The below post is an interview transcript between a Korean American woman, who will be called K, and me, who will be called M. Any potential grammatical errors are not changed for the sake of the precision of the transcript, but there may be ellipses for brevity.
M: What culture(s) do you identify with the most, other than America?
K: Korean!
M: What, in your opinion, are the most fundamental beauty standards for women in America?
K: I think boldness and confidence. Being sexy or unique and standing out. There is an appreciation for the curvy figure.
M: What, in your opinion, are the most fundamental beauty standards for women in your particular culture?
K: I’ve seen two different ways, which are to be cute, and maybe a little childish, or to adopt elegance and maturity. It’s also expected that you are thin.
M: How do you think these two cultures differ? Has that affected your way of thinking, appearance, self-esteem, etc?
K: I believe Korean culture is a bit more modest. Short or revealing clothing that is commonplace in America is often a little scandalous there. Also, Korean people may comment openly on things about someone else’s appearance, not maliciously, but more bluntly than is considered polite here.
M: Do you feel like you fit, or try fitting, into one or the other culture’s standards? Why or why not?
K: I don’t think I fit, although I have tried to. I have no issues with very short shorts, but my style is not necessarily unique. It is often lazy, as I am lazy. I am not thin, but I also don’t have impressive, like, assets? So I don’t believe I have met the standard of either culture.
M: Okay! When you say that you don’t believe you fit into either culture's standards though you’ve tried, do you think this has affected your self-confidence or body image at all? And what are your particular thoughts of Korean or American beauty standards and do you think they’re detrimental to other bicultural women’s mental health–and how so?
K: I think it definitely affected my self-confidence and body image for a long time. Less so now, but still a little bit. When I wanted to dress in a traditional American style, I felt like it was too slutty and made people think less of me. When I wanted to look more Korean, I didn’t think I had the right body type for it, or my skin wasn’t pale enough. I couldn’t figure out if I wanted to be bold or not. I appreciate that American beauty standards are always expanding to cover different body types, styles, cultures, so on. I think it’s more inclusive. I also appreciate Korean beauty standards for the aesthetics of it, and the way Korean culture itself values respect. I‘ve found the combination of Korean and American beauty standards can definitely be detrimental to bicultural women when they contradict each other.
M: How do you think beauty standards affect women? Who do you think is the culprit of the pressure put on them?
K: This answer is loosely based off a quote I saw once, about women and viewing. I think beauty standards make women scrutinize themselves the way the world scrutinizes them. By criticizing women and creating ideals for the perfect beauty, women begin to self-criticize. They turn on themselves and often on each other. Even when no outside viewer/critic is present, the pressure of beauty standards have created a critic within the woman, one that is inescapable. I blame two main culprits, patriarchy and corporations. When society is centred around men, women are valued by what men demand they provide, which is often visual–or sexual–appeal. Meanwhile, the beauty industry is booming. They profit off of continued insecurity, so another culprit is the greed of capitalism.
M: Speaking of capitalism, do you know what fast fashion is? What do you think is the general trend of consumerism in America?
K: Yes! I think consumerism in America can be very quick to change, as I see trends on the Internet are often in motion. I also see an element of competition, where cultures/subcultures and their associated visual elements grow more or less popular. Either way, I see a significant amount of clothing going in and out of fashion.
M: Do you follow trends at all? Do you find it hard to keep up with them as they are constantly switching in and out? How do you feel about the potential effects this may have on people’s confidence in their appearance?
K: I see some trends, I think they are definitely hard to keep up with. I definitely follow ones that I think are pretty and I could incorporate, but oftentimes they are things I know wouldn’t fit very comfortably or doesn’t match the rest of what I have. I think the prevalence of trends contribute to fear and lack of confidence: people don’t want to appear old-fashioned and out of touch.
M: Do you mind sending a photo of an outfit that best encapsulates yourself and how you enjoy presenting yourself to others? What cultures do you think your clothes conform to? Do you think your outfit contributes to fast fashion?
K: My casual clothes are mostly conforming to American culture, but when I put in effort, I think my outfits turn out more “Korean.”
This specific outfit, I don’t think, contributes to fast fashion, as I’ve had both the shirt and the skirt for a long time and have no plans to replace them. I have definitely bought items from fast fashion retailers before, but I don’t discard or replace them quickly, especially because I try to be careful with my money.
Next exhibit: Nigerian vs American