. All agree the number is growing.

This violent “deorientalization” of the Asian face doesn’t stop with eye shape. Jaws, noses, cheeks, lips, brows, and dark skin are all eligible for being broken, shaved, filled will silicone implants, bleached, reshaped. The ideal Asian face has as few Asian features possible.

After all, the U.S. has always depicted Asian men as violent and misogynistic savages. Whether it’s Little Brown Brothers, Yellow Peril, or current tensions with China, the message is the same: Asian men are a violent threat to be exterminated.
This pressures Asians to be “good.”

That’s why K-dramas are increasingly filled with U.S.-friendly content—like product placement (Subway, eat fresh!), English loan words, clothing with U.S. college names on them like Harvard or UCLA, and storylines that portray the U.S. as a superior destination to study and live. 

The U.S. is more than happy to encourage this. It’s consistent with its strategy of dividing “good Asians” from “bad Asians.” It’s the same reasoning for the Model Minority myth, Mixed Marriage Policy of 1942-1943, and the separation between North and South Korea. (Mixed Marriage Policy: https://joshualunacreations.tumblr.com/post/652731177564766208/masticasian)

The Mixed Marriage Policy and War Brides sound like a bygone era. But a recently released American Girl doll is a modern example of how this racist messaging persists. The doll is meant to raise awareness of anti-Asian racism, yet Asian males are not included as victims.

This disturbing storyline suggests an off-screen Asian ex-husband (their kids are monoracial) who offers less money and less of a home environment than the rich white new husband. This teaches Asian kids to think white men are superior and not the architects of anti-Asian racism.

Those who are threatened by Asian men having a healthy self-image often dismiss these issues as “desirability politics” and don’t treat it as the violent, hateful racism it is. Normalizing this dehumanization leads to violence like COVID hate crimes and war. It’s not trivial.

So while we can enjoy K-pop and K-dramas for the entertainment they give (I certainly do), we can also critique the damaging anti-Asian narratives they’re promoting and not internalize them. Everyone deserves to love their face and their body as it is—regardless of race and gender.

(Please don’t repost or edit my art. Reblogs are always appreciated.)

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