Koreans and the Small Face Phenomenon
Monday, July 13, 2009 at 11:48PM Having grown up in the U.S., I have heard on more than one occasion that celebrities possess larger heads compared to those of the general population, the idea being that the larger head will have larger features, which will show better on screen. There is even an episode of Entourage where Turtle proclaims, "The bigger the head, the bigger the star."
However, in Korea, the exact opposite is true. The smaller your face, the more attractive you are.
;)
A picture of Ivy, a Korean celebrity, posing between two fans. Notice how small her face is compared to that of "normal" people. (image source)
It is not uncommon for foreigners to be utterly confounded when first met with this phenomenon. "Gosh, your face is so small!" may sound like an inappropriate remark, but it is in fact a high compliment among Koreans.
Online Korean forums are often abuzz with face size discussions. When debating up-and-coming stars, it is not unusual to find comments such as "Her face is so small...she's so pretty!" or "She'll never make it because her face is too big." In 2008, one of the most popular articles on Naver, a Yahoo-like portal, concerned the average Korean face size.
Koreans' fascination with small faces often delve deep into the celebrity world, with stars with unusually small (and coveted) faces are asked to hold up every-day objects next to their heads...even busting out measuring tapes for proof!
Actress Han Yehseul can cover her entire face with a CD. (image source)
Model/actress Koh Ara's face is a mere 17cm, or 6.69 inches, long. (image source)
I'm not really sure where the small face phenomenon originated. However, it is widely believed among Koreans that small faces photograph/video well, and that a smaller face will make you look skinner in photos as well. In a culture so obsessed with media and image, it is not difficult to see how this idea established such a strong foothold in the Korean psyche.
The cultural fixation on small faces has even coined a new term: the "V-line." To Koreans, a small, perfect oval is no longer ideal. That oval must be made even smaller to create a V (a pointed chin).
Koreans are so obsessed with small faces that one of the most popular cosmetic surgery procedures involves shaving down one's cheeks and jawline to undo what mother nature gave you. Take a look at these "before" and "after" photos of actress Park Minyoung:
(image source)
I once read that the jaw-shaving surgery is so in demand because it kills two birds with one stone: your diet is restricted to liquids for a full month after surgery, so you end up losing a lot of weight too!
I'm not sure where I stand on this issue. I think that if the size of your head/face is in proportion with the rest of your body, you should be happy, no? However, the Korean side of me longs to have a small face, because let's face it - I have a rather large head.
And with that in mind, I have one last question: is it possible to be pretty, or even beautiful, with a large face?
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Reader Comments (8)
Wow I've never heard of this! Maybe that's why my Korean FSIL agreed to marry my brother - he has a really small head for his body. :P
Personally, I think that people look best when their heads are in proportion with the rest of their bodies but I've never really given this much thought. Maybe I'll change my opinion after some more observation.
I never really considered face size to be so important either, until I started hanging out with more Koreans, watching more Korean shows, and reading more Korean websites. Some people have actually straight-out told me that I would be prettier if my head was smaller.
Cosmetic surgery has become so rampant in Korea that Asian blepharoplasty (the double eyelid surgery) is almost considered a rite of passage for young women. I think that pretty soon, the big-eyed, small-faced look will become so exaggerated that girls will not look human anymore. Case in point:
+ makeup and hair =
It's so that they look more childlike, but DAMN that is some screwed up ish to get your JAW shaved down just for "beauty"
On the one hand, the big-eyed small-jawed baby look seems to be a universal measure of an attractive female. But the emphasis on an actual small head -- or countries that believe well-fed is beautiful as opposed to the Western norm of thinness, or whatever -- just goes to show how arbitrary these cultural beauty standards can be. Sad that we women (and increasingly, men) beat ourselves up so much over something that arbitrary.
Interesting. I lived in Seoul when I was a teenager, I got some interesting comments on the way I looked. I was told on several occasions that I had big eyes like an alien. I was told it was a good thing, but I thought it was strange. Like the comment before me every culture has their idea of what beauty is. It's just unfortunate that beauty tends to be something that has to be surgically created.
look, let's all face the simple TRUTH. They want to look more WHITE. It is pitiful and shameful! Please, everyone, let's all love ourselves!
The other day, my Korean friend randomly brought up how small my face was. I didn't really get it --I thought being able to cover your face with one hand was kind of freaky. But now I get this bizarre trend.
Ick, it's a shame some people go through all that surgery and pain and such just for beauty. >n<
I mean...is it really worth it? Soon everyone is going to look like carbon copies...
this thanksgiving i went to go see my boyfriends family (he is korean) and i thought it was so rude that his aunt kept staring at me and asking me why my face was so small but now i realize that -maybe- it was a compliment