Living in Japan, one starts to think of Christmas not as a day for family gatherings (thats done on New Years), but as day to get together with your significant other (i.e. a second Valentine's) and if one is unfortunately single, get together with a bunch of friends and get drunk (i.e. the same role as New Years in the West). I, on this joyous day, happen to fall into the latter category, but before I go off getting drunk somewhere, I would like to get some sober writing finished.
So, like I was saying, being single on Christmas is an unfortunate thing here in Japan. So, to help reduce my misfortune, some people have been asking me what kind of girls am I looking for (of course, since it is Japan, the question is generally ethnocentric). So having stayed in Korea for awhile, I tend to say that I have an interest in Korean girls (which I indeed do, not lying) to which the stereotypical response (from anyone, not just the Japanese) would be something about plastic surgery.
Indeed, somehow, plastic surgery has become a part of the Korean Wave, spreading all over Asia along with the posters of pretty Korean celebrities who are rumored to have gotten them (just another case of other Asians thinking Koreans are cool, especially in China). Obviously, not everyone (especially guys) were not happy about the situation, causing them to devalue any sort of beauty created under the knife..."fake" breasts, eyelids, nose, etc. all became something to deny and conceal for the girls...
Personal taste aside (I personally do not give a damn about how much cash spent and pain suffered by the girl as long as she is pretty), but I will try to argue that in terms of social equality, plastic surgery (when not detested by people for their "fake" nature) is the perhaps the most significant contribution of medical advancements. In other words, I think that a more widespread application of plastic surgery can only help to promote the idea of everyone being equal.
To make the argument work, first, a few assumptions. One, social hierarchy is determined by class differences, which is turn displayed by difference in profession and consequently, income. Higher income is displayed by more "sophisticated" and luxurious tastes in arts, leisure, etc. that are traditionally associated with the wealthy. At the same time, there is a greater chance for individuals with connections to the wealthy to become wealthy (pretty obvious).
And then, here is the most important part: beautiful women tend to move much further ahead than their plain counterparts in two ways: (1) directly marry into wealth (generally pretty rare unless the girl is either very good looking, or is somewhat famous as a minor celebrity) and more commonly, (2) get better jobs and faster promotion at jobs than the plainer ones. Of course, this is based on the assumption that most high-level guys in any company are guys, which, unfortunately, is still largely the case, especially here in East Asia.
And better yet, Asian guys are much more sexually perverted and deviated than their Western counterparts (as shown by popularity of under-aged female idol groups), and the fact that personal and professional lives are not completely separate (even from a mental standpoint), gives much more likelihood for the top manager to give that completely unqualified but stunningly beautiful girl a chance at the company.
And given that the top's decision is not questioned at any circumstances here, just give the girl plenty of incentive to get those eyelids slit and jawbones shaved down before her job interviews. And as practitioners of the art become more plentiful, more skillful, and less expensive to visit, perhaps we are really entering an age of "egalitarianism in physical beauty?"
So, like I was saying, being single on Christmas is an unfortunate thing here in Japan. So, to help reduce my misfortune, some people have been asking me what kind of girls am I looking for (of course, since it is Japan, the question is generally ethnocentric). So having stayed in Korea for awhile, I tend to say that I have an interest in Korean girls (which I indeed do, not lying) to which the stereotypical response (from anyone, not just the Japanese) would be something about plastic surgery.
Indeed, somehow, plastic surgery has become a part of the Korean Wave, spreading all over Asia along with the posters of pretty Korean celebrities who are rumored to have gotten them (just another case of other Asians thinking Koreans are cool, especially in China). Obviously, not everyone (especially guys) were not happy about the situation, causing them to devalue any sort of beauty created under the knife..."fake" breasts, eyelids, nose, etc. all became something to deny and conceal for the girls...
Personal taste aside (I personally do not give a damn about how much cash spent and pain suffered by the girl as long as she is pretty), but I will try to argue that in terms of social equality, plastic surgery (when not detested by people for their "fake" nature) is the perhaps the most significant contribution of medical advancements. In other words, I think that a more widespread application of plastic surgery can only help to promote the idea of everyone being equal.
To make the argument work, first, a few assumptions. One, social hierarchy is determined by class differences, which is turn displayed by difference in profession and consequently, income. Higher income is displayed by more "sophisticated" and luxurious tastes in arts, leisure, etc. that are traditionally associated with the wealthy. At the same time, there is a greater chance for individuals with connections to the wealthy to become wealthy (pretty obvious).
And then, here is the most important part: beautiful women tend to move much further ahead than their plain counterparts in two ways: (1) directly marry into wealth (generally pretty rare unless the girl is either very good looking, or is somewhat famous as a minor celebrity) and more commonly, (2) get better jobs and faster promotion at jobs than the plainer ones. Of course, this is based on the assumption that most high-level guys in any company are guys, which, unfortunately, is still largely the case, especially here in East Asia.
And better yet, Asian guys are much more sexually perverted and deviated than their Western counterparts (as shown by popularity of under-aged female idol groups), and the fact that personal and professional lives are not completely separate (even from a mental standpoint), gives much more likelihood for the top manager to give that completely unqualified but stunningly beautiful girl a chance at the company.
And given that the top's decision is not questioned at any circumstances here, just give the girl plenty of incentive to get those eyelids slit and jawbones shaved down before her job interviews. And as practitioners of the art become more plentiful, more skillful, and less expensive to visit, perhaps we are really entering an age of "egalitarianism in physical beauty?"
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