Dear Reader,
Hello! I hope you are doing well. I find myself back here again due to having two library books due next week and I want to find time to write about them both before I have to return them. The one I will write about today is called Flawless: Lessons in Looks and Culture from the K-Beauty Capital by Elise Hu.
I learned about this book by listening to “CBS Mornings on the Go” podcast (click here to listen to the episode). To watch a video version, click here. This book meant a lot to me because I work in the mental health area and understand how certain thoughts/behaviors from collective cultures can become a problem. I do love collective cultures and admire how they work together to get things done. But just as individualism has cons, so does collectivism.
Reading about the history that is associated with lookism and other -isms allowed me to view certain things I heard about the Korean culture in a different lighting. There was a famous social media post that was going around a few/several years ago about an Asian man who ended up divorcing his wife after finding out her physical appears was created through surgery. Americans didn’t understand why such a man would do such a thing because we lack the understanding of the Asian culture (i.e. in “Flawless,” it stated how looks are important in Korea for job security, etc. and so if their offspring doesn’t look a certain way, they can be shunned by society). The historical background caused me to say “ah, ha!” on several occasions.
Another “ah, ha” was from recalling a fellow graduate student who was also into Korean drama, food, community, etc. had stated during class how Koreans were currently having high suicidal rates. She also sounded like she had a longing to help those from this demographic. It all made sense after reading chapters of this book.
I want to encourage you to read this book. If you aren’t a reader, you can listen to the audio or watch the video of what Elise Hu states from her own experience while in Korea (see the links above).
For more information about Elise Hu, click here. To get a copy of Flawless: Lessons in Looks and Culture from the K-Beauty Capital, click here. To join the flawless inside list, click here.
Reference
Hu, E. (2023). Flawless : lessons in looks and culture from the K-beauty capital. Dutton, an imprint of Peguin Random House LLC.
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