Of course news sites like the Korea Times aren't known for the subtlety or classiness of their advertisements (more here and here, for example). This particular article, "Foreigner attacks old person on a bus," is surrounded by ads for a plastic surgeon, a dating quiz, two male enhancement clinics, two online shopping sites, and a wristwatch camcorder convenient for secretly taking pictures of women on the street.
This school's ad speaks to the increasing need for qualified Korean-language teachers during the swell of the Korean Wave, and unsurprisingly uses the appeal of white women---who are often fetishized and sexualized in Korean media and ads---to do it.
I'm reminded of what I dug up a couple years ago for a post I never got around to finishing, about the big language-exchange clubs in Seoul that used flirtatious white girls as their draw (inspired in turn by material found for this post about pestering foreigners to learn English).
Take a look at the "traditional" American dress used to promote the English Conversation Club.
Hana Republic is one of the best-known of these "international party" groups, and probably the most widely-advertised on Korean-language sites, and has images like this on its site to promote its language e
It has, um, "evolved" to include pictures of white men hanging out with Korean women as well. But nevertheless the drunk white girl angle is somewhat notable considering the reception a language-exchange site, or a Korean-language school, would get were its main aim to hook up white guys with Korean women. There's no need to spend too long imagining.
4 comments:
The woman in the first picture looks like she is being held hostage.
The first sentence in the last paragraph seems to be missing something. I can't get the point of it.
Ah, yes, that didn't make any sense. Fixed it a little; does that help?
Take a look at the "traditional" American dress used to promote the English Conversation Club. At least she wasn't dressed like Jessie the Cowgirl from Toy Story, whom many in Asia assume is dressed in traditional American garb.
It has, um, "evolved" to include pictures of white men hanging out with Korean women as well. But nevertheless the drunk white girl angle is somewhat notable considering the reception a language-exchange site, or a Korean-language school, would get were its main aim to hook up white guys with Korean women. There's no need to spend too long imagining.
Merely enticing Korean men to date White women does not necessarily make it on par with English Spectrum. To really be on par with it, in addition to a wet t-shirt contest you'd have to have things along this line:
Um, to really make it on par with the infamous English Spectrum Each party will be slightly different. On the 14th, it will be much the same as the last two; meaning some sex in the female bathroom, some late night dance floor grinding and partial nudity, mixed in with the addition of some clothes-allergic professionals who should be making a guest appearance that night.
Although I'm sure some Korean men didn't want to see any Korean woman dating a White guy at an AE party, a good portion of the outcry was the perceived denigration. Like the pairing party, it crossed the line in (some of) the public's eye.
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