Love Me Tender

Here are some definitions of eugenics that I got off of google:

1. The belief that information about heredity can be used to improve the human race. [source]
2. The application of the principles of genetics to the “improvement” of humankind. [source]
3. A scientific movement devoted to the enrichment of the human species by regulating heredity. [source]

I’ve noticed that beliefs associated with eugenics are quite prevalent, especially in the portrayal of Korean culture through Korean media and sources reporting on Korean entertainment. These include the hierarchy of superior and inferior genes, the scrutiny of those with undesirable characteristics, and the privileging of those with desirable traits. For the Korean culture that has been depicted through the sources on Korean entertainment that I have accessed, these have included: small faces, long slim legs, large eyes, double eyelids, and long (high, pointy) noses, just to name a few. And all these traits, are of course, relative to a culture that has appropriated values of beauty from various sources, including Western conceptions of beauty.

It really bothers me how eugenics is still so prevalent. For example, there was a recent article posted on PopSeoul! entitled, Kim Jae Dong was cursed with bad genes…. The author states:

Some families are blessed with good genes while some are not. Kim Jae Dong and his sister are examples of the latter. To make matters worse, his sister looks exactly like him.

The author perpetuates the belief that there are some genes that are innately undesirable and others which aren’t by referring to genes as blessed nor not blessed - a reference that signals the binary categories of superiority and inferiority. It is not questioned why these genes are considered undesirable. The author, like many other misinformed peoples on PopSeoul! blindly accepts set guidelines of beauty without asking who decides what is and is not desirable. I recognize that PopSeoul! is trash news and is written by primarily poorly educated writers who often make broad generalizations (often perpetuating sexist, racist and homophobic beliefs) in the name of sarcasm, but it still bothers me that so many readers blindly accept the norms that PopSeoul! and other poorly written trash blogs, hold on to. It is unfortunate how many young readers foolishly accept the harmful messages of eugenics that are embedded in varying discourses in Korean media and entertainment.

AHH! I’ve been so busy with school that I haven’t had time to blog. So sorry! I just wanted to make a quick post about two couples that I had previously mentioned.

1. Park Myung Soo & Girlfriend [source]
Park Myung Soo and his girlfriend were supposed to get married this month. I’m not sure if they did or not…maybe they are already married by now. Anyway, woah! I’m happy for them. =D

2. Kim Jong Min & Hyun Young [source]
On March 10, 2008 on the show GPZIGI, a guest named Jang Yoon Jung (I’m not sure who she is) was asked by an MC if Kim Jong Min had ever confessed to her and she said that he had. Hyun Young, who is Kim Jong Min’s current girlfriend, was also on the show and she asked when he had done this. Jang Yoon Jung said he did this twn months ago…which is when Kim Jong Min was still dating Hyun Young. Hyun Young apparently could not hold in her emotions and stated that she didn’t think she could forgive Kim Jong Min for this incident. Talk about awkward! Kim Jong Min is currently serving his two year mandatory service in the South Korean military.

References:
1. Coolsmurf”: Information on both stories

WARNING: This post contains swearing.

A while ago I had read an article on popseoul about the muscularity of female Korean celebrities calf muscles. The author had stated that older gnerations had more muscular legs while the younger generations had slimmer ones. They even included this picture as a comparison:

At the time I thought it was really weird to make the comparison between older and younger generations and the difference between their legs. I had just figured that the style recently was to go for taller girls who didn’t have as “chunky” calf muscles. Sadly, this is not the case. Most likely these women had calf reduction surgery to cut out a part of their calf muscle to make their calf slimmer. And *surprise* the procedure was invented in South Korea. *groan*

Here is a blurb about the surgery:

Beautiful calves are desirable to both men and women all over the world. Unfortunately many Asian women have short and muscular calves. Thus, the muscle reduction surgery was first developed in Korea.

For many years, the efforts to reduce calves had focused on fat. But result of liposuction was disappointing in most cases because the calf was mainly composed of muscles with little fat.

By reducing the muscle bulk of Gastrocnemius muscles, the calves can be made thinner and longer.
Among various methods which can reduce the muscle bulk in calf, partial resection of Gastrocnemius muscle is the most effective and safe procedure.

Safe my ass. I don’t think a month recooperation and the need to relearn how to walk is safe. Seriously, wtf?! Are these Korean celebrities completely fucked in the head? Who in their right mind thinks that chopping up your muscles for temporary esthetics is a good idea? I am really hoping that there are some Korean celebrities have told their management to fuck off when they were presented with the idea, because if this is an accepted choice then that is just pathetic. Personally, I don’t even see how muscular legs are unattractive. So what if you don’t look like a tall White model! Why mutulate your body to try to become something you are not? Why not accept your body the way it is and realize that this “ideal beauty” is a bunch of bullshit? It is a concept, which means it can be changed. Conforming to it and sending harmful messages to others is not a positive approach to take. In fact, it is disgusting.

If you have come here seeking information on calf reduction surgery because you are thinking of having it, please reconsider. You are beautiful the way you are. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.

References:
1. Popseoul: Picture and article
2. Calf reduction surgery blurb