Looking good;)
How appearances aren’t just superficial
Photographs of a senior citizen circulating the internet took South Korea by storm. No, this was not a poster for some government scheme. Instead, this 66-year old man was posing for fashion brands. Surprisingly, many Koreans applaud Kim Chil Du’s beauty — pointing to the long silver beard and hair and seemingly purposefully carved wrinkles. Undeniably, looking good is a goal held by many, including this Korean elderly. Professionals working in the beauty industry point to how it can boost one’s confidence and even prospects, making it a justifiable cause. Moreover, pursuing aesthetic beauty can increase one’s prospects and, at a larger scale, potentially holds certain soft power.
First and foremost, pursuing visually pleasing looks can be just as it enables us to increase our self-esteem. Most of us are likely not completely satisfied with our looks. After all, the cliche has taught us that “nobody is perfect”. For some, this imperfection can constantly fill up their headspace and greatly affect their confidence. As a result, this lack of confidence could potentially lead to a loss of productivity. In severe instances, it could even lead to other mental health issues such as depression. As such, altering their physical appearance could almost be seen as a lifesaver as it enables individuals to have a positive outlook on life. Of course, this does not mean opting for unnecessary liposuction, breast enlargement and hair transplants just to look like a plastic doll (but of course we shall not judge those who do it as a form of ‘hobby’ as long as it does not come at major health costs for them) Possibly, a simple double eyelid surgery could be just enough to boost a boy’s confidence to fearlessly achieve whatever he wants. This confidence booster is what many aesthetic surgeons cite as the main reason for their patients’ visits. This is also probably the reason why cosmetic surgery is an industry projected to reach USD 21.97 billion by 2023. Of course, many checks and balances such as healthcare policies and regulations are put and have to be put, in place to ensure individuals do not develop unhealthy obsessions.
Secondly, seeking good looks can also improve our career prospects. Although we should not “judge a book by its cover”, our innate human nature leads us to judge someone within 7 seconds simply based on looks. This judgement includes the person’s probable personality and likability. Clearly, first impressions do count and when it comes to major decisions, such as a job interview or political election, can subconsciously greatly affect the choices we make. Moreover, humans largely subconsciously associate physically attractive people with positive traits. Evolutionary scientists have hypothesised that visually pleasing appearances may be attributed to genetic superiority and signal good fertility and health. Numerous Tiktok accounts can prove testament to our attraction to good looking people. Many creators on Tiktok have adopted a certain concept to “sell” their faces and bodies whereby their content emphasises on their good looks. Evidently, there is an apparent demand for it (even with society’s progressive discussions about beauty standards) as their content garners thousands of likes, shares and views. These creators can then garner massive followings and earn money and fame just from their handsome and pretty faces. Thus, looks are not simply baseless judgements that can be easily disregarded in exchange for “inner beauty”. After all, what would be the point of having inner beauty if people are immediately disinterested after the 7 crucial seconds? Therefore, the desire to attain beauty is not unfounded as it has scientific effects on our choices and can in turn improve our prospects albeit in careers (or romance).
Furthermore, on a global scale, caring for one’s looks can also be beneficial as it potentially holds soft power. This trend has led to the explosion of the beauty industry and has encouraged many to hop on the bandwagon. Thus, beauty can now be used to improve a nation’s global presence. The prime example is the boom of Korean beauty. South Korea has undeniably become the global centre for all things beauty, forming a sizeable percentage of her annual gross domestic product (GDP). Moreover, many other countries such as China has been influenced by the ‘ ideal Korean look’, termed as ‘ulzzang’ which translates to pretty face. As such, Korea has now become well-known and given an invitation to the global stage. Hence, it is given the opportunity to expand its economy internationally, beyond beauty, and capture a larger consumer pool in other sectors such as entertainment, technology and food. Therefore, beauty can also be used as soft power, similar to media, and the pursuit of it is hence justifiable especially for countries which require and economic boost.
All in all, the pursuit of beauty does have a substantial basis to it as it brings about benefits such as a confidence boost. However, at the current trajectory, these benefits could potentially be outweighed by the behemoth environmental costs it could bring as it could lead to over-consumption, pollution of the environment and others like unhealthy body image and unrealistic beauty standards. Therefore, it is paramount that we mitigate these detriments by updating our policies apropos to beauty products and services. This would prepare us for the future expansion of the already growing industry.
