K-Pop Obession: 2NE1's Falling in Love

It's sweltering hot out! So enjoy some ice cream and 2NE1's latest Reggae influenced single, "Falling in Love" awesome!

K Pop Obsession: After School's First Love

Restarting this blog back up with a good, old fashioned K-Pop obsession! Yay! Remember After School? Now, I realize looking back at some of my posts, I talk a lot about After School (including sub-unit Orange Caramel), I am After School biased and with good reason! The former leader, Kahi, has "graduated" on to other solo things and has been succeeded by JungAh. The group has remained quiet since the release of their last single, "Flashback" and finally released their comeback single, "First Love." I was shocked by the music video in all the right ways. I didn't think the progression of their comebacks go from drumlines to tap dancing to pole dancing?! Gotta admit, the pole dancing takes the song to a whole new level. That "na na na na na na na nahhhh..." just gets into your brain and stays there. Way to go girls! I know you suffered a lot to pull this off and I'm oh so proud of you!

It's worth a watch:

Plastic Beauty

I haven't posted for the loooooongest time, so I thought, "eh, why not today?!" And why not about this?! In the last 48 hours, the photos of the Miss Korea pageant contestants have been making the rounds and sparking debate about plastic surgery and the definition of beauty. You think, "No way, that has to be the same person. She's just has different hair!" but no, oh no...they are all different women that have fallen into the Korean definition of beauty: wide eyes, narrow nose, and dainty chin. It's true, South Korea has the highest capita per rate of plastic surgery in the world. It is prevelant in society, on dramas and in the media in general. It is not uncommon for girls in senior year of high school to go on a "break" and come back with different looking eyes (more specifically it's the double eyelid/eye widening procedure (double eyelid meaning the fold/crease in the eye)). This is the norm, it's not unusual and it's not necessarily seen as a bad thing.

Let's understand one thing, I am not saying South Korea should be ashamed of themselves, each of our societies have their own problems when it comes to beauty and body image. Doesn't every woman deep down at some point of her life wishes to be more beautiful? Be honest with yourself and realize how we, as women and human beings (sorry guys, you are included too, men in Korea get plastic surgery too), have come to think this way. In South Korea, it is a national asset to be the leading destination for plastic surgery. I want to be able to say, "embrace yourself for who you are" or "everyone is beautiful in your own way" but what does that matter to a person who truly doesn't feel beautiful?

In 2012, the United States alone had 14.6 million cosmetic procedures done, up 5% from the year before! And while South Korea may have the same beauty queen face, we certainly have our own; blonde, skinny, and wide mouthed. Certainly, there is more than a beautiful face to the winner of Miss USA or Miss Korea.

Sources via Jezebel, Plastic Surgery.Org, Soul Touch Up