During a recent episode of her talk show "The Oprah Winfrey Show," Winfrey was discussing women's image and fashion culture around the world when she disparaged Korean women, saying they have "an obsession with plastic surgery."
The program dealt with content that suggested Korean women have a unique preference from plastic surgery and an inferiority complex in which they would like to have Western features. It also described Korea as a plastic surgery superpower.
Because of this, the Korean-American community is harshly criticizing the program, and fallout is spreading as some Korean expatriate groups demand a public apology.
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One Korean student studying in the U.S. said, "The Oprah Winfrey Show is a program with a lot of viewers worldwide, and for it to deal with Korea negatively like this is a big problem. Because of this, I worry if the nation's image won't take a big hit."
It's the first time I'd ever heard of it, and a google search didn't turn up much else, save for this blogger, who writes:
Elective plastic surgery is a growing cultural problem in Korea and many other countries, but to single out and demonize Korean women is wrong. If they wanted to be fair, they could have gained insight into the female Korean psyche by having an actual Korean woman on the show.
Seems a case of a few hypersensitive Asian-Americans attacking someone who dared make an opinion based on fact regarding the cultural practices of an Asian country. And seems a case of the Korean press not able to leave a story on perceived American racism alone. Of course the most notable case of an American talk show host who gained the ire of Asian-Americans is Jay Leno, who made a series of jokes (here and here) about Koreans eating dog. I get that some are upset because these talk shows perhaps perpetuate stereotypes that all Koreans eat dog, or all Korean women want to look white, but it's not as if Koreans don't eat dog or aren't obsessed with plastic surgery.
I'm curious where the Asian-American community went during the intense anti-American demonstrations in Korea in 2002. Curious also where the Asian-American community goes whenever the Korean press abuses foreign teachers in the media, or when Korean entertainers use blackface (here, here, and here). Curious where the Asian-American community is now, as a cosmetic company runs Nazi-themed commercials. Ah, that's right, I forgot that most only exercise the Asian part when complaining about white people, when choosing an evening's restaurant, or when filling out a college application. Damn, the fad of hyphenated-Americanism is extremely pathetic, and after spending a few days watching Sopranos reruns, I've had my fill for a little while.
14 comments:
Haa! That was well researched, thought through and written. Oh, and I agree with you and Oprah with regard the obsessive levels of infatuation with cosmetic surgery in 우리나라.
It would, however, be interesting to know of official international rates per proportion of the population, relative to GDP... which I just did a quick google for but didn't manage to locate in the time available before cleaning my teeth tonight. Anyone else know about this?
I also agree that Oprah could have been a bit more careful about it: what's the point in having a Chinese person come in to talk about Koreans?...! Granted, it'd be exceptionally difficult to find a Korean to admit what they obviously wanted to hear. Why not survey cosmetic surgeons in the States as to the relative ethnic make-up of clients...?
Koreans don't want to be white!
http://photos.zenkimchi.com/albums/userpics/10001/normal_IMGP5747.JPG
Koreans don't want to BE white but they want some white features like big eyes, high bridged noses, more defined jaw lines. Oprah didn't mis represent Koreans or tell lies. She wasn't even demonizing Korean women like that one critic claimed. She was merely reporting what goes on in Korea. The truth hurts I guess. Koreans and Korean Americans alike shouldn't be criticizing Oprah for this report. They should be criticizing the ridiculous beauty standards of their homelands that forces women to feel like they need all these futile cosmetic surgeries. Korean culture has some really ridiculous aspects to it.
Ah, that's right, I forgot that most only exercise the Asian part when complaining about white people, when choosing an evening's restaurant, or when filling out a college application. Damn, the fad of hyphenated-Americanism is extremely pathetic, and after spending a few days watching Sopranos reruns, I've had my fill for a little while.
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Brian,
As a Korean-American living in Korea, I strongly condemn all negative portrayals of foreigners/minorities in both Korean and American media. Public media plays a powerful role in society, therefore any negative press may harm, threaten and endanger the safety of an individual.
As for the Korea media, Korean-Americans don't control Korea media nor do they run or own it. Therefore, Korean-Americans are not the ones to wag fingers at for the negative portrayals of English teachers/foreigners shown on Korean media. Korean-Americans protested against the Oprah show 4 years ago because America is where the majority of Korean-Americans are and where the majority are affected by the media. Koreans in Korea are not affected in the way Korean-Americans are because they are the majority here in Korea.
As a Korean-American who is well aware of the influence of media, I suggest that foreigners in Korea mobilize to form a grass roots organization such as the anti-defamation.
I would also like you to read up on the past anti-asian violence that took place in America as a result of negative press. Look here,
http://www.asian-nation.org/racism.shtml
Since every individual has a right to exist freely in society, it's only normal to be concerned about one's safety . And if media outlets are intruding on an individual's right to exist in safety, then fighting back is the only answer. That's what asian-americans including Korean-Americans have been doing in the past and are continuing to do so. So I would appreciate you not generalizing, accusing all Korean-Americans for the gross misrepresentation of foreigners in the Korean media and venting your frustration out on Korean-Americans for things they have no control over.
Therefore, your about statement about the pathetic nature of hyphenated-americanism is oversimplified, unsupported and totally out of context.
Also, I've asked myself countless the same question you've posed in your statement which is,
"Where were white-americans when Korean-Americans were being racially harassed on college campuses, beaten, bullied, etc....?"
Do you see the ridiculousness of your statement now?
Thanks for the links. Not to trivialize discriminize against Asian-Americans, but my point with this quick write-up was to illustrate the ridiculousness of insane Azn-priders bringing this article up four years later. Don't think many sensible people would disagree that both the initial outrage four years ago and the "Oprah Chimpfrey" talk in 2008 are cases of hypersensitive, maladjusted Azns and nothing more. My other point was that people---and I'm generalizing here, but everyone does---who are so eager to identify with their Asian roots are also quick to ignore the discrimination that occurs over here. Sure, maybe it's not their place . . . but being sensible has no geographical bounds. I think the people back home who endure protests of "Lost" for showing the Koreans in a negative light---hahaha---would also like to hear how foreigners portrayed over here . . . light years apart.
Whatever, I'm rambling. Thanks for the visit and the links. So long as my post influenced a few of the "Oprah Chimpfrey" crowd, mission accomplished.
Brian,
I sense a hypocrite in you. Why do white-americans all of a sudden look up to asian-americans for support and try to embrace them as their own when all these frickin years, you guys have been practicing discrimination towards non-whites in America? Don't you think I know what your intentions are? Don't you think we Korean-Americans know that you're trying to play with this whole asian-american identity politics for your own self gain?
As for Native Koreans, I must say they're a bunch of hypocrites too because when they come to America, they want to be part of the Korean-American community by embrace Korean-Americans as their own obviously for their own self gain. However in Korea, they practice separatism and want to separate anyone who is different. Did you know this Brian? Obviously, you haven't been in our shoes Brian.
I think if you have been in the priviledged (and usually) majority it can be a rude shock when you are out of that comfort zone and glimpse/experience for a short time what it is like for the 'rest of us' to live a life in the minority. You scramble to make sense of stuff and try to get on with it but there is usually always a point at which they can return to their priviledged/majority situation and time spent out of that paradigm is soon forgotten. However for the rest of us - we merely relocate the same experience whereever we go.
Hahaha, well, I think this will be the last time I comment on this post. Reaffirmed why I don't comment on Asian-American issues. Silly that I'm attracting so much attention, rather than the group who protested "Oprah Chimpfrey" or the ones who started the massively ridiculous protest in 2004.
Look, I'm quite clear ethnicity in the US is just a game, a fashion statement. For Korean-Americans and for everyone else. People five generations removed from Ireland calling themselves Irish-American. Adoptees who know nothing of Korea beyond bibimbap calling themselves Korean. Italian-Americans who haven't stepped foot in Italy in 100 years. And so on. So I understand the actual connections between Korea and these Korean-American groups is quite tenuous, and is, as you said, exploited for personal gain.
I'm not one who flies off the handle at every bit of discrimination in Korea. Nor am I like the Angry Asian Guy (tm) who is so bitter and maladjusted that he sees discrimination in everything. I'm just pointing out a pretty basic hypocracy that Korean-Americans, in this case, were so quick to imagine racism but they are often so blind to what goes on in the country they claim as their own (when it's fashionable, at least).
And by the way, I'm not suddenly embracing Asian-Americans as my own. Thankfully. I do remember, after all, how they cloistered themselves among people with their own skin color back in college and in my hometown, rendering the idea of "multiculturalism" ridiculous. I don't think I could tolerate spending time with so disfunctional a demographic.
Adoptees who know nothing of Korea beyond bibimbap calling themselves Korean.
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The adoptees I know don't call themselves Korea, but rather American. The ones who call them Koreans are some whites who refuse to accept them as Americans.
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And who started hyphenated Americanism in the first place? Who are the ones that instituted Chinese Exclusion Act and the Japanese Internment? Who are the ones that ask each time, "But where are you originally from?" If an asian-american says, "I'm American.", a follow-up question will always be "But where are you originally from?" I suggest that you study the origin and history of hyphenated Americanism if you don't want to come across sounding ignorant.
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Thankfully. I do remember, after all, how they cloistered themselves among people with their own skin color back in college and in my hometown, rendering the idea of "multiculturalism" ridiculous.
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and you whites don't put up fences and cloister yourselves?
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I don't think I could tolerate spending time with so disfunctional a demographic.
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Doesn't this speak for America itself and Americans in Korea? Americans are all disfunctional in my opinion. And you're not distunctional? Oh, please..
Just because it didn’t cause a big storm 4 years ago, it’s a non issue? The problem with most people is that if it doesn’t offend them personally, they have a tendency to say,”get over it” after all it’s just a fringe minority that doesn’t have a voice in this country. All of you making comments, “IT’S TRUE!” without having watched the show are exacty the reason why media and government can manipulate the masses.You have no idea the content of the show nor in what context the comments were said. It’s not a matter of weather or not the plastic surgery comment is true or not, that is beside the point and that is not why the apology is requested. If you watched the show, it is without a doubt a slam against the koreans. The reason why the show was so offensive (and i’m one of the few on this board, if not only person that has watched the show in question) is not so much because of Oprah’s comments at the end of the segment, which were offensive as well when she talks about how she can’t imagine altering her looks because it would change her essence(HELLO! YOU STRAIGHTENED YOUR HAIR! WHY?), but more so BECAUSE THE WHOLE SHOW WAS ABOUT THE CELEBRATION OF WOMEN AROUND THE WORLD!!! Each country’s segment had a representative FROM that country, usually someone attractive, well off , and happy with their lives. Each country had someone that spoke english talking about how great their lives were. I forget how many countries there were, but Korea was one of the last segments and when it came to Korea, the tone of the show took a drastic turn as it became more of a documentary on plastic surgery. They had Lisa Ling, a Chinese-American, interviewing korean women in the back alleys of korea. With so much going on in the Korean entertainment industry, you couldn’t find one Korean to represent KOREA?! I watched it four years ago and i wrote an e-mail to the Oprah show voicing my displeasure and of course i never got a response back. The reason why there was no furor over this is because Koreans in this country do not have a voice. No polical clout and much like other minorities that don’t have voice, they will always be drowned out by the majority(in this case,whites) who say,”Get over it!” Can you imagine if this was something offensive to blacks? or whites? the whole country would be in an uproar.
p.s. While i enjoy reading most of the korea-blogs, i do wonder what you are getting out of being in korea Brian? Is it just a paycheck? A lot of your rants i can relate to because as a minority in the US, i'm always made to feel like an outsider but still the US is my country and culture and i don't have a choice but it seems that you do.
Well, I took some time to type out a reply, but since you---like other Korean-American visitors---decided to spam my site with your hypocritical racist garbage, I've decided just to delete your other comments. Sad to see people so vocal about minority rights in their own country, yet so dismissive of minority opinions in others. I point out a bit of hypocracy in the media, and dare be critical of the country I've called home for three years, and I attract the ire of fringe loonies in the Korean-American community. A shame that some overlook all the positive things I've written on Korea here and elsewhere, and fixate a couple posts.
Spamming? lol
I googled Oprah-Korea like you suggested and checked out all the blogs and lo and behold, you are there with your comments about how the story is 4 years old on every site. So who is spamming? and why do you so staunchly overlook the offensiveness of the particular episode to Koreans despite the fact that you've never even seen the episode. How about gathering as much information as possible from both sides before being so dismissive to other side? You probably know a lot more about what goes on in Korea than i do, but i never questioned that. I just wonder why you defend an episode where they celebrate the women from each country yet air the dirty laundry for one.
One more thing Brian, this talk of "Oprah chimp-frey" you mention, i've found exactly one post on it on one site. The rest of it is all from you making it sound like this phrase is going around in the korean communinity. How you can take one post from someone who may or may not be korean-american and attribute to all koreans or korean-americans is mind boggling.
I never attributed it to the entire Korean-American community. I said that the reason the Oprah Winfrey story was the most-viewed story on the Chosun Ilbo site four 3.5 years after the fact is because some Azn Pride forum most likely brought it up to offset the criticism of the Nazi commercials. Lo and behold, I was right. I didn't say all Korean-Americans disliked black people, I said the article resurfaced on one forum for a very specific reason, and that it was ironic to talk about racism while calling a black woman Oprah Chimpfrey.
Speaking of mind-boggling, that's an apt phrase to summarize the overreaction to my posting of *gasp* a few news articles, and the suggestion that by blogging about a couple of Oprah Winfrey commercials, I'm somehow exacerbating the conflict between Koreans and blacks. A welcome reminder why Azn Pridesters rightfully have such a bad reputation among the expat community here.
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