South Korea is famously obsessed with cosmetic procedures, with people of all ages going under the knife and getting filler injections to achieve flawless looks glamourised by K-pop and K-drama stars. But one young man is challenging the idea that plastic surgery is the only way to drastically improve one’s appearance, claiming that it can be done through lifestyle changes, as well as makeup and hairstyling tricks.
The unnamed man went viral on social media last week after being featured on TVN’s Kim Chang Ok Show 4. His sister appeared on the show to express her worries about his physical transformation, showing pictures of him from a few years back where he looked like a totally different person. Apparently, the young man had gradually reduced contact with the family after entering a university in Seoul, and his sister was shocked when she recently saw photos of him on social media.
The man’s sister claimed that, growing up, her brother had always been protected by her family as he spent most of his time focusing on his studies, but he had become obsessed with physical looks as of late, jeopardising his chances of finding a good job.
Appearing on Kim Chang Ok Show 4, the young South Korean man admitted that physical looks had become extremely important to him, and repeatedly stated that, in his view, “physical appearance matters more than any credentials”. However, he denied turning to plastic surgery to alter his looks, instead claiming that he achieved the transformation by changing his diet, adopting a different hairstyle, and learning to apply makeup.
“I have a large nose, so I consume very little sodium to reduce swelling,” the man said. “I grow my bangs to the middle of my face to make my nostrils look smaller. I also gained over 20 kg to change my body shape.”
Asked what sparked his impressive transformation, the young man said that he once had a crush on a girl in school, but was devastated when she looked at him and asked, “Are you ill?’ He also experienced several job application rejections that he attributed to his unappealing looks. He decided it was time to make a drastic change, and is now obsessed with attaining the look of Wonbin, a member of the K-pop group RIIZE.
“Appearance management itself isn’t the problem. What we need to look at is the wounded self-esteem and fear hidden beneath it,” show host Kim Chang Ok commented, adding that instead of nagging the young man about his obsession with his looks, they should consider the reasons behind it.
