Eye On the West – The Dark History Behind South Korea’s “Europeanisation” Surgeries

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Eye On the West

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The Dark History Behind South Korea’s “Europeanisation” Surgeries and the Internalisation of Western Supremacism

“Arguably one of the most conspicuous impacts on South Korean society, and on those of many East Asian nations in the Western Bloc’s sphere of influence, has been that on aesthetics—namely towards an idealisation of Western physical features.

In his paper published by the University of Hawaii, titled

“Dynamic Beauty: Cultural influences and Changing Perceptions—Becoming Prettier or Erasing One’s Own Culture,”

American researcher Christopher Frazier observed:

“A culture’s ideals of physical appearance are dynamic. Change can be induced by external cultural contact and, particularly, domination. Do these affected standards of beauty imply a kind of reversed ethnocentrism?” Frazier went on to write, referring to the extensive growth of plastic surgeries and other emerging methods among East Asian populations of “Europeanising” their appearances: “All the above trends seem to illustrate the growing influence of Western cultural domination. From actual imperialism to modern cultural colonialism via mass media”…

Professor Pak Seong Won concluded regarding the extent of westernization, as demonstrated by the aforementioned surgeries and idealization of western aesthetics: “we can see how Koreans internalize U.S. values and how they undervalue Korean uniqueness in terms of beauty and body.” The origins of “Europeanisation” surgeries in Korea notably has close connections to the early U.S. Military presence in the country—which is indicative of their nature as a manifestation of Western dominance over and consequences of westernisation of South Korean modern culture. Prominent American plastic surgeon David Ralph Millard worked with the U.S. Military in post-war South Korea from 1954 and explored the possibility of surgically altering the appearance of the human eye from “Oriental to Occidental.” A Korean translator approached him, seeking to be “made into a round-eye,” as he felt that his Asian appearance was leading the Americans he worked with to mistrust him. Millard agreed, writing: “As this was partly true, I consented to do what I could.”

The status of westerners as a superior class in Korea, and the idealisation of the West which followed, led the popularity of “Europeanisation” surgeries to surge. Millard sought to devise further procedures not only to alter eyelids, but also to raise nasal bridges and widen eyes. The interpreter was very happy with the results, noting that he was often thought to be an Italian or Mexican as a result—an improvement in his eyes from the status of a Korean. “Asianness” and Korean features were increasingly associated with inferiority as western influence grew.

Millard went on to train local doctors to apply his methods and published two papers on the subject, titled “Oriental Peregrinations” and “The Oriental Eyelid and its Surgical Revision.” Both of these works had highly racialist tones. By the 1990s “Europeanisation” surgeries had become a widespread and normalized part of modern South Korean culture. This not only revealed but also cemented Koreans’ sense of racial inferiority. As Professor Nadia Y. Kim noted: “the U.S. military and [Millard] were crystallizing Koreans’ sense of inferiority to their White racial bodies.” The most popular plastic surgeries to date, with the exception of hair transplants, are all “Europeanisation” surgeries, including double eyelid and eye widening surgeries, rhino-plasticity used to give the nose a high bridge—and so make them protrude further from the face as European noses do, and forehead augmentation—which makes the forehead protrude from the face as European foreheads do. Others include chin augmentations—using implants or fillers do make the face look more angular in the western style, and V-line jaw reduction surgeries which have much the same effect. The popularity of these surgeries in South Korea remains very high.

While the Korean translator who approached Dr. Millard had wanted to Europeanise his features to prevent discrimination from his American bosses, South Korean society appears to have internalised these Western values and paradigms to the extent that Korean features are widely looked down on by Koreans themselves. As South Korean writer Carol Eugene Pak noted in the Canadian magazine The Varsity: “Many South Koreans envy and idolize ‘Western’ facial features, whether they are conscious of it or not. Perhaps it is because of a Western-dominated media or the pedestal South Korean society places the United States upon. Whatever the reason, contemporary South Korean society has deeply internalized its bias towards Western beauty, so that Koreans who do not possess ‘Western’ features often face prejudice in the workplace and in daily life.” She was one of many to attribute the prominence of plastic surgery in the country, with the world’s highest rates of plastic surgery per capita, not to a high beauty standard, but to a deep idolisation of the West—one which dates back to the time of American military rule.”

Excerpt from A. B. Abrams’ upcoming book ‘Immovable Object: North Korea’s 70 Years at War with American Power’

Excerpt from pages 332 to 335. Full References Provided in the Original Book, Available Here: [https://www.claritypress.com/.../immovable-object-north.../]

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• Yew Kiong

  Wanting to look like West narrative is just projection of Western superiority complex

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• Yew Kiong

  Korean aesthetic antithesis of West

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