Hello Steemians! I'm pretty excited to bring you the next iteration of our HanSpot series that looks into a very unique word in Korean, especially since our debut with the word Kkondae/꼰대 was the most successful episode we've had on the Hansik House broadcast!
This week we'll be looking at the word 성괴/seong-gwe and why this heavy word deserves a proper analysis.
Beauty or Beast?
Where do we begin... I was actually going to present a much tamer word this week but a friend said I HAD to do Seong-gwe. As I researched, I was shocked and a bit heartbroken. But it does signify an entire cultural issue brought about from a universal phenomenon – plastic surgery.
The common caricature of the "Gangnam girl"
The slang term literally breaks down into 성형 (plastic surgery) and 괴물(monster). It's used to identify people who seem to have had improper or too many alterations of their face and body. It's used similarly like the words “fatty” or “bum” to describe a very particular appearance. Here are some examples that Korean netizens have singled out as “plastic monsters”-
A quick google search will put the breadth of the topic in full display...
The existence and labeling of Seong-gwe is often the theme of cartoons and talk shows. Though it may seem like a harmless and playful word to some, it does introduce us to a much more significant problem that exists in Korea, plastic surgery addiction.
Tomorrow, I'll go more into how this word and addiction affects Korean society on the ground. Give it a listen and let me know your thoughts below!
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