What determines beauty? What determines that a grandmother leans down to her granddaughter, affectionately pats her cheek and tells her that she would be pretty, were she a little bit lighter? Who...Show moreWhat determines beauty? What determines that a grandmother leans down to her granddaughter, affectionately pats her cheek and tells her that she would be pretty, were she a little bit lighter? Who determines that a young man or woman do not get the job because their face does not exuberate enough youthful cheerfulness? Who determines that at 173cm tall and 58.9kg, Miss Korea 2018, Soo Min Kim was called “too fat and not pretty enough” to represent Korean beauty by the public? The main goal of this thesis is to discover if advertisement of skin whitening products and cosmetic surgery created a homogeneous beauty ideal in South Korea.Show less
This thesis analyzes the main factors which are contributing to the popularity of cosmetic surgery among Chinese women, focusing on social contexts, such as marriage and finding a job,...Show moreThis thesis analyzes the main factors which are contributing to the popularity of cosmetic surgery among Chinese women, focusing on social contexts, such as marriage and finding a job, globalization and its outcomes such as the influence of mass media and South Korea. To understand these factors this thesis dives into the concept of beauty by understanding what it means to be beautiful in China throughout history and who ultimately defines it. It is argued that there has been a change of beauty standard in China, meaning that the steps of obtaining beauty changed from applying make-up and wearing certain hairstyles and clothes to a whole new high level which can now only be obtained by cosmetic surgery. A number of factors are ‘defining’ the beauty standard of today, which is globalization, which can be seen as mass media and the popularity of South Korea, and China’s beauty economy which also contributes to higher standards in personal and professional success.Show less
