5:15 AM
Sho
"What is Cookie Day?" SH (my co-teacher) asked me.
"I don't know. A day to eat cookies? I replied, a bit confused. Then it dawned on me. "It's not in the book is it?"
"Yes! Look." She showed me the sentences we would be teaching our grade 5's:
"Why don't you know what is Cookie Day?" she smiled.
"We don't celebrate it." I laughed.
"I have a friend who is a teacher. She has another foreign teacher. Her foreign teacher knows what is Cookie Day."
I found this hard to believe; regardless, I have no idea what induced the curriculum writers to include such a random holiday in our dialogues. Even if there's a mysterious foreign teacher out there who knows exactly what it is.
I guess I'll just have to suck it up and celebrate.
Obesity in the classroom
During my first few days teaching, I was surprised at the amount of overweight kids in my classes. Around 40% of my 5th and 6th graders are overweight/obese, which actually confirms the OECD statistics. I haven't properly researched the topic, but my former co-worker told me that the government had become concerned over childhood obesity rates.
Before coming here, I had been under the impression that Koreans were shaped differently (they are), and simply didn't gain large quantities of weight because of diet/lifestyle/genetics. Yeah - I was pretty ignorant. Now that I'm here I've seen my fare share of bigger Koreans, including men and women who are simply big boned and tall.
Still, the same general impression of Korean men and women being shorter, slimmer, and - yes - cuter, has held true. I don't know if this general cuteness is the result or the cause of the Korean emphasis on beauty and dieting. A lot of statistics are thrown around about SK's obsession with plastic surgery, and the one that caught my attention can be found in this Economist article – Korea is the highest plastic surgery consumer (per capita) in the world. (Check out the link for more information; the statistics include non-invasive cosmetic enhancements like Botox.)
Public pressure
My question is: Numbers aside, is the pressure on women to be thin/pretty greater in Korea or in the States? I think Korea takes the cake. Both cultures have a strong media presence which streams photoshopped images of impossibly thin, attractive women with flawless skin. (They don't agree on all their beauty standards, but that's for another post.) However, in Korea, the beauty obsession is much more public – your co-workers, family, and friends will have no qualms telling you that you look "off" today or that you've gained weight, or should wear more/less makeup.
Also, in Korea the standard of beauty seems to be more monogamous and accepted than in the States. I haven't seen as much of a counter protest against the skinny=perfect mantra – in the States there are nonstop articles questioning the weight-obsession; and celebrities and ordinary folk alike have taken a stand. There are American actresses, celebrated for their beauty, who are not size zero - Sophia Vergara (the hottie on Modern Family), Scarlett Johansson, Kate Winslet, etc. *To be honest, I don't watch Korean T.V. or read articles, but the general impression that I get is that the standard of beauty is more rigid (super skinny, "small face", pale skin), and less challenged (I've yet to hear a Korean complain about these expectations, but I've heard many enforce them.)
I haven't put a lot of research into this, but if you google "korea weight obsession", you'll get plenty of anecdotes about the topic.
My "fat" co-worker
Here's my anecdote to add to the bunch: my co-teacher, who is tiny, as in size zero (or probably negative with all the vanity sizing now), regularly complains about her weight. But she doesn't do it in a "I really wanna lose three pounds" American way to get the – "Oh but you're so skinny" response. She genuinely seems to believe it, and gets bummed out by the fact that she likes food so much and can't bring herself to stop eating. Also – and I have no way to verify this – apparently her boyfriend has been agreeing that she needs to lose weight. It boggles my mind. I would literally diagnose her as anorexic, except that she isn't starving herself. The other day she told me she wanted to take her cardigan off, but couldn't because she of her fat arms. And, when I can't help but tell her she was being stupid (yes, I used those words), she said I didn't know because I hadn't actually seen her tiny little stomach that does not pooch out in her dresses, jeans, or skirts.
But, genuine or not, the weight conversation gets old. Now when it comes up, I just role my eyes, tell her to stop being dumb, and constantly advise her to break up with her boyfriend. He's not too thrilled about me, but I'm not too thrilled about him either.
Gentlemen; when you tell your girlfriend she's fat, it not only ruins her week, but her co-worker's week.
Naturally, when I hear things like this, I wonder if it's only self criticism, or if she happens to think that I'm a mammoth. I'm pretty slim, but I do have hips and thighs, and – horror – arms. I probably look like King Kong to her. (I have at least 5 inches on her).
Other factors
I don't think that I personally have a strong enough understanding of the pressure on women in Korea to look a certain way. I can't imagine being hounded by my parents over my weight. I can't imagine growing up going into stores and literally not being able my (non obese) size. I can't imagine having friends tell me that I've gotten uglier.
It's not that other countries don't pressure their women (and men!) – it's that they aren't as direct. And there's something to be said for that.
"I don't know. A day to eat cookies? I replied, a bit confused. Then it dawned on me. "It's not in the book is it?"
"Yes! Look." She showed me the sentences we would be teaching our grade 5's:
"Cookie Day is on May 7. We will enjoy the cookies and help poor people."Ah.
 |
| The no bakes I have created in my ovenless existence |
"We don't celebrate it." I laughed.
"I have a friend who is a teacher. She has another foreign teacher. Her foreign teacher knows what is Cookie Day."
I found this hard to believe; regardless, I have no idea what induced the curriculum writers to include such a random holiday in our dialogues. Even if there's a mysterious foreign teacher out there who knows exactly what it is.
I guess I'll just have to suck it up and celebrate.
Obesity in the classroom
During my first few days teaching, I was surprised at the amount of overweight kids in my classes. Around 40% of my 5th and 6th graders are overweight/obese, which actually confirms the OECD statistics. I haven't properly researched the topic, but my former co-worker told me that the government had become concerned over childhood obesity rates.
Before coming here, I had been under the impression that Koreans were shaped differently (they are), and simply didn't gain large quantities of weight because of diet/lifestyle/genetics. Yeah - I was pretty ignorant. Now that I'm here I've seen my fare share of bigger Koreans, including men and women who are simply big boned and tall.
Still, the same general impression of Korean men and women being shorter, slimmer, and - yes - cuter, has held true. I don't know if this general cuteness is the result or the cause of the Korean emphasis on beauty and dieting. A lot of statistics are thrown around about SK's obsession with plastic surgery, and the one that caught my attention can be found in this Economist article – Korea is the highest plastic surgery consumer (per capita) in the world. (Check out the link for more information; the statistics include non-invasive cosmetic enhancements like Botox.)
 |
| Girl's Generation |
Public pressure
My question is: Numbers aside, is the pressure on women to be thin/pretty greater in Korea or in the States? I think Korea takes the cake. Both cultures have a strong media presence which streams photoshopped images of impossibly thin, attractive women with flawless skin. (They don't agree on all their beauty standards, but that's for another post.) However, in Korea, the beauty obsession is much more public – your co-workers, family, and friends will have no qualms telling you that you look "off" today or that you've gained weight, or should wear more/less makeup.
Also, in Korea the standard of beauty seems to be more monogamous and accepted than in the States. I haven't seen as much of a counter protest against the skinny=perfect mantra – in the States there are nonstop articles questioning the weight-obsession; and celebrities and ordinary folk alike have taken a stand. There are American actresses, celebrated for their beauty, who are not size zero - Sophia Vergara (the hottie on Modern Family), Scarlett Johansson, Kate Winslet, etc. *To be honest, I don't watch Korean T.V. or read articles, but the general impression that I get is that the standard of beauty is more rigid (super skinny, "small face", pale skin), and less challenged (I've yet to hear a Korean complain about these expectations, but I've heard many enforce them.)
I haven't put a lot of research into this, but if you google "korea weight obsession", you'll get plenty of anecdotes about the topic.
 |
| Korean idols |
My "fat" co-worker
Here's my anecdote to add to the bunch: my co-teacher, who is tiny, as in size zero (or probably negative with all the vanity sizing now), regularly complains about her weight. But she doesn't do it in a "I really wanna lose three pounds" American way to get the – "Oh but you're so skinny" response. She genuinely seems to believe it, and gets bummed out by the fact that she likes food so much and can't bring herself to stop eating. Also – and I have no way to verify this – apparently her boyfriend has been agreeing that she needs to lose weight. It boggles my mind. I would literally diagnose her as anorexic, except that she isn't starving herself. The other day she told me she wanted to take her cardigan off, but couldn't because she of her fat arms. And, when I can't help but tell her she was being stupid (yes, I used those words), she said I didn't know because I hadn't actually seen her tiny little stomach that does not pooch out in her dresses, jeans, or skirts.
But, genuine or not, the weight conversation gets old. Now when it comes up, I just role my eyes, tell her to stop being dumb, and constantly advise her to break up with her boyfriend. He's not too thrilled about me, but I'm not too thrilled about him either.
Gentlemen; when you tell your girlfriend she's fat, it not only ruins her week, but her co-worker's week.
Naturally, when I hear things like this, I wonder if it's only self criticism, or if she happens to think that I'm a mammoth. I'm pretty slim, but I do have hips and thighs, and – horror – arms. I probably look like King Kong to her. (I have at least 5 inches on her).
Other factors
I don't think that I personally have a strong enough understanding of the pressure on women in Korea to look a certain way. I can't imagine being hounded by my parents over my weight. I can't imagine growing up going into stores and literally not being able my (non obese) size. I can't imagine having friends tell me that I've gotten uglier.
It's not that other countries don't pressure their women (and men!) – it's that they aren't as direct. And there's something to be said for that.
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5 comments:
SO interesting. thai ppl are suuuuper blunt like this too but i feel like the societal pressure and standards of beauty are probably still alot more rigid in korea. love reading your stuff, bhannie :)
Thanks! And yeah, living here has really given me an up close view of the stories you and Em used to tell. Luckily my kids don't know enough English to tell me I look bad/tired, but they constantly criticize my co-teacher (and she squats out of sight behind our desk with a little mirror, putting on makeup), even when she looks perfectly fine.
The whole thing is kind of scary though.
That's so sad about your co-teacher. I had friends like that too growing up whose husbands/boyfriends/whoever used to tell them they needed to lose weight when they were seriously TINY.
By the way, next year I'm definitely participating in Cookie Day.
So sad! :(
I have a Korean friend at school who was telling me about how she doesn't really want to live in there after she graduates because of the whole body image thing. She says that all her friends get plastic surgery and are so obsessed with looking "perfect."
Yeah it's a real bummer. And it's weird because I only get snippets of it because I don't speak the language. I would probably be overwhelmed if I did...
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