Reshaping Cultures
9 October 2013
Word Count: 2075
The Reshaping of Cultures
Section Three: Plastic Surgery
Aspects of one’s culture are shaped by personal experiences, household traditions, and by one’s national beliefs. How sensitive the topic of cosmetic surgery is, differs by culture. South Koreans now widely accept plastic surgery as a part of their culture. This movement has sparked widespread criticism from people around the world. Many people either can’t comprehend the idea, can’t get past the cultural barrier, or can’t accept the adequate reasoning behind it. However, the reasoning is quite simple and should be accepted universally; Personal satisfaction and happiness are important factors to one’s well-being, and if improving one’s appearance can critically boost one’s self-esteem, then taking advantage of the technologies we have today like plastic surgery should be an acceptable option to remedy low self-worth and low self-esteem.
Every culture has some different idea of what is considered beautiful. In the past when people lived in less diverse-looking societies, the standards of beauty typically were defined by features that weren’t common amongst their own community. As time flowed, certain places became more ethnically and culturally diverse than others, and in those places ideas clashed and standards changed, resulting in a more open community with ideal beauty being more subjective. However, there are places that still aren’t so diverse. In these places, the conception of what is considered ideal beauty is more predominantly accepted and can be linked heavily to historical and cultural roots as well as how influential and persistent the media is in that particular society.
Although South Korea has been experiencing westernization since the Korean War, the country is still a generally homogenous nation, meaning that the demographics are still mostly Korean. South Korea is a country where the old meets the new and where traditions go hand in hand
Word Count: 2075
The Reshaping of Cultures
Section Three: Plastic Surgery
Aspects of one’s culture are shaped by personal experiences, household traditions, and by one’s national beliefs. How sensitive the topic of cosmetic surgery is, differs by culture. South Koreans now widely accept plastic surgery as a part of their culture. This movement has sparked widespread criticism from people around the world. Many people either can’t comprehend the idea, can’t get past the cultural barrier, or can’t accept the adequate reasoning behind it. However, the reasoning is quite simple and should be accepted universally; Personal satisfaction and happiness are important factors to one’s well-being, and if improving one’s appearance can critically boost one’s self-esteem, then taking advantage of the technologies we have today like plastic surgery should be an acceptable option to remedy low self-worth and low self-esteem.
Every culture has some different idea of what is considered beautiful. In the past when people lived in less diverse-looking societies, the standards of beauty typically were defined by features that weren’t common amongst their own community. As time flowed, certain places became more ethnically and culturally diverse than others, and in those places ideas clashed and standards changed, resulting in a more open community with ideal beauty being more subjective. However, there are places that still aren’t so diverse. In these places, the conception of what is considered ideal beauty is more predominantly accepted and can be linked heavily to historical and cultural roots as well as how influential and persistent the media is in that particular society.
Although South Korea has been experiencing westernization since the Korean War, the country is still a generally homogenous nation, meaning that the demographics are still mostly Korean. South Korea is a country where the old meets the new and where traditions go hand in hand