Korean Photoshop Disaster #4: NOBODY’S Perfect!
Probably both a driving force and reflection of the increasing amount of male objectification in the Korean media since last year, then you may have noticed that female authors and commenters on K-pop blogs have become increasingly vocal in their admiration of male celebrities’ bodies these days. And with the provisos that such objectification can be problematic, and more of one sex by no means nullifying the negative effects of that of another, then all power to them, but it does increasingly tempt me to indulge myself a little too!
Hence I was considering presenting some pictures for Lee Hyori’s (이효리) recent photoshoot for Elle Korea here earlier today, but paused when I thought about how to describe her in them: after all, heaven forbid that a male blogger shift from simply using banalities like “she is sexy” when expressing admiration for a woman’s body, to discussing her body parts in the same manner that female bloggers now can and do of a man’s. Or is that just me?
Either way, the sky didn’t fall in the last time I posted a picture of a woman simply because I liked it, and so ultimately I probably would have done so this time too. Well before getting to that stage however, I happened to quickly click between the picture from Elle Korea itself above and that from MSN Korea below, and something much more interesting literally jumped out at me:
In case you’ve missed it, this GIF I’ve created shows how that switch looked:
Yes, not only did MSN Korea feel the need to enlarge her breasts, apparently they also thought that she was too fat too. Anybody else find the change simply more patronizing than sexy however?
Either way, it certainly makes yesterday’s video on Korean women’s perceived need for cosmetic surgery and weight reduction all the more poignant!
(For all posts in the Korean Photoshop Disasters series, see here)
Korean Sociological Image #39: Why are Koreans so into their Looks?
Arirang TV (아리랑 TV) has a deserved reputation for presenting an overly positive image of Korea to the world, so I was pleasantly surprised by this segment from Monday’s Arirang Today that acknowledges the huge pressures Korean women face to have unnecessary cosmetic surgery for job interviews and marriage prospects, and without presenting them as mere mindless followers of fashions in the process. Only 7 minutes long, it’s a good short introduction to the topic (via: pompeiigranate).
(For all posts in the Korean Sociological Images series, see here)
Creative Korean Advertising #22: Bridging Korea and Japan
( Source: Ad Stars 2009 )
Despite popular perception, tap water in Seoul at least is not only perfectly safe, but is also healthier, cheaper, and better for the environment than bottled water. So why drink it?
Well, old habits die hard, and with access to clean water from overseas being one of Korean consumers’ first demands after democratization, then they’re not going to give up the bottle any time soon. But with a plethora of different products available now, it is very difficult for any one company to stand out.
Which brings me to this attempt for Lotte Chilsung’s (롯데칠성음료) Bluemarine (블루마린): however odd it may look at first glance, it actually seems to work, as it does compel you to read the fine print to find out what it’s all about. What do you think?
An entrant for the Ad Stars 2009 Busan International Advertising Festival, unfortunately the closure of that website means that more details on it are no longer available. But the website for the 2010 festival is now up, and they may be added later; meanwhile, see here for an overview of last year’s festival, and here for 2008′s (which I got to briefly attend).
Finally, for lovers of stange maps like myself, here is a map of the world with the sea level raised 100 meters rather than lowered 1050!
(For more posts in the Creative Korean Advertising series, see here)
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