I myself have not been to Korea in a while, but I have plenty of friends and family members who visit regularly, and can confirm the fact that Korean girls hardly ever participate in sports, and would rather go on extreme diets than exercise to lose weight. In fact, aside from low-intensity workouts and stretches, Korean girls are discouraged from exercise in fear that they will become too muscular, and thus be called "fat." Yes, you read that correctly. In Korea, having defined muscles = fat. And if you can believe it, the direct translation of the word "healthy" — 건강하다 — actually has negative connotations. Because when someone tells you that you "look healthy," it really means that you "look bulky." Or,...

Lately my mother has been obsessed with my appearance. She is a firm believer that having a baby ages a woman like no other, and constantly harangues me to continue to have a beauty routine despite my being a SAHM with practically no social life. A couple of weeks ago she gifted me a lotion and an eyelash lengthening serum. Both products, she explained, were being advertised everywhere in the Korean-American media as being tremendously effective (the former for moisturizing and anti-aging properties, and the latter as a RevitaLash-type product that is especially formulated for short and sparse East Asian eyelashes). Along with these two products came a third box. My mother wasn't sure what it was, but informed me that...