By: me
In Korea, a 'bagel girl' is anything but edible (or you would get only bones and silicone). This new label was created last year to describe Korean female celebrities - and wannabes - with Baby faces and Glamorous bodies. In short, they have the body of a Barbie doll and the cute face of a newborn: short turned-up nose, big eyes (eyes never grow, right?), pulpy pouting lips and fair skin. On the other hand, Bagel girls always have long hair so that they cannot get mistaken with ajumas (check Korea Times' article Why aren't beauty queens short-haired?). Birigitte Bardot was a Bagel girl and Angelina Jolie may also be one.
The problem is ... Most people lose their baby face when they get older. This is a normal process that transforms a cute baby into a more or less cute teenager and then adult. But nowadays, it seems you have to keep your baby face as long as you can if you want to be successful in life. Being 'Successful' does not necessarily mean being a famous actor / actress or model. It means: getting a lover, a job, an apartment or whatever you need to get a position in society and to keep it. Otherwise, just expect to live in the shadow.
This is not a new thing and we should not be so shocked since this preoccupation for appearance and youth has always existed, in all societies. However, preoccupation often turns to obsession in Korea, where limits are pushed to the extreme.
I therefore would like to share this very touching video 'Korean High School' and let you think about the huge price of beauty. Even if we are not really ready to pay for it, some people, some kids, have no choice. This video shows a lot of maturity from the teenagers who produced it.
Korean High School (Documentary Preview) from Kelley Katzenmeyer on Vimeo.
