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By the way, are you still interested in meeting in London sometime? I will be there in March/April anyway, and will probably even have to make several trips.
@oftheshore! Yes! Let's meet! Are you coming during the week/weekend/at specific dates? If you can come during the week, you should come on the Thursday that Moon So-ri is coming for her Q&A film screening organised by the Korean Cultural Centre (I think it's going to be April 4 but not sure).
@Raine - To be honest, I wasn't trying too hard to be first. Didn't I see you on the OT a couple of weeks back? No film festivals this week, but I got my opening gala tickets for the Pan-Asia film festival (for the Taiwanese film *Gf*Bf which I have been wanting to see!), not sure if I'll go see anything else as part of that festival as I already saw the K-film King of Pigs and as for Park Chan-wook's Stoker, I'll probably wait for the cinematic release... I think.
Also waiting for the programme for the March-scheduled Lesbian & Gay Film Festival of the British Film Institute to be announced next week, fingers crossed we'll get some good Asian features like last year. Like the Korean 백야 (Baekya/White Night, 2012) which was originally going to be screened at the Korean Film Festival back in October but then was cancelled because they got into the Berlinale (can't blame them!).
I could do weekdays! Usually it's not a problem. I'll keep the date in mind and let you know my plans a bit later on OT or maybe via your blog.=)
By the way, I was so glad to find out about the Maimai Shinko to sennen no mahō screening in Bristol's Watershed. Really looking forward to it.
Alua - Those sound like fun! London is full of stuff like that. I'm going to start poking my nose around Colorado and Wyoming to see if I can find anything. Denver probably will offer the most. I know the ehtnic cuisine is better there...
Kakashi, I think this is the first time I've talked to you on OT. Heehee.
I'm going to learn how to shoot a bow and arrow today, then teach up in Wyoming, then this weekend teach some more, conduct a beginner orchestra and...work on converting my best friend to kdrama. Heh. Maybe blog a little...
yes, Raine, it's the first time!! Whenever I raved about Park Shi-hoo in the past, everybody immediately warned me about you, haha, so your ghost was with me before you ever were... lol.
About the bow and arrow thin: so cool! I did that ages ago and only for about 15 minutes, cause that's how long my untrained muscles lasted .......
Yeah, Park Shi-hoo has totally been MINE'd. Stay tuned for my next PSH post. It's going to be HOT!
I just came back from archery. We lasted for an hour, were shown up by a bunch of kids, and my muscles most DEF feel it. I didn't like all the heads mounted on the wall, but the shooting itself was so much fun. I tried shooting left and right handed, but I'm a right shooter (bow in left hand, draw with right). SO much fun.
Hi Oftheshore!
I'm kind of slow this week. I'll try to catch up with things during the weekend. Oh, and I'll have a look at my family dramas - I have been neglecting them lately ;)
Hehe. I want them to be happy, but I don't want them to end. My favourite domestic series aired its 511th episode (with one episode weekly) and it's never been so exciting!
tomorrow will be my 2nd Saturday at work. my boss shifted my schedule to have someone in charge on half the weekend. so my weekend will start on Sunday. I'm planning to have an uber-lazy one - watching kdramas, eating, sleeping. (I'll do some video editing if I don't get too lazy.) Pretty much prepping for the coming week when I'll be working on yet another monthly operational report. >_< I'm going to be on a 6-day vay-kay starting Friday next week, so my boss reminded me to submit the report early.
I'm waiting for L7CS ep8 to finish dl'ding. Computer says it will be done in an hour, so i'm gonna have dinner while I wait. :)
Haha, thanks. :) I will be working in the office pretty much this entire weekend, so I can definitely understand you. Lazy Sundays are great, hope you enjoy your time off.
Marathoning Jdrama and The Marriage Plot. Maybe checking out That Winter (if I can get over Eunji's miscasting). And hopefully watching a new episode of Cheer Up Mr. Kim.
I have trouble understanding beauty as a Korean would appreciate it.
I first realized it when characters would describe someone as fat or ugly, and I didn't see it that way.
I am probably all wrong, but here are some working hypotheses on what constitutes beauty by KDrama standards
- curly hair is bad
- long legs are good. tall men are more handsome.
- faces so thin they look famine stricken is good
- pointy chins are good
- thick, straight eyebrows is masculine
- B cup women are bordering on too voluptuous. clevage is bad.
- a slender, rectangular shape instead of 10" smaller waist hourglass. But you won't be able to actually tell the shape because of scarfs, layering, and shirts that cover the hips modestly.
- shorts or short skirts are great for emphasizing the legs
- men are hiding muscular bodies under those shirts, cue shower scene
- white skin is better (this one came as a surprise to me)
- facial hair on men is bad, unless it is a historical drama
- eye shape is important. huge eyes are good. small eyes are bad. (I still don't get how to catalog in my brain the varying eye shapes. But I notice eyes more since watching KDramas.)
Any other suggestions on how to understand beauty in KDramas?
Any examples of who you think is beautiful/ugly and why?
Maybe I should add the 13 physical requirements prospective mother-in-laws looked for as listed in NTC's Dictionary of Korea's Business and Cultural Code Words (p.5).
Don't hate me, but I will give a few examples of my inability to appreciate Korean beauty. Park Ha from Rooftop Prince (Han Ji Min), Dok-Mi from FBND (Park Shin Hye), Do-Hwi from FBND (Park Soo Jin - famine face by my standards). I love these actresses, loved their dramas, I just don't swoon over their beauty.
I do swoon for lots of Asian male actors. The list would be too long for this post!
So my problem is not having the same standards of beauty for women as KDramas. I never saw Jan-Di from BOF as fat. I think Nakama Yukie from Gokusen is stunning, so the fact that her class found her unattractive is baffling. I find Moon Geun Young the most beautiful woman in Mary and CDD Alice. Ah well, chalk it up to "Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder."
Curly hair might be bad - but not if it's ramen hair! I never understood the issue with curly hair either, though. Example: Dal Ja's awesome locks of glory. Her friend's dad hated them, and the ahjummas weren't fans of the 'do either. I, on the other hand, absolutely adored it.
me too! me too! I love Dal Ja's hair! I was even confused when it was recapped in DB and the writer said something about it takes sometime for her to get used to Dal Ja's hair. I found her hair gorgeous!
She had this one fab outfit in the Valentine's Day episode, where they had to help their supplier to make chocolates. It was a top with short, puffy sleeves, worn over a long-sleeved top, paired with shorts. I absolutely loved it. Would definitely wear it.
I think i know what you are talking about. Out of all the dramas i watched that is the only one where I have really considered trying to track down her clothes somewhere even though I watched years after it aired.
Same here! Years later I still lust after Dal Ja's outfits and paint my nails a dark colour from time to time with her in mind :D Her luscious locks suited her face really well, more than the straight look
Do keep in mind that sometimes for narrative purposes, a gorgeous actress will be deemed "ugly" by the characters around her. It's part of the story set up and you might have to suspend reality for a bit.
Oh my gosh! This reminds me of an interview I heard with Song Joong-ki. He said he hated his lips most of all. I thought: Seriously???? You have the most beautiful lips!
When someone can't see their own best feature because of some flaky ideal, then I get nervous. I will admit that whenever I see certain actors I do check to see if they look the same as they did when I fist started liking them.
Omo! Why would he hate his lips? What more can he ask for with that face? Can someone give him a wake-up pill or something? I'm really curious as to what type of lips he prefers. Nonetheless, SJK hating his lips is just crazy.
Same as you, I worry about this. I hope he doesn't seriously hate his lips, or any part of his body, and have them changed. I'm not 100% against PS, but when there is actually nothing that needs improving, going under the knife will only make one look unpleasant.
He's gorgeous. But they have to focus on their looks or they will be criticized and thrown from the Hallyu ranks!
Well, not MY Hallyu ranks. I like a lot of them pre-surgery and with darker skin and monolids and a little weight on them. Kim Sun-ah was so pretty as Sam-soon.
The question for me is: when will Asians stop being type-cast in American television?
There's this great documentary called The Slanted Screen which shows the history of Asian stereotypes in hollywood. Very sad.
I remember one interview where Jet Li relates how "Romeo Must Die" originally was a love story with a bit more passion. But at the screening, ironically, the Black guys were really annoyed that Aaliyah and Jet Li would kiss -- so the filmmakers changed the story and cut out the kissing scenes.
So apparently, Asian guys are trapped into stereotypes by white and black audience "requirements/expectations". Sad.
Well, thank goodness that is one feature he can't have cut off! His lips are so gorgeous. I didn't know he hated his lips but I know he wishes he looks more manly and his ideal man look is Jo in sung.
SJK: i hate my lips.
Me: wuuutttt???!!! (despite having read about it here.)
when asked about whose lips he thinks are attractive...
SJK: Ah In.
Me: well if you put it that way... *shakes head to rid of image of YAI luscious lips from head in order to form a proper opinion*
Song Jung Ki, if you're reading this Dear, I love Ah In. I won't object to your opinion on his lips. (stay sane izzie, stay sane.) However, you also have one of the most attractive lips in the world, and is not inferior to YAI. If there's a sig-sheet for girls who'd be allowed to kiss you all day, please tell me where it is and I'll sign up right away. (Since, there may be hundreds, nay thousands, of girls who'd want to be on that list, I'd kill to be no.1.)
I really have a problem fully enjoying a drama when that happens. It's so hard to suspend disbelief when it's plain to see that the person they call ugly is actually pretty.
Exception to this is Vampire Idol, where they deliberately flipped over the standards of beauty over at the vampire planet. :P
Ah, the white skin thing! Not a surprise to me. Seems to be the norm in Asian countries. And one can't even blame the western media for that. It always makes me groan a bit when some variety host asks one of my fave hotties, "So what is your your type? Fair?" And the guys ALWAYS answer, "Fair."
"I've often asked myself, "Carole, why do you like movies from this culture where you would be deemed ugly?" Mercifully, I've never fallen in love with any of my Asian friends so I don't carry any kind of wounds. So I can watch all these flicks without taking anything personally and getting too offended. I am writing a graphic novel about a black girl who falls in love with a Korean guy who is prejudiced against her. It's like I do feel I have to work this thing out for myself...however painful.
I remember watching a Korean movie about a handsome rich popular architect (I think) who fell in love with an ugly woman. That was the plot. I forgot the name but folks would react so badly to her I would think, "What is wrong with me? I don't see anything wrong with her!"
LOL! Yes, I am. Hubby will draw it. It'll be called My Life as an Onion (Annyung.) Main character is a black girl who falls for two korean guys. The first is a silent hard nut to crack, likes her but has to get past his own prejudice and his own issues. Not thinking all Koreans are prejudiced but he's from the country with weird ideas. The second is more cosmopolitan and my main character's true love. Thanks for asking.
This whole thing of beauty is so subjective, but it must dominate the Korean culture. Why would SK be the top country in the world for plastic surgery? And when you first started watching dramas, didn't many of the women look similar? I have even had Korean women tell me that all the actresses look alike due to plastic surgery.
Also, it's a matter of personal taste. The comments on the L7CS board have been horrendous talking about the "ugliness" of the female lead. I find her cute. And I thought guys like Binnie and Bummie looked so much better with rounder, fuller faces - I'm not into this V-line at all. That's my opinion. What a disaster it would be to all be attracted to the same thing!
SK reminds me very much of the early days of Hollywood, when the actors were owned and run by their managers. Beauty standards were very high. (Read or watch something on how Judy Garland's life was ruined by it, it's so sad.) I still think they have a ways to go as far as their .entertainment industry is concerned - especially the Kpop industry, where they are (for the most part) scouted for their looks and then "formed" into idols. All I can say is it must be terribly difficult (from an emotional viewpoint) to be an actor or idol in SK.
Korazy - you are totally correct on this "many of the women look similar.."
I find some of them looking so similar that even after years of watching K-dramas, I have trouble telling them apart. It is as if plastic surgery has removed anything distinctive about them, and they are all trying to fit into some kind of mythical Barbie Doll mold.
I recall reading someplace that Korean actresses have about 6x as much plastic surgery as Japanese ones.
The sad thing is that they all have this botox frozen face that might look ok when they stay static, but once you try emoting some muscles that should be moving are not, and random wrinkles appear at the wrongs places.
I want to read it too. I get that prejudice from the culture thing. When I returned to the US from Pakistan, I got a long list of "don't dates" from all the Aunties. It was like every ethnicity they could think of was covered. Finally, I asked, "So, what's so great about us?"
Right now I'm very curious about the Korean actresses accused of abusing propofol. I'm sure it all started with the numerous trips to the plastic surgeon. Doubly sad
I think a great many cultures have an "ideal" face and form, but I find many people look beyond the superficial to the heart underneath.
I think it's generational, too. When I was (much) younger, my father used to catalogue my boyfriends by some physical feature, and that would be his 'discussion' name: "Is No Neck taking you out again? What movie are you and Pigeon-Toe going to see?"
Since I'm a mix (but mostly Italian), I didn't have the same specifics that you had. I just patted my dad's hand and told him "Thanks for caring."
I really think there is a kind of enslavement not only to beauty but to a particular kind of beauty...a kind of golden mean thing. A certain proportion and face shape.
I sometimes would be on a forum and someone would say "the actress is ugly" and I'd think. "What?? Why does Beauty matter so much?" But to a lot of people -- yeah, Mr Rex Reed-- characters in films are supposed to be beautiful or else their story is not worthy of our time.
I remember when the film Persuasion came out (with Ciaran Hinds) Jeffrey whats-his-name (Lyons??) said it was hard to get into the love story because the actor and actress playing the main characters were ugly. Mike Medved the other reviewer gave him a weird look. But apparently, one can't love a Jane Austen film if it's got supposedly ugly characters in the roles.
"The Relation of Face, Mind, and Love" with Lee Ji Ah playing ugly girl and Kang Ji Hwan as handsome guy.
The premise of what would happen if an ugly girl is suddenly seen as beautiful and the guy falls in love is sort Cinderella, but I didn't fall in love with the nasty character of the ugly girl who was shallow herself demanding she only date handsome guys.
yes, yes, i remember. He had some sort of brain trouble from an accident if i recall. Kind of a more intellectual Shallow Hal movie...with a richer Hal.
A while back I came across an old 1960's travel guide for Hong Kong - it noted that while there are some beaches in the area, that most chinese avoid them or wear head to toe clothes to avoid getting tanned... :?
The Taiwanese actress Barbie Tsu requires that an umbrella be over her at all times when on an outdoor set. So when it becomes time to film a distance shot, the Umbrella person has to run like hell to get out of the shot, and run back in between takes.
Ah, KJH in 'The Relation of Face, Mind and Love'. Such a good movie, and I do think it was poking fun at Koreans and their quest for ultimate beauty. Of course, KJH pulled it off perfectly.
Also, its weird, cause in the US, I get made fun of for being so pale. Everyone tells me I should get a tan. They think I look unhealthy although I'm perfectly fine!
Yeah... The pale skin thing is kinda weird.
But interestingly when I first meet my Korean friends they were like 'you're so pale. Are you ill?' Haha. So I guess being too pale counts as a bad thing as well lol.
I would be interested to read this as well. I too sometimes feel a bit of discomfort regarding the fact that I am a fanatic about dramas (and now to a certain degree Kpop) but the actors and idols i follow and support might not be accepting of me. I understand about cultural standards of beauty being different but as black drama and kpop fan I sometime wonder about the seemingly widespread cultural prejudice the k-entertainment industry promotes and therefore how someone like me would be received in person.
Ah, lovebug, not only are you a woman after my own heart...wondering the same thing...but you also have the nickname hubby and I use for each other.
I remember reading an interview with Jae Joong which made me very uncomfortable. I decided it was best for my sanity that I not interpret what he said the wrong way. Cause maybe it was just the way he said it. But still, although I still like him, it's made me wary of liking him too much. Unlike Mickey who said the thing he hated most was prejudice and discrimination. I think in that same interview Changmin said the place he wanted to visit most was Africa. And I always think of Hwangbo's charity work in Africa. So I think a lot of Korean pop stars are pretty enlightened. And some perhaps not so much...like whats-her-name who went on the mad racist tweet bit last year.
fairness is 'prized' in most of asia traditionally. it has partly to do with the fact that in these places, they associate the darker skin with having to work in the sun - therefore fair skin becomes synonymous with wealth and status. very similar to how the europeans value a tanned skin coz that means they have the means to go to warm sunny places for their holidays etc. at least, that was what i have heard before.
i am a chinese and my mom says there is a saying that being fair hides seven physical flaws. so, it is no surpirse then that fairness is coveted. i am fair but from young i was freckled. everytime i have been to a beauty counter, i am offerd solutions to my pigmentation. luckily for me, i loved my freckles coz i preferred looking different to conforming to the traditional idea of what is beautiful. it can be pretty damaging to your self esteem if you allow it to be - i remember ebing asked if the little spots on my face were a disease! :)
here, in malaysia, there was a really offensive commercial based on the movie while you were sleeping. the girl manned a toll booth and had a crush on the guy passing her everyday. he never noticed her - she bought a cream called fair and lovely and used it and she becamew several shades lighter and lo and behold! the man noticed her and they started going out!
it raised a ruckus and got taken off.
well this was really long but hopefully helpful to help some understand why light skin tone is prized here in asia - just look at all the whitening products! its the opposite of all your bronzing product in the west!!
I'm also writing a novel about a Black girl and a Korean guy. I started it years ago when I had a huge crush on my Indian friend but I didn't want to be super obvious so I made him another kind of "Asian." I remember doing a lot of reading about how African American women are perceived in Asian culture and being pretty disheartened (that's music videos and Hollywood for the great stereotyping). It probably wouldn't have mattered much in the case of this particular guy as he was born and raised around a lot of Black people but it's got me thinking and I decided to explore the ideas a little bit through writing (especially since it didn't look like I'd be getting much of a chance to explore them personally like I wanted to).
I agree with you. I'm Asian and as I was growing up, my mom would always compared me to my cousins or her friends daughter. She would always complain about how dark I was to them... I'm not even dark. I'm a beige in foundation color. But it is just an Asian thing to have fair skin.
"I first realized it when characters would describe someone as fat or ugly, and I didn’t see it that way."
I think the characters just say that to the main heroine - I don't always think the actresses playing those heroines are actually considered fat or ugly (although sometimes they might be sporting 'unfashionable' haircuts or not enough brand-style clothing).
That said, I find those kind of comments within dramas infuriating because they are extremely damaging. Particularly for young girls it must really distort their understanding of what's 'beautiful' or not.
Once I did one of those "Can you distinguish which Asian country this person is from" quizzes (where they give you pictures) and while I was able to correctly identify most Chinese and Japanese people, I consistently failed with the Korean ones. Though it was a stupid quiz to begin with (it's not like I can necessarily distinguish a Swede from a Norwegian from a German from a Dutch person either if they are all blond), it made me realise the reason I was atrociously bad at identifying Koreans was because all my experiences in terms of what Koreans look like come from dramas/films. The quiz pictures were different from those Koreans that appear in dramas and films: some with darker skin or more 'ethnic' looking features, while what Korean dramas push, in terms of looks in general and beauty more specifically, is so narrow that it's scary.
I feel really bad for young Koreans who must be influenced by this media-fabricated image of beauty and feel 'ugly' when they are definitely not.
that's really interesting and a little scary, alua.
I've read so much about plastic surgery in Korea recently, I can now no longer just appreciate a beautiful actor/actress. I now keep seeing "PS nose, PS eyes, PS chin" ... I am very grateful that there are some actresses (like Park Shin-hye or Shin Min-ah) who are (or at least look!) utterly natural.
oh and those contact lenses that make the iris appear larger. they look cute on photos, but when I see someone in person wearing those, they scare me a bit.
I think no one was wearing making in the quiz pictures, they made them as neutral as possible (I was looking for thinks like Korean glasses - I think clothing trends and hairstyles are sometimes a much better indicator of where people are from!).
I think your wife is pretty close on that. A few years ago my wife (who is Japanese) commented while on a trip to Seoul that the Korean cosmetic counters in dept stores were much larger than those in Japan. I think my wife has spent about $100 bucks a year at most on makeup.
I think that the women are usually less good looking than the men... and on purpose. It's their strategy to have a plain(ish) noona with a hotty to turn all us adjummas into the Kdrama freaks we are. :P
oh, yes, the white manaquin skin can get too much for me too. Occassionally you have an actor that comments that they are dark skin, ... what? ok. It's not just asia, but where I'm living as well. The locals here are very tanned skin but when the spaniards colonized back several hundred years ago, and mixed in with pop, there became the upperclass light skinned familes. that old colonial attitue is still here... lighter, better,richer.
Ah yes..it's like watching Black TV or Black videos and saying, "why the heck is everyone in this video so light-skinned, especially the women? And why are the bad guys so dark? Isn't this a black production?" OR like watching Hispanic TV and thinking, "How come none of my hispanic friends look like the folks on Latino TV?"
I like both the "dark" and "fair" Koreans. DBSK's Changmin is gorgeous! And Well, Jung Il Woo!!!! WOW!!! But it did make me smile when I listened to an interview and the nickname for that actor was "Milky White." Or when I listen to the Carry On OST from Faith and the line is "my white skin." So I have to back up and do a reality check. Folks are allowed to like their own skincolor and have their own tastes...but they aren't allowed to make other folks -- especially kids in their own culture-- feel ugly.
This reminds me of a funny conversation I was having with a friend about Mr Spock and how he represents the typical Oreo, not really connected with the darker side of his genetics..and always trying to disown it.
I have similar feelings about Bollywood, where no girl darker than a very milky latte can ever get work as a lead without being instantly hypersexualised wayyy more than a light-skinned girl would (guys have it easier, is an obvious double standard, even if the darker-skinned ones are still considered 'ugly'). Now they at least pay lip service to the idea that dark-skinned girls can be pretty too, but it's just hollow.
It's pretty common across Asia, whether it's East or South Asia, and not just in film or tv - the most beautiful girl in my class at law school actually told me that she never though of herself as beautiful because she was far too dark-skinned for it. I've endured my share of aunts clucking over my lack of fairness as a child, but this was the first time I'd met someone who was so badly lied to by our ridiculous beauty standards - sure, whitening creams are popular here but I always thought 'people like us' were too smart to buy the myth that dark skin was ugly.
Basically this turned into a tl;dr rant, but the lack of diversity in media representation is more damaging than most people think, and I can't even wrap my head around how that must combine with the relative ease of getting plastic surgery in SK.
Yeah, I live in India and I see SO many pretty girls completely oblivious and in denial of their beauty because they aren't pale-skinned.
It's just sad, but IMO the problem in Korea is different than India's as they select uncommon and atypical features in comparison to their population than uncommon colouration. A study done with Korean Americans showed an emphasis on a significantly narrower face, larger and closer set eyes than the norm which the authors interpreted as an overall westernisation of features. (here's the study: http://archfaci.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=480245)
While a remember a similar study being done on Indian Americans finding that the highest rated Indian women had average Indian features, except selecting for somewhat more larger and wider set eyes. (They didn't check for skin colour which I'm guessing would be a huge factor.)
IMO the problem in Korea is different than India’s as they select uncommon and atypical features in comparison to their population than uncommon colouration.
This is probably accurate, I've seen Shin Mina being praised for her beauty not because of her features alone but because she has a 'small face'. It's not just SK either - my lone Chinese colleague is always talking about 'good' features, and the way she describes them, they don't sound common among people who share her ethnicity.
I remember when my friend from Goa became pregnant. She kept drinking lots of milk because supposedly that's what women in her part of India do so they can have a fair child. She said, "It's okay if the boy is dark, but the girl has to be light."
Bollywood is notorious for discriminating against darker actors. Wasn't Amithab Bachan (I know I mispelled his name) originally told he'd never amount to anything because he was too dark? 40 years later and well...
I work as a pre-school teacher and one year the parents of one of the summer campers (an Indian kid who was maybe 7 or 8 years old at the time) told us that his son, Akil, wasn't allowed to go outside that week. After the dad left, my boss asked Akil why he couldn't go outside, thinking maybe he hadn't been feeling well or something, the boy replied "I'm getting darker and darker."
Yes. The light skin thing is true in many places. I remember growing up and always being told that it was a good thing I was not as dark as my family. It was even emphasize that I had cinnamon color skin ( lol.. to me that's dark, but whatever). Then school I always impossible not to notice that blonde & blue eye was always the most popular since it was so rare in the small town I lived until I moved to US.
I actually thought Koreans were light-skinned, since shopping for a BB cream is hard for darker-skinned women. Even MAC doesn't have a good colour (Bobbi Brown is what I"m using now) because they targeted the Asian market first.
This conversation in general reminds me of Disney portrayals of ethnic - often exaggerated features that are considered beautiful and exotic, but unrealistic. The images get out there, though, and we are mesmerized by them (even if it's cartoon - Disney's images are far reaching). Just look at kpop idols - we swoon over them, because of those exaggerated, exotic features (again, often based on cartoon manga).
For me, it's the stigma that seems to be attached to being called ugly and fat (in kdramas, that's my only experience) that is hard to comprehend. But I did read an interesting article that discussed the high rate of plastic surgery in S Korea and related it to a homogenous population and a narrow definition of beauty.
It actually started me when Yoon Eun-hye was called 'fat' circa Goong (and lost a lot of weight after). What kind of crazy thinness standards must someone have that YEH of all people is thought of as 'fat'?
Julia - I think you got the K-drama beuty thing down pretty close. Being a guy, what I notice most is the dichotomy between actresses in K-dramas, and female pop stars. The difference is even more pronounced between Taiwan T-dramas and T-pop stars (just do a YouTube search for Jeannie Hsieh to see what I mean).
The one thing I really don't get is the pointy chin thing - I thought the lead actresses in Dalja's Spring and CDD Alice were really cute, but apparently not by Korean standards.
The "white skin" thing seems to be universal - if you have ever watched any of the Latino dramas you will see a lot of "blondes" (fake or otherwise). Which is kind of funny to me, considering the number of tanning salons to make white folks darker in the US :D
My mother is 100% Italian, and my father has a Northern European background (Lithuanian / Irish), so it's interesting that in my family, I have two siblings with black hair, brown eyes and an olive tone to their skin, while my older sister and I have blue-gray eyes, brown hair, and light skin that doesn't tan well. The dark sister married a man with a German heritage, the dark brother married a Castilian Spanish girl, and my light sister married an Italian. The jury is still out on me :-) but I know I have some beautiful nieces and nephews!!
for what it's worth, I didn't think Park Shin-hye was a knockout in You're Beautiful (cute, definitely. Pretty, absolutely. But gorgeous? Not quite) but in FBND she's positively luminous and that has a lot to do with lighting and cinematography.
She's got looks that can be played up or down depending on the situation, but more than that she has amazingly clear skin, and FBND closeups just show it off like you wouldn't believe.
Sometimes I look at their expression. if too much, it felt awkward. too little then it felt stiff. if the female lead doesn't have much expression, then I thought about them getting plastic surgery, thus having stiff expression. is it bad for me to think that way?
u gotta give it to the magistrate's mom in Arang then. it's obvious she had work done on her face but that didn't stop her from conveying convincing emotions.
The outside beauty is Like Cream covering The cake but you don't taste it yet and I just don't like your judgement a bout beauty in this way I also think most who have beautiful are so complicated personality I didn't say all of them but most who I had met .
I Believe Park shin hye made me in love with her not bcz her outside just to meet someone like her to be your friend I wish to meet her someday and happy birth day to park shin hye <3
It's a tough road to that epic achievement, that milestone above all of the many crowning glories in life, "first"
Some struggle their whole lives for that brief moment of ultimate dominance over the field below. It is the labor, the hours of toil in humble obscurity, the tears and travails, the defeats that tumble from the jaws of victory, that make the final, life-affirming achievement worthwhile.
Alas, pillowhead, alas. You have tasted failure once more.
Lol, I had fun watching it but you can't exactly deny that it has a lot of problems. I do love how pretty it is, and I'll probably keep watching for the pretty!
seriously, I didn't see any problems :) Okay, I was probably a bit preoccupied with Tweeting about it and thinking about blogging about it, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. Let's see how long that last ... hehehe
I saw episode one last nite. I don't know if it was because it was 3 am or because it was kinda boring and confusing but I kept on falling a sleep. The one thing I love is the opening sequence. It makes you think you are about to watch something awesome..
Hello Chingus – a very happy Friday to you all! Friday rocks!
I have lots going on right now:
a) I’m fully recovered from Virus X and Y and Z and am full of energy. Loving it. The only thing that's still left is a nasty cold sore. I always get them in the same spot. ouchie. At least I don't get them very often... The good thing about the down time was that I had time to watch some old dramas I’ve had on my list for ages (like Joseon X-Files and Time Between Dog and Wolf). I hardly have any time for this anymore when I'm fully functional!
b) The semester is starting next week and I still need to finalize the syllabus for a seminar I’m teaching. Well, I’ll do the finalizing next week. Got some drama watching to do over the weekend!
c) Doing research on a paper about Anonymous. I so love the phase where it’s all about intake (i.e. reading etc.) and not yet producing (i.e. writing). It’s so inspiring!
d) IRIS 2! Omo! What an incredibly fulminant start. And so beautifully shot! It's worth watching just for the sets and backgrounds http://dr-myri-blog.blogspot.ch/2013/02/iris-2-i-love-you-episode-1.html. I hope they can keep this up. If yes, then the next few weeks are going to be spy-action heaven … If no, then it's kinda what I expected and I'll move on to something else :-)
e) Also: I did the swimming pool post I promised you guys a while ago. It’s not even half as smexy as the shower scene post, though, sorry. I guess it's because they are a varied bunch: http://dr-myri-blog.blogspot.ch/2013/02/my-top-5-swimming-pool-scenes.html
f) Excuse the double SSP (Shameless self-promotion) in this post. It always feels a bit naughty doing it. But since this is all about sharing the lovin, I guess it's okay?
off to do some grocery shopping now, as always on OT-Day :D
Hi Kakashi!
Since you didn't say much, I'm guessing you didn't love Joseon Xfiles. :(.. what did u thing about the ending?
I'm gonna go watch those pool scene. :D be back.
what?! didn't love Joseon Xfiles?! I LOOOOOOOOOOOOOVEd it. haha. seriously, it's one of the best shows I've ever seen. The ending ... well, I refuse to accept it's the end. I've been bugging Kim Ji-hoon and TvN on Twitter for a while now about a 2nd season ...
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1 oftheshore
February 15, 2013 at 6:17 AM
Hello, fellow Beaners!
What are you up to this weekend?
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Pillowhead
February 15, 2013 at 6:19 AM
hi oftheshore... i thought i was first. hehe.
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oftheshore
February 15, 2013 at 7:53 AM
Sorry about that! Didn't plan on being first at all.
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alua
February 15, 2013 at 6:24 AM
Good day! I was trying hard to be first, but got distracted by making lunch.
:-D
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oftheshore
February 15, 2013 at 6:35 AM
Nah, I wasn't even trying to be first. I was eating lunch, browsing the internet, and there it was - OT!
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alua
February 15, 2013 at 6:38 AM
That's because you've been first before.
Enjoy your lunch... I'm making potato strudel but it's still in the even (sooooo hungryyyyy).
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alua
February 15, 2013 at 6:40 AM
*oven
TYPOS UGH :-P
oftheshore
February 15, 2013 at 7:44 AM
By the way, are you still interested in meeting in London sometime? I will be there in March/April anyway, and will probably even have to make several trips.
Raine
February 15, 2013 at 8:01 AM
Hi Alua! I've never been first...hehe. I've never tried. But I haven't been on OT in so long I feel like a stranger! Any fun film festivals lately?
alua
February 15, 2013 at 9:46 AM
@oftheshore! Yes! Let's meet! Are you coming during the week/weekend/at specific dates? If you can come during the week, you should come on the Thursday that Moon So-ri is coming for her Q&A film screening organised by the Korean Cultural Centre (I think it's going to be April 4 but not sure).
@Raine - To be honest, I wasn't trying too hard to be first. Didn't I see you on the OT a couple of weeks back? No film festivals this week, but I got my opening gala tickets for the Pan-Asia film festival (for the Taiwanese film *Gf*Bf which I have been wanting to see!), not sure if I'll go see anything else as part of that festival as I already saw the K-film King of Pigs and as for Park Chan-wook's Stoker, I'll probably wait for the cinematic release... I think.
Also waiting for the programme for the March-scheduled Lesbian & Gay Film Festival of the British Film Institute to be announced next week, fingers crossed we'll get some good Asian features like last year. Like the Korean 백야 (Baekya/White Night, 2012) which was originally going to be screened at the Korean Film Festival back in October but then was cancelled because they got into the Berlinale (can't blame them!).
oftheshore
February 15, 2013 at 10:05 AM
I could do weekdays! Usually it's not a problem. I'll keep the date in mind and let you know my plans a bit later on OT or maybe via your blog.=)
By the way, I was so glad to find out about the Maimai Shinko to sennen no mahō screening in Bristol's Watershed. Really looking forward to it.
Raine
February 15, 2013 at 10:50 AM
Alua - Those sound like fun! London is full of stuff like that. I'm going to start poking my nose around Colorado and Wyoming to see if I can find anything. Denver probably will offer the most. I know the ehtnic cuisine is better there...
kakashi
February 15, 2013 at 6:35 AM
cooking wonderful food! having fun with my "baby"-girl! watch KDrama! (= what I am up to this weekend)
yourself? Anything exciting?
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oftheshore
February 15, 2013 at 7:43 AM
Some exciting...work. :D
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kakashi
February 15, 2013 at 9:16 AM
hehe. yes. work. I might try that one too ...
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oftheshore
February 15, 2013 at 7:45 AM
However, I might also try and get my K-drama fix!
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Pillowhead
February 15, 2013 at 7:48 AM
that's my plan. :D
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Raine
February 15, 2013 at 8:03 AM
Kakashi, I think this is the first time I've talked to you on OT. Heehee.
I'm going to learn how to shoot a bow and arrow today, then teach up in Wyoming, then this weekend teach some more, conduct a beginner orchestra and...work on converting my best friend to kdrama. Heh. Maybe blog a little...
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kakashi
February 15, 2013 at 9:18 AM
yes, Raine, it's the first time!! Whenever I raved about Park Shi-hoo in the past, everybody immediately warned me about you, haha, so your ghost was with me before you ever were... lol.
About the bow and arrow thin: so cool! I did that ages ago and only for about 15 minutes, cause that's how long my untrained muscles lasted .......
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Raine
February 15, 2013 at 10:52 AM
Yeah, Park Shi-hoo has totally been MINE'd. Stay tuned for my next PSH post. It's going to be HOT!
I just came back from archery. We lasted for an hour, were shown up by a bunch of kids, and my muscles most DEF feel it. I didn't like all the heads mounted on the wall, but the shooting itself was so much fun. I tried shooting left and right handed, but I'm a right shooter (bow in left hand, draw with right). SO much fun.
kakashi
February 15, 2013 at 1:01 PM
bring it on! (your next PSH post). I miss him. Pick your next project, Mister! not a movie! here me?
Enz
February 15, 2013 at 3:48 PM
Kakashi, if you miss PSH , you can watch delightful girl chun hyang. I recognized him even though he came out less than one minute so far!
kopytko
February 15, 2013 at 8:30 AM
Hi Oftheshore!
I'm kind of slow this week. I'll try to catch up with things during the weekend. Oh, and I'll have a look at my family dramas - I have been neglecting them lately ;)
Have a great weekend!
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oftheshore
February 15, 2013 at 10:06 AM
Hope your family dramas have a happy ending.:)
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kopytko
February 15, 2013 at 10:58 AM
Hehe. I want them to be happy, but I don't want them to end. My favourite domestic series aired its 511th episode (with one episode weekly) and it's never been so exciting!
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iZzie :)
February 15, 2013 at 8:55 AM
hi oftheshore!
tomorrow will be my 2nd Saturday at work. my boss shifted my schedule to have someone in charge on half the weekend. so my weekend will start on Sunday. I'm planning to have an uber-lazy one - watching kdramas, eating, sleeping. (I'll do some video editing if I don't get too lazy.) Pretty much prepping for the coming week when I'll be working on yet another monthly operational report. >_< I'm going to be on a 6-day vay-kay starting Friday next week, so my boss reminded me to submit the report early.
I'm waiting for L7CS ep8 to finish dl'ding. Computer says it will be done in an hour, so i'm gonna have dinner while I wait. :)
Happy Weekend! :) congrats on being first. :D
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oftheshore
February 15, 2013 at 12:55 PM
Haha, thanks. :) I will be working in the office pretty much this entire weekend, so I can definitely understand you. Lazy Sundays are great, hope you enjoy your time off.
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Ben
February 15, 2013 at 3:07 PM
Marathoning Jdrama and The Marriage Plot. Maybe checking out That Winter (if I can get over Eunji's miscasting). And hopefully watching a new episode of Cheer Up Mr. Kim.
I may even do some chores. Maybe.
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2 Julia
February 15, 2013 at 6:17 AM
I have trouble understanding beauty as a Korean would appreciate it.
I first realized it when characters would describe someone as fat or ugly, and I didn't see it that way.
I am probably all wrong, but here are some working hypotheses on what constitutes beauty by KDrama standards
- curly hair is bad
- long legs are good. tall men are more handsome.
- faces so thin they look famine stricken is good
- pointy chins are good
- thick, straight eyebrows is masculine
- B cup women are bordering on too voluptuous. clevage is bad.
- a slender, rectangular shape instead of 10" smaller waist hourglass. But you won't be able to actually tell the shape because of scarfs, layering, and shirts that cover the hips modestly.
- shorts or short skirts are great for emphasizing the legs
- men are hiding muscular bodies under those shirts, cue shower scene
- white skin is better (this one came as a surprise to me)
- facial hair on men is bad, unless it is a historical drama
- eye shape is important. huge eyes are good. small eyes are bad. (I still don't get how to catalog in my brain the varying eye shapes. But I notice eyes more since watching KDramas.)
Any other suggestions on how to understand beauty in KDramas?
Any examples of who you think is beautiful/ugly and why?
Maybe I should add the 13 physical requirements prospective mother-in-laws looked for as listed in NTC's Dictionary of Korea's Business and Cultural Code Words (p.5).
Don't hate me, but I will give a few examples of my inability to appreciate Korean beauty. Park Ha from Rooftop Prince (Han Ji Min), Dok-Mi from FBND (Park Shin Hye), Do-Hwi from FBND (Park Soo Jin - famine face by my standards). I love these actresses, loved their dramas, I just don't swoon over their beauty.
I do swoon for lots of Asian male actors. The list would be too long for this post!
So my problem is not having the same standards of beauty for women as KDramas. I never saw Jan-Di from BOF as fat. I think Nakama Yukie from Gokusen is stunning, so the fact that her class found her unattractive is baffling. I find Moon Geun Young the most beautiful woman in Mary and CDD Alice. Ah well, chalk it up to "Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder."
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oftheshore
February 15, 2013 at 6:21 AM
Curly hair might be bad - but not if it's ramen hair! I never understood the issue with curly hair either, though. Example: Dal Ja's awesome locks of glory. Her friend's dad hated them, and the ahjummas weren't fans of the 'do either. I, on the other hand, absolutely adored it.
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nomad
February 15, 2013 at 7:14 AM
me too! me too! I love Dal Ja's hair! I was even confused when it was recapped in DB and the writer said something about it takes sometime for her to get used to Dal Ja's hair. I found her hair gorgeous!
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marid
February 15, 2013 at 8:39 AM
Ditto!! As a curly hair person myself, I would kill to have Daljas amazing curls and volume.
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iZzie :)
February 15, 2013 at 10:38 PM
Not a fan of curly hair, but I liked Dal Ja's hair too. I'm Asian, but I don't get some of Koreans' standards of beauty either.
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Lovebug
February 15, 2013 at 8:01 AM
OMG I loved everything about Daja's styling, hair, eye make up, clothes! Loved it all, want it all!
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oftheshore
February 15, 2013 at 8:10 AM
She had this one fab outfit in the Valentine's Day episode, where they had to help their supplier to make chocolates. It was a top with short, puffy sleeves, worn over a long-sleeved top, paired with shorts. I absolutely loved it. Would definitely wear it.
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Lovebug
February 15, 2013 at 9:10 AM
I think i know what you are talking about. Out of all the dramas i watched that is the only one where I have really considered trying to track down her clothes somewhere even though I watched years after it aired.
oftheshore
February 15, 2013 at 12:58 PM
It's the one in this episode:
http://www.dramabeans.com/2007/03/dal-jas-spring-episode-13/
Bonus awkward back-hug, Candy-style!
Lovebug
February 15, 2013 at 2:02 PM
Yes that was adorable! Man I was really inspired by her fashion in that drama, i need to rewatch and go shopping!
sweetcloud
February 15, 2013 at 8:14 AM
Same here! Years later I still lust after Dal Ja's outfits and paint my nails a dark colour from time to time with her in mind :D Her luscious locks suited her face really well, more than the straight look
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myweithisway
February 15, 2013 at 6:22 AM
Do keep in mind that sometimes for narrative purposes, a gorgeous actress will be deemed "ugly" by the characters around her. It's part of the story set up and you might have to suspend reality for a bit.
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Raine
February 15, 2013 at 8:06 AM
So true.
I think the general standard is: small, petite, pail and very frail looking with big eyes with double lids.
Remember Rain was even thinking of getting eyelid surgery because of his monolids. (DONT DO IT OPPA!)
I think beauty is looking healthy. And then of course symmetry and all that scientific stuff.
Julia, you said you like Korean men, they tend not to be as ridiculously thin as the women.
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CaroleMcDonnell
February 15, 2013 at 8:32 AM
Oh my gosh! This reminds me of an interview I heard with Song Joong-ki. He said he hated his lips most of all. I thought: Seriously???? You have the most beautiful lips!
When someone can't see their own best feature because of some flaky ideal, then I get nervous. I will admit that whenever I see certain actors I do check to see if they look the same as they did when I fist started liking them.
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iZzie :)
February 15, 2013 at 9:07 AM
Omo! Why would he hate his lips? What more can he ask for with that face? Can someone give him a wake-up pill or something? I'm really curious as to what type of lips he prefers. Nonetheless, SJK hating his lips is just crazy.
Same as you, I worry about this. I hope he doesn't seriously hate his lips, or any part of his body, and have them changed. I'm not 100% against PS, but when there is actually nothing that needs improving, going under the knife will only make one look unpleasant.
Raine
February 15, 2013 at 10:55 AM
He's gorgeous. But they have to focus on their looks or they will be criticized and thrown from the Hallyu ranks!
Well, not MY Hallyu ranks. I like a lot of them pre-surgery and with darker skin and monolids and a little weight on them. Kim Sun-ah was so pretty as Sam-soon.
The question for me is: when will Asians stop being type-cast in American television?
CaroleMcDonnell
February 15, 2013 at 3:07 PM
Here's the interview: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K3E5dgBJvWQ
The 3:48 minute mark
CaroleMcDonnell
February 15, 2013 at 3:14 PM
Definitely, Raine!
There's this great documentary called The Slanted Screen which shows the history of Asian stereotypes in hollywood. Very sad.
I remember one interview where Jet Li relates how "Romeo Must Die" originally was a love story with a bit more passion. But at the screening, ironically, the Black guys were really annoyed that Aaliyah and Jet Li would kiss -- so the filmmakers changed the story and cut out the kissing scenes.
So apparently, Asian guys are trapped into stereotypes by white and black audience "requirements/expectations". Sad.
Enz
February 15, 2013 at 3:56 PM
Well, thank goodness that is one feature he can't have cut off! His lips are so gorgeous. I didn't know he hated his lips but I know he wishes he looks more manly and his ideal man look is Jo in sung.
Z
February 16, 2013 at 7:03 AM
I've seen "The Slanted Screen;" it is excellent.
iZzie :)
February 16, 2013 at 8:39 AM
I watched the YT video...
SJK: i hate my lips.
Me: wuuutttt???!!! (despite having read about it here.)
when asked about whose lips he thinks are attractive...
SJK: Ah In.
Me: well if you put it that way... *shakes head to rid of image of YAI luscious lips from head in order to form a proper opinion*
Song Jung Ki, if you're reading this Dear, I love Ah In. I won't object to your opinion on his lips. (stay sane izzie, stay sane.) However, you also have one of the most attractive lips in the world, and is not inferior to YAI. If there's a sig-sheet for girls who'd be allowed to kiss you all day, please tell me where it is and I'll sign up right away. (Since, there may be hundreds, nay thousands, of girls who'd want to be on that list, I'd kill to be no.1.)
iZzie :)
February 15, 2013 at 10:47 PM
I really have a problem fully enjoying a drama when that happens. It's so hard to suspend disbelief when it's plain to see that the person they call ugly is actually pretty.
Exception to this is Vampire Idol, where they deliberately flipped over the standards of beauty over at the vampire planet. :P
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CaroleMcDonnell
February 15, 2013 at 6:29 AM
Ah, the white skin thing! Not a surprise to me. Seems to be the norm in Asian countries. And one can't even blame the western media for that. It always makes me groan a bit when some variety host asks one of my fave hotties, "So what is your your type? Fair?" And the guys ALWAYS answer, "Fair."
"I've often asked myself, "Carole, why do you like movies from this culture where you would be deemed ugly?" Mercifully, I've never fallen in love with any of my Asian friends so I don't carry any kind of wounds. So I can watch all these flicks without taking anything personally and getting too offended. I am writing a graphic novel about a black girl who falls in love with a Korean guy who is prejudiced against her. It's like I do feel I have to work this thing out for myself...however painful.
I remember watching a Korean movie about a handsome rich popular architect (I think) who fell in love with an ugly woman. That was the plot. I forgot the name but folks would react so badly to her I would think, "What is wrong with me? I don't see anything wrong with her!"
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alua
February 15, 2013 at 6:37 AM
You are writing a graphic novel? Will you share it with me when you are done? So curious!!!
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CaroleMcDonnell
February 15, 2013 at 6:46 AM
LOL! Yes, I am. Hubby will draw it. It'll be called My Life as an Onion (Annyung.) Main character is a black girl who falls for two korean guys. The first is a silent hard nut to crack, likes her but has to get past his own prejudice and his own issues. Not thinking all Koreans are prejudiced but he's from the country with weird ideas. The second is more cosmopolitan and my main character's true love. Thanks for asking.
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korazylady
February 15, 2013 at 7:19 AM
Oh, I am really interested in your novel, also!
This whole thing of beauty is so subjective, but it must dominate the Korean culture. Why would SK be the top country in the world for plastic surgery? And when you first started watching dramas, didn't many of the women look similar? I have even had Korean women tell me that all the actresses look alike due to plastic surgery.
Also, it's a matter of personal taste. The comments on the L7CS board have been horrendous talking about the "ugliness" of the female lead. I find her cute. And I thought guys like Binnie and Bummie looked so much better with rounder, fuller faces - I'm not into this V-line at all. That's my opinion. What a disaster it would be to all be attracted to the same thing!
SK reminds me very much of the early days of Hollywood, when the actors were owned and run by their managers. Beauty standards were very high. (Read or watch something on how Judy Garland's life was ruined by it, it's so sad.) I still think they have a ways to go as far as their .entertainment industry is concerned - especially the Kpop industry, where they are (for the most part) scouted for their looks and then "formed" into idols. All I can say is it must be terribly difficult (from an emotional viewpoint) to be an actor or idol in SK.
Pillowhead
February 15, 2013 at 7:33 AM
Hi Korazy,
I totally drew those same comparisons between the old hollywood studios and the SK ent. ind. sad.
this weeks OT is heavy. lol
Windsun33
February 15, 2013 at 7:55 AM
Korazy - you are totally correct on this "many of the women look similar.."
I find some of them looking so similar that even after years of watching K-dramas, I have trouble telling them apart. It is as if plastic surgery has removed anything distinctive about them, and they are all trying to fit into some kind of mythical Barbie Doll mold.
I recall reading someplace that Korean actresses have about 6x as much plastic surgery as Japanese ones.
sweetcloud
February 15, 2013 at 8:19 AM
The sad thing is that they all have this botox frozen face that might look ok when they stay static, but once you try emoting some muscles that should be moving are not, and random wrinkles appear at the wrongs places.
TS
February 15, 2013 at 9:57 AM
I want to read it too. I get that prejudice from the culture thing. When I returned to the US from Pakistan, I got a long list of "don't dates" from all the Aunties. It was like every ethnicity they could think of was covered. Finally, I asked, "So, what's so great about us?"
Silence...
korazylady
February 15, 2013 at 9:58 AM
Right now I'm very curious about the Korean actresses accused of abusing propofol. I'm sure it all started with the numerous trips to the plastic surgeon. Doubly sad
shukmeister
February 15, 2013 at 10:40 AM
TS -
I think a great many cultures have an "ideal" face and form, but I find many people look beyond the superficial to the heart underneath.
I think it's generational, too. When I was (much) younger, my father used to catalogue my boyfriends by some physical feature, and that would be his 'discussion' name: "Is No Neck taking you out again? What movie are you and Pigeon-Toe going to see?"
Since I'm a mix (but mostly Italian), I didn't have the same specifics that you had. I just patted my dad's hand and told him "Thanks for caring."
Pillowhead
February 15, 2013 at 6:53 AM
how kool! good luck with that. let us know where we can read it. :D
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CaroleMcDonnell
February 15, 2013 at 3:17 PM
will do. Thanks.
enz
February 15, 2013 at 7:18 PM
i second that! thanks
CaroleMcDonnell
February 15, 2013 at 8:20 AM
I really think there is a kind of enslavement not only to beauty but to a particular kind of beauty...a kind of golden mean thing. A certain proportion and face shape.
I sometimes would be on a forum and someone would say "the actress is ugly" and I'd think. "What?? Why does Beauty matter so much?" But to a lot of people -- yeah, Mr Rex Reed-- characters in films are supposed to be beautiful or else their story is not worthy of our time.
I remember when the film Persuasion came out (with Ciaran Hinds) Jeffrey whats-his-name (Lyons??) said it was hard to get into the love story because the actor and actress playing the main characters were ugly. Mike Medved the other reviewer gave him a weird look. But apparently, one can't love a Jane Austen film if it's got supposedly ugly characters in the roles.
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shukmeister
February 15, 2013 at 10:43 AM
Lol -
Maybe he left the 'ugly' characters to the Bronte sisters?
Julia
February 15, 2013 at 6:37 AM
"The Relation of Face, Mind, and Love" with Lee Ji Ah playing ugly girl and Kang Ji Hwan as handsome guy.
The premise of what would happen if an ugly girl is suddenly seen as beautiful and the guy falls in love is sort Cinderella, but I didn't fall in love with the nasty character of the ugly girl who was shallow herself demanding she only date handsome guys.
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CaroleMcDonnell
February 15, 2013 at 6:47 AM
yes, yes, i remember. He had some sort of brain trouble from an accident if i recall. Kind of a more intellectual Shallow Hal movie...with a richer Hal.
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Windsun33
February 15, 2013 at 7:49 AM
A while back I came across an old 1960's travel guide for Hong Kong - it noted that while there are some beaches in the area, that most chinese avoid them or wear head to toe clothes to avoid getting tanned... :?
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shukmeister
February 15, 2013 at 10:48 AM
The Taiwanese actress Barbie Tsu requires that an umbrella be over her at all times when on an outdoor set. So when it becomes time to film a distance shot, the Umbrella person has to run like hell to get out of the shot, and run back in between takes.
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Conny
February 15, 2013 at 8:04 AM
Ah, KJH in 'The Relation of Face, Mind and Love'. Such a good movie, and I do think it was poking fun at Koreans and their quest for ultimate beauty. Of course, KJH pulled it off perfectly.
Hm, might have to watch that one again ;)
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Raine
February 15, 2013 at 8:08 AM
That sounds awesome, I want to read it!
Also, its weird, cause in the US, I get made fun of for being so pale. Everyone tells me I should get a tan. They think I look unhealthy although I'm perfectly fine!
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Christabel Godlewska
February 15, 2013 at 8:19 AM
Yeah... The pale skin thing is kinda weird.
But interestingly when I first meet my Korean friends they were like 'you're so pale. Are you ill?' Haha. So I guess being too pale counts as a bad thing as well lol.
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Raine
February 15, 2013 at 10:55 AM
Same thing here...I always get asked if I'm sick.
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Lovebug
February 15, 2013 at 8:55 AM
I would be interested to read this as well. I too sometimes feel a bit of discomfort regarding the fact that I am a fanatic about dramas (and now to a certain degree Kpop) but the actors and idols i follow and support might not be accepting of me. I understand about cultural standards of beauty being different but as black drama and kpop fan I sometime wonder about the seemingly widespread cultural prejudice the k-entertainment industry promotes and therefore how someone like me would be received in person.
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CaroleMcDonnell
February 15, 2013 at 3:23 PM
Ah, lovebug, not only are you a woman after my own heart...wondering the same thing...but you also have the nickname hubby and I use for each other.
I remember reading an interview with Jae Joong which made me very uncomfortable. I decided it was best for my sanity that I not interpret what he said the wrong way. Cause maybe it was just the way he said it. But still, although I still like him, it's made me wary of liking him too much. Unlike Mickey who said the thing he hated most was prejudice and discrimination. I think in that same interview Changmin said the place he wanted to visit most was Africa. And I always think of Hwangbo's charity work in Africa. So I think a lot of Korean pop stars are pretty enlightened. And some perhaps not so much...like whats-her-name who went on the mad racist tweet bit last year.
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enz
February 15, 2013 at 7:14 PM
fairness is 'prized' in most of asia traditionally. it has partly to do with the fact that in these places, they associate the darker skin with having to work in the sun - therefore fair skin becomes synonymous with wealth and status. very similar to how the europeans value a tanned skin coz that means they have the means to go to warm sunny places for their holidays etc. at least, that was what i have heard before.
i am a chinese and my mom says there is a saying that being fair hides seven physical flaws. so, it is no surpirse then that fairness is coveted. i am fair but from young i was freckled. everytime i have been to a beauty counter, i am offerd solutions to my pigmentation. luckily for me, i loved my freckles coz i preferred looking different to conforming to the traditional idea of what is beautiful. it can be pretty damaging to your self esteem if you allow it to be - i remember ebing asked if the little spots on my face were a disease! :)
here, in malaysia, there was a really offensive commercial based on the movie while you were sleeping. the girl manned a toll booth and had a crush on the guy passing her everyday. he never noticed her - she bought a cream called fair and lovely and used it and she becamew several shades lighter and lo and behold! the man noticed her and they started going out!
it raised a ruckus and got taken off.
well this was really long but hopefully helpful to help some understand why light skin tone is prized here in asia - just look at all the whitening products! its the opposite of all your bronzing product in the west!!
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Z
February 16, 2013 at 7:12 AM
I'm also writing a novel about a Black girl and a Korean guy. I started it years ago when I had a huge crush on my Indian friend but I didn't want to be super obvious so I made him another kind of "Asian." I remember doing a lot of reading about how African American women are perceived in Asian culture and being pretty disheartened (that's music videos and Hollywood for the great stereotyping). It probably wouldn't have mattered much in the case of this particular guy as he was born and raised around a lot of Black people but it's got me thinking and I decided to explore the ideas a little bit through writing (especially since it didn't look like I'd be getting much of a chance to explore them personally like I wanted to).
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Eulaliee
February 17, 2013 at 9:48 PM
I agree with you. I'm Asian and as I was growing up, my mom would always compared me to my cousins or her friends daughter. She would always complain about how dark I was to them... I'm not even dark. I'm a beige in foundation color. But it is just an Asian thing to have fair skin.
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TS
February 15, 2013 at 6:35 AM
Kim Woo Bin.
That's all you need to know.
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alua
February 15, 2013 at 6:35 AM
"I first realized it when characters would describe someone as fat or ugly, and I didn’t see it that way."
I think the characters just say that to the main heroine - I don't always think the actresses playing those heroines are actually considered fat or ugly (although sometimes they might be sporting 'unfashionable' haircuts or not enough brand-style clothing).
That said, I find those kind of comments within dramas infuriating because they are extremely damaging. Particularly for young girls it must really distort their understanding of what's 'beautiful' or not.
Once I did one of those "Can you distinguish which Asian country this person is from" quizzes (where they give you pictures) and while I was able to correctly identify most Chinese and Japanese people, I consistently failed with the Korean ones. Though it was a stupid quiz to begin with (it's not like I can necessarily distinguish a Swede from a Norwegian from a German from a Dutch person either if they are all blond), it made me realise the reason I was atrociously bad at identifying Koreans was because all my experiences in terms of what Koreans look like come from dramas/films. The quiz pictures were different from those Koreans that appear in dramas and films: some with darker skin or more 'ethnic' looking features, while what Korean dramas push, in terms of looks in general and beauty more specifically, is so narrow that it's scary.
I feel really bad for young Koreans who must be influenced by this media-fabricated image of beauty and feel 'ugly' when they are definitely not.
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kakashi
February 15, 2013 at 6:40 AM
that's really interesting and a little scary, alua.
I've read so much about plastic surgery in Korea recently, I can now no longer just appreciate a beautiful actor/actress. I now keep seeing "PS nose, PS eyes, PS chin" ... I am very grateful that there are some actresses (like Park Shin-hye or Shin Min-ah) who are (or at least look!) utterly natural.
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iZzie :)
February 15, 2013 at 11:19 PM
oh and those contact lenses that make the iris appear larger. they look cute on photos, but when I see someone in person wearing those, they scare me a bit.
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doug
February 15, 2013 at 7:28 AM
My (Korean) wife uses this criteria when she sees a random Asian woman: No makeup=Chinese, some makeup= Japanese, lots of makeup= Korean.
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alua
February 15, 2013 at 7:41 AM
Hahaha, that's pretty funny.
I think no one was wearing making in the quiz pictures, they made them as neutral as possible (I was looking for thinks like Korean glasses - I think clothing trends and hairstyles are sometimes a much better indicator of where people are from!).
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Windsun33
February 15, 2013 at 8:04 AM
I think your wife is pretty close on that. A few years ago my wife (who is Japanese) commented while on a trip to Seoul that the Korean cosmetic counters in dept stores were much larger than those in Japan. I think my wife has spent about $100 bucks a year at most on makeup.
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doug
February 15, 2013 at 8:19 AM
Look at Nam Na Bi s makeup table there in the meiju room in "My Love Madame Butterfly"-it's packed with stuff!
sweetcloud
February 15, 2013 at 8:26 AM
Not only that, but you have make up stores every hundred meters or so and every twenty meters in shopping areas like Hongdae/Gangnam/Myeongdong
Raine
February 15, 2013 at 8:09 AM
Doug - bwahahahaha
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CaroleMcDonnell
February 15, 2013 at 8:27 AM
A korean friend uses this criteria:
If they look smart, they're chinese
If they look rich, they're Japanese
If they are just plain looking good, they're Korean.
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TS
February 15, 2013 at 9:58 AM
hahhahahahahaha
amberscube
February 15, 2013 at 12:38 PM
Hahaha... Oh my i cant stop laughing!
Pillowhead
February 15, 2013 at 6:45 AM
I think that the women are usually less good looking than the men... and on purpose. It's their strategy to have a plain(ish) noona with a hotty to turn all us adjummas into the Kdrama freaks we are. :P
oh, yes, the white manaquin skin can get too much for me too. Occassionally you have an actor that comments that they are dark skin, ... what? ok. It's not just asia, but where I'm living as well. The locals here are very tanned skin but when the spaniards colonized back several hundred years ago, and mixed in with pop, there became the upperclass light skinned familes. that old colonial attitue is still here... lighter, better,richer.
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CaroleMcDonnell
February 15, 2013 at 6:57 AM
Ah yes..it's like watching Black TV or Black videos and saying, "why the heck is everyone in this video so light-skinned, especially the women? And why are the bad guys so dark? Isn't this a black production?" OR like watching Hispanic TV and thinking, "How come none of my hispanic friends look like the folks on Latino TV?"
I like both the "dark" and "fair" Koreans. DBSK's Changmin is gorgeous! And Well, Jung Il Woo!!!! WOW!!! But it did make me smile when I listened to an interview and the nickname for that actor was "Milky White." Or when I listen to the Carry On OST from Faith and the line is "my white skin." So I have to back up and do a reality check. Folks are allowed to like their own skincolor and have their own tastes...but they aren't allowed to make other folks -- especially kids in their own culture-- feel ugly.
This reminds me of a funny conversation I was having with a friend about Mr Spock and how he represents the typical Oreo, not really connected with the darker side of his genetics..and always trying to disown it.
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pogo
February 15, 2013 at 7:57 AM
I have similar feelings about Bollywood, where no girl darker than a very milky latte can ever get work as a lead without being instantly hypersexualised wayyy more than a light-skinned girl would (guys have it easier, is an obvious double standard, even if the darker-skinned ones are still considered 'ugly'). Now they at least pay lip service to the idea that dark-skinned girls can be pretty too, but it's just hollow.
It's pretty common across Asia, whether it's East or South Asia, and not just in film or tv - the most beautiful girl in my class at law school actually told me that she never though of herself as beautiful because she was far too dark-skinned for it. I've endured my share of aunts clucking over my lack of fairness as a child, but this was the first time I'd met someone who was so badly lied to by our ridiculous beauty standards - sure, whitening creams are popular here but I always thought 'people like us' were too smart to buy the myth that dark skin was ugly.
Basically this turned into a tl;dr rant, but the lack of diversity in media representation is more damaging than most people think, and I can't even wrap my head around how that must combine with the relative ease of getting plastic surgery in SK.
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NikaNika
February 15, 2013 at 8:19 AM
Yeah, I live in India and I see SO many pretty girls completely oblivious and in denial of their beauty because they aren't pale-skinned.
It's just sad, but IMO the problem in Korea is different than India's as they select uncommon and atypical features in comparison to their population than uncommon colouration. A study done with Korean Americans showed an emphasis on a significantly narrower face, larger and closer set eyes than the norm which the authors interpreted as an overall westernisation of features. (here's the study: http://archfaci.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=480245)
While a remember a similar study being done on Indian Americans finding that the highest rated Indian women had average Indian features, except selecting for somewhat more larger and wider set eyes. (They didn't check for skin colour which I'm guessing would be a huge factor.)
pogo
February 15, 2013 at 8:31 AM
IMO the problem in Korea is different than India’s as they select uncommon and atypical features in comparison to their population than uncommon colouration.
This is probably accurate, I've seen Shin Mina being praised for her beauty not because of her features alone but because she has a 'small face'. It's not just SK either - my lone Chinese colleague is always talking about 'good' features, and the way she describes them, they don't sound common among people who share her ethnicity.
CaroleMcDonnell
February 15, 2013 at 10:35 PM
I remember when my friend from Goa became pregnant. She kept drinking lots of milk because supposedly that's what women in her part of India do so they can have a fair child. She said, "It's okay if the boy is dark, but the girl has to be light."
Z
February 16, 2013 at 7:21 AM
Bollywood is notorious for discriminating against darker actors. Wasn't Amithab Bachan (I know I mispelled his name) originally told he'd never amount to anything because he was too dark? 40 years later and well...
I work as a pre-school teacher and one year the parents of one of the summer campers (an Indian kid who was maybe 7 or 8 years old at the time) told us that his son, Akil, wasn't allowed to go outside that week. After the dad left, my boss asked Akil why he couldn't go outside, thinking maybe he hadn't been feeling well or something, the boy replied "I'm getting darker and darker."
Pillowhead
February 15, 2013 at 7:58 AM
lol. which is the darkerside? the Human?
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marid
February 15, 2013 at 7:00 AM
Yes. The light skin thing is true in many places. I remember growing up and always being told that it was a good thing I was not as dark as my family. It was even emphasize that I had cinnamon color skin ( lol.. to me that's dark, but whatever). Then school I always impossible not to notice that blonde & blue eye was always the most popular since it was so rare in the small town I lived until I moved to US.
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TS
February 15, 2013 at 7:43 AM
I get that too, feeling I should be lighter.
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TS
February 15, 2013 at 7:46 AM
Yes, in the Subcontinent too.
I actually thought Koreans were light-skinned, since shopping for a BB cream is hard for darker-skinned women. Even MAC doesn't have a good colour (Bobbi Brown is what I"m using now) because they targeted the Asian market first.
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owl
February 15, 2013 at 7:31 AM
This conversation in general reminds me of Disney portrayals of ethnic - often exaggerated features that are considered beautiful and exotic, but unrealistic. The images get out there, though, and we are mesmerized by them (even if it's cartoon - Disney's images are far reaching). Just look at kpop idols - we swoon over them, because of those exaggerated, exotic features (again, often based on cartoon manga).
For me, it's the stigma that seems to be attached to being called ugly and fat (in kdramas, that's my only experience) that is hard to comprehend. But I did read an interesting article that discussed the high rate of plastic surgery in S Korea and related it to a homogenous population and a narrow definition of beauty.
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pogo
February 15, 2013 at 8:05 AM
It actually started me when Yoon Eun-hye was called 'fat' circa Goong (and lost a lot of weight after). What kind of crazy thinness standards must someone have that YEH of all people is thought of as 'fat'?
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Windsun33
February 15, 2013 at 7:47 AM
Julia - I think you got the K-drama beuty thing down pretty close. Being a guy, what I notice most is the dichotomy between actresses in K-dramas, and female pop stars. The difference is even more pronounced between Taiwan T-dramas and T-pop stars (just do a YouTube search for Jeannie Hsieh to see what I mean).
The one thing I really don't get is the pointy chin thing - I thought the lead actresses in Dalja's Spring and CDD Alice were really cute, but apparently not by Korean standards.
The "white skin" thing seems to be universal - if you have ever watched any of the Latino dramas you will see a lot of "blondes" (fake or otherwise). Which is kind of funny to me, considering the number of tanning salons to make white folks darker in the US :D
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shukmeister
February 15, 2013 at 11:02 AM
My mother is 100% Italian, and my father has a Northern European background (Lithuanian / Irish), so it's interesting that in my family, I have two siblings with black hair, brown eyes and an olive tone to their skin, while my older sister and I have blue-gray eyes, brown hair, and light skin that doesn't tan well. The dark sister married a man with a German heritage, the dark brother married a Castilian Spanish girl, and my light sister married an Italian. The jury is still out on me :-) but I know I have some beautiful nieces and nephews!!
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pogo
February 15, 2013 at 8:03 AM
for what it's worth, I didn't think Park Shin-hye was a knockout in You're Beautiful (cute, definitely. Pretty, absolutely. But gorgeous? Not quite) but in FBND she's positively luminous and that has a lot to do with lighting and cinematography.
She's got looks that can be played up or down depending on the situation, but more than that she has amazingly clear skin, and FBND closeups just show it off like you wouldn't believe.
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Gon
February 15, 2013 at 8:33 AM
Sometimes I look at their expression. if too much, it felt awkward. too little then it felt stiff. if the female lead doesn't have much expression, then I thought about them getting plastic surgery, thus having stiff expression. is it bad for me to think that way?
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skelly
February 15, 2013 at 9:04 AM
It could just be that they can't act. I'm not sure what's worse, lack of talent or an overabundance of plastic surgery...
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iZzie :)
February 16, 2013 at 6:20 AM
u gotta give it to the magistrate's mom in Arang then. it's obvious she had work done on her face but that didn't stop her from conveying convincing emotions.
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Nilechoclat
February 16, 2013 at 7:02 AM
The outside beauty is Like Cream covering The cake but you don't taste it yet and I just don't like your judgement a bout beauty in this way I also think most who have beautiful are so complicated personality I didn't say all of them but most who I had met .
I Believe Park shin hye made me in love with her not bcz her outside just to meet someone like her to be your friend I wish to meet her someday and happy birth day to park shin hye <3
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3 Pillowhead
February 15, 2013 at 6:17 AM
first?
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skelly
February 15, 2013 at 9:10 AM
It's a tough road to that epic achievement, that milestone above all of the many crowning glories in life, "first"
Some struggle their whole lives for that brief moment of ultimate dominance over the field below. It is the labor, the hours of toil in humble obscurity, the tears and travails, the defeats that tumble from the jaws of victory, that make the final, life-affirming achievement worthwhile.
Alas, pillowhead, alas. You have tasted failure once more.
In short, can this be any more stupid?
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Pillowhead
February 15, 2013 at 9:40 AM
LOL. one day, one day...
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Christabel Godlewska
February 15, 2013 at 12:54 PM
Hey being first is epic ;)
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iZzie :)
February 15, 2013 at 11:32 PM
LOL. been there. epic, indeed! :D
and sort of awkward sometimes. especially when u get no reply while #2's getting a lot of comments. hahaha!
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enz
February 15, 2013 at 6:56 PM
pillowhead - so hopeful! :)
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iZzie :)
February 16, 2013 at 6:02 AM
It was a close competition. First 3 all registered at 6:17am. The milliseconds made the difference. LOL!
It ain't possible here to have a tie.
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4 myweithisway
February 15, 2013 at 6:19 AM
Happy Friday Everyone!
I watched first ep of IRIS2 last night for old time's sake. Oh lordy is that drama a mess.
Otherwise, I'm mainly just keeping up with Running Man since RL is running constant interference w/ my drama life.
Best wishes for an awesome weekend!
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kakashi
February 15, 2013 at 6:20 AM
hm .... I loved IRIS 2. I so want epi2 to be subbed ... right now!
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myweithisway
February 15, 2013 at 6:25 AM
Lol, I had fun watching it but you can't exactly deny that it has a lot of problems. I do love how pretty it is, and I'll probably keep watching for the pretty!
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kakashi
February 15, 2013 at 6:33 AM
seriously, I didn't see any problems :) Okay, I was probably a bit preoccupied with Tweeting about it and thinking about blogging about it, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. Let's see how long that last ... hehehe
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marid
February 15, 2013 at 7:05 AM
I saw episode one last nite. I don't know if it was because it was 3 am or because it was kinda boring and confusing but I kept on falling a sleep. The one thing I love is the opening sequence. It makes you think you are about to watch something awesome..
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5 kakashi
February 15, 2013 at 6:19 AM
Hello Chingus – a very happy Friday to you all! Friday rocks!
I have lots going on right now:
a) I’m fully recovered from Virus X and Y and Z and am full of energy. Loving it. The only thing that's still left is a nasty cold sore. I always get them in the same spot. ouchie. At least I don't get them very often... The good thing about the down time was that I had time to watch some old dramas I’ve had on my list for ages (like Joseon X-Files and Time Between Dog and Wolf). I hardly have any time for this anymore when I'm fully functional!
b) The semester is starting next week and I still need to finalize the syllabus for a seminar I’m teaching. Well, I’ll do the finalizing next week. Got some drama watching to do over the weekend!
c) Doing research on a paper about Anonymous. I so love the phase where it’s all about intake (i.e. reading etc.) and not yet producing (i.e. writing). It’s so inspiring!
d) IRIS 2! Omo! What an incredibly fulminant start. And so beautifully shot! It's worth watching just for the sets and backgrounds http://dr-myri-blog.blogspot.ch/2013/02/iris-2-i-love-you-episode-1.html. I hope they can keep this up. If yes, then the next few weeks are going to be spy-action heaven … If no, then it's kinda what I expected and I'll move on to something else :-)
e) Also: I did the swimming pool post I promised you guys a while ago. It’s not even half as smexy as the shower scene post, though, sorry. I guess it's because they are a varied bunch: http://dr-myri-blog.blogspot.ch/2013/02/my-top-5-swimming-pool-scenes.html
f) Excuse the double SSP (Shameless self-promotion) in this post. It always feels a bit naughty doing it. But since this is all about sharing the lovin, I guess it's okay?
off to do some grocery shopping now, as always on OT-Day :D
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Pillowhead
February 15, 2013 at 7:03 AM
Hi Kakashi!
Since you didn't say much, I'm guessing you didn't love Joseon Xfiles. :(.. what did u thing about the ending?
I'm gonna go watch those pool scene. :D be back.
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kakashi
February 15, 2013 at 9:20 AM
what?! didn't love Joseon Xfiles?! I LOOOOOOOOOOOOOVEd it. haha. seriously, it's one of the best shows I've ever seen. The ending ... well, I refuse to accept it's the end. I've been bugging Kim Ji-hoon and TvN on Twitter for a while now about a 2nd season ...
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Pillowhead
February 15, 2013 at 9:57 AM
Was't it just awesome!!!! I was thinking of rewatching and disecting the story to try and figure it out but season 2 would be much better. :
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shukmeister
February 15, 2013 at 11:20 AM
I haven't watched JXFiles, but I have heard its awesome!
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CaroleMcDonnell
February 15, 2013 at 7:20 AM
Glad you're doing well. Going over to look at your blog now.
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kakashi
February 15, 2013 at 9:47 AM
yes ... uri Satto <3
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korazylady
February 15, 2013 at 7:38 AM
Yeah for SSP! And hopefully your household stays well for a really, really long time.
I'm going to check out Iris2 solely for the beautiful cinematography. We'll see if anything else keeps me watching!
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kakashi
February 15, 2013 at 9:22 AM
Korazy! I've missed you!
haha.
SSP isn't working as it used to. People are quite reluctant to click, I think :)
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Raine
February 15, 2013 at 8:14 AM
Hehe...water and men...
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kakashi
February 15, 2013 at 9:21 AM
yes. there's a third one in the making. It's called underwater scenes. As a logical follow-up.
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Mama J
February 15, 2013 at 9:50 AM
ooh, Rain swimming in the beginning of Runaway Plan B!
Glad you are feeling better, my friend!
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Raine
February 15, 2013 at 10:56 AM
*drool*
kakashi
February 15, 2013 at 1:00 PM
hmmmmm .... that's not on the list. there's somebody else who wanted that scene. or was it you?!
Mama J
February 16, 2013 at 3:19 PM
@kakashi - I dunno? I don't think I ever suggested scenes to you. But trust me, the whole sequence is worthy.