So I've tended to put Korea in a better light than America. Well of course, I have still put Korea in a not-so-good light by exposing the plain truth a few times before. But for this blog post, I want to shed some light on us Americans about how lucky we really are.
South Korea is very much a developed country of its own, but it's still true that modern-day Korea is being westernized. Some of the customs are becoming subsided, such as saying "jja" after each character of an elder person's name. Like I said, Korea's styles still scream "Republic of Korea" but while some of its traditions are getting lost, new western traditions are coming in.
Part of the reason to that is because Koreans gobble up American culture. Whenever I meet a new person in Korea via social media and I tell them I'm Korean-American, they have lots of interests and questions about America. Questions along the lines of, Isn't everything cooler there?
Now, as a Korean-American who has always lived in America, I long to live in Korea and to me, a lot of things in Korea seems to be cooler. So it frustrates me to the point that I want to argue with the Koreans that, no, they have it pretty made there and should really appreciate what they have. Don't think I'm like anti-American though, 'cause I'm not, I have my fair share of what I love about the land of the free.
So this is the part where I try to hammer in to you Americans what you are all blessed with - KOREA LOVES YOU! That's pretty darn true about most Koreans. Last year, after getting out of a European History/Western Civilization class where the lesson was about America's intervention in foreign affairs in order to stop communism from spreading. My (other) American friends were all, "We are so annoying - everyone hates us [America]." Knowing how untrue this is, I didn't nod in agreement with them. Maybe what they said is true in a political, diplomatic sense, but not so much socially.
Last but not least, be grateful that you all natural speak fluent English. I think I've already said something like this before in a previous post, but I say it again because I look at most Americans and see that they just don't get it. English is studied so fervently in Korea, it's like a survival skill, and although you learn English grammar in American schools, you still know where to put your articles - "the" and "a/an" - without even really thinking about it. Articles do not exist in the Korean language, and there seems to be no basis or rules for when to use either "the" or "a/an", which is just one of many frustrations to English-learning Koreans. Americans are so lucky.
(471)
Saturday, January 18, 2014
Friday, January 17, 2014
South Korea's Effective Use of Celebrity Endorsement
South Korea is one of the developed countries out there, and like any developed country, it is overflowing with businesses and companies, both big and small. America is also a developed country, overflowing with businesses and companies, both big and small. Various products in both countries are typically marketed very effectively. However, I feel that there's one advertising tactic that America could take up on.
It's celebrity endorsement. In South Korea, you flip on a T.V. and like T.V. that we Americans are used to, you may land on a channel broadcasting at the moment a commercial or a series of commercials. But instead of an unfamiliar model endorsing the product, you will see a singer, actor/actress, a popular athlete or a very well-known model flashing the endorsed product at the camera. You turn on the television here in U.S., and yes you may very well see a commercial and the case is opposite to that of South Korea. Celebrity endorsements are rare and you just see a bunch of models, who most of the time are portrayed as regular people.
I understand that South Korea is a lot smaller country than America, so the local commercials here probably can't hire Hollywood stars, but why can't big name companies use more celebrity endorsements? Celebrity endorsements, at least I found, are very effective. I know lots of fans who buy certain products just because their favorite star endorsed it, and I admit to being one of them.
Of course, I'm not ruling out that America never uses celebrity endorsements. But I feel like the very rare times I see an actress is for cosmetics and very rarely clothes. It's not a stretch to say that every big name company in Korea uses a celebrity for promoting their new products. Why can't America? Wouldn't it be good for the fans, the starts, and also the companies who probably profits the most out of the three here?
Another disclaimer, I'm not a hater to all the models that are used for advertisements, but it is nice to see a celebrity I like on T.V. other than for just their movies or shows. Not only on T.V., but when I'm shopping, I can't help but be drawn to a product that an actress I know have endorsed.
It's celebrity endorsement. In South Korea, you flip on a T.V. and like T.V. that we Americans are used to, you may land on a channel broadcasting at the moment a commercial or a series of commercials. But instead of an unfamiliar model endorsing the product, you will see a singer, actor/actress, a popular athlete or a very well-known model flashing the endorsed product at the camera. You turn on the television here in U.S., and yes you may very well see a commercial and the case is opposite to that of South Korea. Celebrity endorsements are rare and you just see a bunch of models, who most of the time are portrayed as regular people.
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| Korean Figure Skater and Olympics Gold Metalist Kim Yuna - Maeil Milk CF screenshot |
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| Korean actor Byung Hun Lee - Vega Secret Note Phone CF screenshot |
Of course, I'm not ruling out that America never uses celebrity endorsements. But I feel like the very rare times I see an actress is for cosmetics and very rarely clothes. It's not a stretch to say that every big name company in Korea uses a celebrity for promoting their new products. Why can't America? Wouldn't it be good for the fans, the starts, and also the companies who probably profits the most out of the three here?
Another disclaimer, I'm not a hater to all the models that are used for advertisements, but it is nice to see a celebrity I like on T.V. other than for just their movies or shows. Not only on T.V., but when I'm shopping, I can't help but be drawn to a product that an actress I know have endorsed.
In addition, when it comes to celebrity endorsements, the styles of the two countries are also different. For America, the company seems to merely hire a celebrity to be the face of their product for the duration of the promotion. Of course, people are smart so they hire one who is appropriate for the advertisement and one who is popular. But like I said earlier, I normally only see American celebrities endorsing cosmetics or clothes. Hardly do they do commercials for food, drinks, cars, phones (I really want to see a Hollywood star endorse a cell phone!), and lots of other things.
But then again, Americans are consumers so without the use of celebrity endorsements, people continue to buy the newest iPods, eat what they want, select the make-up they like, all for various other reasons rather than their favorite star has endorsed it. But don't misunderstand - it's not like Koreans are so shallow that they're motivated to eat, wear, and beautify only according to who endorsed the products. But it is true that Koreans do a good job of "celebritizing", meaning, if you're just another athlete but of course you're extraordinary at the sport you play, hence Kim Yuna, then people will naturally love you and then you will receive all these love calls to endorse this and that, be on this show, photoshoot for that magazine... It was interesting to see during the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver how, unlike of the other Asian figure skaters, Kim Yuna's face was clearest of moles and her teeth were straightened. It's because even before the 2010 Winter Olympics, her popularity has been growing and she's been on television numerous times for both performing and for, you guessed it, commercial films. So she is a star and is very much treated like one, she gets all the beautifying that any other star receives. The Korean citizens' power of "celebritizing."
So like I said, America is a lot bigger country where local commercials are a lot more prominent than in South Korea, how ever, when it comes to advertising on the national level, using celebrity endorsements would not be a bad switch. Not at all.
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| K-pop boy group TEEN TOP endorsing Sketcher's LIV |
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Saturday, January 11, 2014
The Causes of Suicide in South Korea
South Koreans and K-pop fans worldwide were devastated with the news of popular boy group, Super Junior's leader, Lee Teuk's father and grandparents death. Car accident was the said to be the cause of the death but now investigators found that it was possibly suicide.
South Korea has the #1 suicide rate in the world. So Lee Teuk's story is not just his story, but something that all of Korean citizens can relate to. From the outside, it can be hard to determine the cause of such a high suicidal rate. After all, Korea is a prosperous country, what could drive its citizens to suicide?
Of course, not all Koreans are suicidal nor do they all know anyone personally who has committed suicide but the highest suicide rate in the world is saying something. Among the young adults, the primary reason may be schoolwork. At least for high school students in South Korea, sooneung (수능), a college entry exam, is everything. I've heard of stories of people crying after taking their exams because they feel that they've done poorly, and I've heard one of those people say that later on, they looked back and realized it wasn't that much of a big deal. So what needs to be instituted to ease the high school students' stress and anxiety due to sooneung is a program(s) that reaches out to high school students to let them know that sooneung really is not a matter of life and death.
The second major cause of suicide in Korea, that I found, was family issues. Family issues is not a foreign concept here in America, but here's the difference in Korea: it's still considered embarrassing if you're parents are divorced. Of course American kids with divorced parents feel similarly but here, kids are able to be more open about it and in one of my elementary schools (as I've attended multiple ones), there was even an after-school program for kids with divorced parents. It's a rare case for American students to hide the fact that their parents are divorced, but in Korea, it's a common thing. Both of my parents have half-siblings and I heard that they tried to hide that fact when they were younger. Even though that was something of their days, its still evident in modern-day Korea. So like here, there should be programs and clubs where students who have divorced parents can go to for assistance and counseling.
So from my two main causes of suicide I've stated, we can know that Korea lacks programs of counseling and support. Korea is a civilized country but it needs to do a better job of educating its younger generation of what matters more in life.
(451)
South Korea has the #1 suicide rate in the world. So Lee Teuk's story is not just his story, but something that all of Korean citizens can relate to. From the outside, it can be hard to determine the cause of such a high suicidal rate. After all, Korea is a prosperous country, what could drive its citizens to suicide?
Of course, not all Koreans are suicidal nor do they all know anyone personally who has committed suicide but the highest suicide rate in the world is saying something. Among the young adults, the primary reason may be schoolwork. At least for high school students in South Korea, sooneung (수능), a college entry exam, is everything. I've heard of stories of people crying after taking their exams because they feel that they've done poorly, and I've heard one of those people say that later on, they looked back and realized it wasn't that much of a big deal. So what needs to be instituted to ease the high school students' stress and anxiety due to sooneung is a program(s) that reaches out to high school students to let them know that sooneung really is not a matter of life and death.
The second major cause of suicide in Korea, that I found, was family issues. Family issues is not a foreign concept here in America, but here's the difference in Korea: it's still considered embarrassing if you're parents are divorced. Of course American kids with divorced parents feel similarly but here, kids are able to be more open about it and in one of my elementary schools (as I've attended multiple ones), there was even an after-school program for kids with divorced parents. It's a rare case for American students to hide the fact that their parents are divorced, but in Korea, it's a common thing. Both of my parents have half-siblings and I heard that they tried to hide that fact when they were younger. Even though that was something of their days, its still evident in modern-day Korea. So like here, there should be programs and clubs where students who have divorced parents can go to for assistance and counseling.
So from my two main causes of suicide I've stated, we can know that Korea lacks programs of counseling and support. Korea is a civilized country but it needs to do a better job of educating its younger generation of what matters more in life.
(451)
Friday, January 10, 2014
The Public Opinion on North Korea - "Remember the Citizens"
Very recently, North Korea slapped away South Korea's offer of a reunion for families who have been separated by the 38th parallel line, and you can read more about it here. I can say a lot of things regarding my own disappointment that North Korea came up with a lame-duck excuse to say no to this, but what caught my attention more was the comment section of the article.
In the midst of the detailed comments on political blah-blah-blahs, there was one particular comment about how America should have bombed North Korea a long time ago. I point this out not to criticize that one singular person who commented that but because I've actually heard a lot of people say the same thing. Let me be one person who breaks it to the general audience, which is you who are reading this, that that kind of thinking shows just how ignorant the person who spoke it is.
Kim Jung-Un, his father and grandfather no doubt deserve such criticisms but what about the North Korean citizens? What did they do wrong? After all, they're also victims of North Korea like the rest of us, which is funny because the rest of the world have not actually fallen prey to North Korea. Rather, the one true victims of North Korea are its people - who are brainwashed with propaganda to the point that they literally worship their totalitarian ruler who makes them starve and deprive them of the technological and scientific advancements that the rest of the world has been following. They don't realize that their super-great leader is a nuisance to the rest of the world. It's mighty difficult to want to bomb a whole population who do not really know much of anything.
Not only are the South Koreans the pitiful ones for being separated from their families in the North, so are the North Koreans. The real distinction between the two are the geographical regions in which they live in, I mean of course there's also the factor that one is Communist while the other is not, but my point is, they're all still Koreans. Same language, same food, same culture, same ancient historical backgrounds... Yet, because of the fact that one region is Communist, the thinking of the two Koreans have evolved to be different. What I mean by different thinking is, North Korea has recently refused to have a reunion with the South and this is most likely because all the people need to be locked in so that Kim Jung-Un can stay in power. And like I said, the North Korean people worship the guy so they'll go along with what he says without even questioning it, hence their way of thinking differs from the South. At least, that's my own opinion, based on my unscientific observation. The same Korean-blooded people thinking differently because one worships a greedy dictator while one has been free to prosper - this is the sad reality that so many people miss out on.
So before you wholly zero in on how ridiculous North Korea is next time, remember the citizens. Both of the North and of the South.
(526)
In the midst of the detailed comments on political blah-blah-blahs, there was one particular comment about how America should have bombed North Korea a long time ago. I point this out not to criticize that one singular person who commented that but because I've actually heard a lot of people say the same thing. Let me be one person who breaks it to the general audience, which is you who are reading this, that that kind of thinking shows just how ignorant the person who spoke it is.
Kim Jung-Un, his father and grandfather no doubt deserve such criticisms but what about the North Korean citizens? What did they do wrong? After all, they're also victims of North Korea like the rest of us, which is funny because the rest of the world have not actually fallen prey to North Korea. Rather, the one true victims of North Korea are its people - who are brainwashed with propaganda to the point that they literally worship their totalitarian ruler who makes them starve and deprive them of the technological and scientific advancements that the rest of the world has been following. They don't realize that their super-great leader is a nuisance to the rest of the world. It's mighty difficult to want to bomb a whole population who do not really know much of anything.
Not only are the South Koreans the pitiful ones for being separated from their families in the North, so are the North Koreans. The real distinction between the two are the geographical regions in which they live in, I mean of course there's also the factor that one is Communist while the other is not, but my point is, they're all still Koreans. Same language, same food, same culture, same ancient historical backgrounds... Yet, because of the fact that one region is Communist, the thinking of the two Koreans have evolved to be different. What I mean by different thinking is, North Korea has recently refused to have a reunion with the South and this is most likely because all the people need to be locked in so that Kim Jung-Un can stay in power. And like I said, the North Korean people worship the guy so they'll go along with what he says without even questioning it, hence their way of thinking differs from the South. At least, that's my own opinion, based on my unscientific observation. The same Korean-blooded people thinking differently because one worships a greedy dictator while one has been free to prosper - this is the sad reality that so many people miss out on.
So before you wholly zero in on how ridiculous North Korea is next time, remember the citizens. Both of the North and of the South.
(526)
Thursday, January 9, 2014
New Year in South Korea
Happy New Year everyone! Now that a new year has brightened, everyone in Korea has become one year older. Because Koreans count the baby's months in the womb as a year, you're already a year old when you're born. Hence, the people born in the same year are all the same age, regardless of their actual birthdays. Of course, their international ages ("American" ages) vary depending on the actual birthdays.
Every new year, Koreans eat a rice-cake soup, Dduk guk (떡국), which is pictured above. (This is a brief side note - Korean food tend to sound unappetizing based on English descriptions, which is rather annoying.) By eating Dduk guk, you turning a year older becomes official, but it's not the end of the world if you skip out on eating dduk guk. What Koreans also do to celebrate the new year is play a game of yunnori (윷놀이) and wear their hanboks.
The thing with us Koreans is, we celebrate the new year twice because, well, we have two new years! One is the new year that most of the world, including America, celebrates and the other new year is the lunar new year - based off of the calender that goes by the moon.
I don't have a problem with Korean customs for the new year's (why should I?) but this whole thing about counting the baby's months in the womb as a year always gets me wondering. I mean, a baby's in the womb for 10 months, right? I understand that's close to 12 months, which legitimately makes up a year, but 10 months still isn't quite a year and to count as such seems questionable to me. I know that China also uses this system for ages and although it's just one another country, but every time I meet/encounter someone from a different Asian country and they tell me their age, I always get tripped up about whether it's international age or like the Korean age.
Although I get technical with all the 10 months versus 12 months thing, growing up, I always liked telling my fellow American friends what my Korean age is. For me, my birthday is later in the year, so at least before my birthday, I always add two years to my American age. And then when my birthday comes that year, then I'm a year older in American age, so I'd just have to add a year to find out my Korean age, do you follow? That was and still is my amusement, telling people what my Korean age is seeing their reactions.
새해 복 많이 받으세요! ("Receive a lot of blessings this new year" - Korean's version of "Happy New Year".)
(442)
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| Click here for picture source |
The thing with us Koreans is, we celebrate the new year twice because, well, we have two new years! One is the new year that most of the world, including America, celebrates and the other new year is the lunar new year - based off of the calender that goes by the moon.
I don't have a problem with Korean customs for the new year's (why should I?) but this whole thing about counting the baby's months in the womb as a year always gets me wondering. I mean, a baby's in the womb for 10 months, right? I understand that's close to 12 months, which legitimately makes up a year, but 10 months still isn't quite a year and to count as such seems questionable to me. I know that China also uses this system for ages and although it's just one another country, but every time I meet/encounter someone from a different Asian country and they tell me their age, I always get tripped up about whether it's international age or like the Korean age.
Although I get technical with all the 10 months versus 12 months thing, growing up, I always liked telling my fellow American friends what my Korean age is. For me, my birthday is later in the year, so at least before my birthday, I always add two years to my American age. And then when my birthday comes that year, then I'm a year older in American age, so I'd just have to add a year to find out my Korean age, do you follow? That was and still is my amusement, telling people what my Korean age is seeing their reactions.
새해 복 많이 받으세요! ("Receive a lot of blessings this new year" - Korean's version of "Happy New Year".)
(442)
Sunday, December 22, 2013
South Korean Reality Shows
The term "reality show" may be unfamiliar to Americans but in Korea, it's a "Konglish" word for programs where celebrities do real-life things like camping or going on a trip and doing various entertaining activities. I guess what Americans may think of when they hear the word "reality show" may be something like 16 and Pregnant.
Of course, Korea does have something like 16 and Pregnant but that is not what Koreans consider a reality show. A reality show is a form of a variety show and in order to understand what a reality show is, you have to first know what a variety show is. A variety show is just a show comprised of music, games, and just such entertainments for the viewers, usually in the form of a talk show. Over the years, variety shows have included a "Real theme" in which the celebrities show their "real" selves, so eating, sleeping, and sometimes even showering (that's the show "1 Night 2 Days" and yes, they keep it clean so they only show male celebrities, hence in "1 Night 2 Days", and they only show shoulders and above). So in these reality shows, the celebrities do not fake anything really, but rather just be themselves and be amusing and funny because after all, a variety show is for entertainment.
The crew in the broadcasting systems also add in amusing captions that definitely play a key role in making the shows entertaining. Jokes are used often; and speech/thought bubbles are also added next to a celebrity.
I wish America would have these variety shows. I get to see my favorite Korean singers and actors be their silly selves on shows, playing games to see who eats dinner first or who gets the best side dish in the dinner and stuff like that, but wouldn't it be great to see, I don't know, Logan Lerman and Jennifer Lawerence on reality shows? It's great that we get to see their stunning selves on the red carpet, but to be able to see them go through obstacles for their team and cooking and maybe even miserably failing at it would double the entertainment of Americans. You probably have no idea what I'm talking about unless you've seen these Korean (and actually, just Asian) variety shows so here's a couple of examples from good ol' YouTube you can look into: Running Man (crazy popular show!), 1 Night, 2 Days (2 Days 1 Night), Shinhwa Broadcast.
So even just glimpsing at some of the reality shows, you can see how loose it is and not so formal. American talk shows are all super formal, I mean look at Oprah and Live! with Kelly, sure, sure they do goof off and everything, but nothing really hands on and there definitely is different air to American talk shows and Korean ones. I mean, I'm not trying to degrade Oprah or Live! with Kelly at all, but some more different styles to American T.V. shows like that of Korean ones would be nice too.
(508)
Of course, Korea does have something like 16 and Pregnant but that is not what Koreans consider a reality show. A reality show is a form of a variety show and in order to understand what a reality show is, you have to first know what a variety show is. A variety show is just a show comprised of music, games, and just such entertainments for the viewers, usually in the form of a talk show. Over the years, variety shows have included a "Real theme" in which the celebrities show their "real" selves, so eating, sleeping, and sometimes even showering (that's the show "1 Night 2 Days" and yes, they keep it clean so they only show male celebrities, hence in "1 Night 2 Days", and they only show shoulders and above). So in these reality shows, the celebrities do not fake anything really, but rather just be themselves and be amusing and funny because after all, a variety show is for entertainment.
The crew in the broadcasting systems also add in amusing captions that definitely play a key role in making the shows entertaining. Jokes are used often; and speech/thought bubbles are also added next to a celebrity.
I wish America would have these variety shows. I get to see my favorite Korean singers and actors be their silly selves on shows, playing games to see who eats dinner first or who gets the best side dish in the dinner and stuff like that, but wouldn't it be great to see, I don't know, Logan Lerman and Jennifer Lawerence on reality shows? It's great that we get to see their stunning selves on the red carpet, but to be able to see them go through obstacles for their team and cooking and maybe even miserably failing at it would double the entertainment of Americans. You probably have no idea what I'm talking about unless you've seen these Korean (and actually, just Asian) variety shows so here's a couple of examples from good ol' YouTube you can look into: Running Man (crazy popular show!), 1 Night, 2 Days (2 Days 1 Night), Shinhwa Broadcast.
So even just glimpsing at some of the reality shows, you can see how loose it is and not so formal. American talk shows are all super formal, I mean look at Oprah and Live! with Kelly, sure, sure they do goof off and everything, but nothing really hands on and there definitely is different air to American talk shows and Korean ones. I mean, I'm not trying to degrade Oprah or Live! with Kelly at all, but some more different styles to American T.V. shows like that of Korean ones would be nice too.
(508)
Friday, December 20, 2013
Fashion Brands in Korea
Koreans are obsessed with following the latest trends, and when it comes to trends, you can't forget about the role that fashion brands play in Korean culture. Now, I say fashion brand in Korea and you may be expecting some fancy, ridiculously expensive, foreign brand you've never heard of, but actually, Koreans all take up foreign brands. Heck, I hardly even know Korean brand names.
Calvin Klein, Polo Ralph Lauren, Coach, etc. are all loved by Koreans. But, being that these brands are American and they're being sold in another country, these brands are a whole lot more expensive there than it is here in America. So when Koreans visit America, they exclaim about how cheap the big name brand products are (while we Americans just shake our heads) and they crazily buy them up and take them back to their home country. So it's easy to take gifts to America, just get them a big name brand merchandise.
Of course, when it comes to international name brands in Korea, or for that matter, any other foreign countries, there are fakes. People make fake Coaches and what not, and if you have an Asian friend, you may have heard of this.
However, although Koreans are all about taking up trends, unlike in America, not having a name-brand clothing is not necessarily frowned upon. For example, let's say there's a certain winter fashion style that's trending now in Korea (and there always is), and as long as you take up that style, then you're good. It doesn't matter if it's not Calvin Klein or Northface or whatever. Of course, in America, it's not like you're considered living under a rock for not wearing expensive name brand clothing, there are always fashion style trends here too. But I feel like when I go to school, I have to wear something from like American Eagle or Hollister, but not necessarily take up some trend. Of course I do take up trends in general, like that pretty much annual trend of everyone where UGG boots, but it's like the focus is on what store name is stamped across your shirt. But Koreans are more about following the trend itself, not necessarily wearing the brand everyone wears. Am I making that distinction clear? So in "American terms", as long as you take up a trending style, it doesn't matter too much whether you got that trending outfit from Wal-Mart or American Eagle.
So I wish Korean clothing was more prominent in America. One thing I noticed for one is that it's more modest than the majority of the popular clothing worn here. And if I don't have to worry about where I buy my clothes from, as long as it's still cute and accepted by modern-day society, it would make things easier. Anybody else out there agree with me? (Seriously, I appreciate all the views but feel free to leave a nice comment! :D)
But I have to point out the factor that in Korea, you wear uniforms in middle and high schools. And then in elementary schools, it's not about store brands and the same thing can be said about America; most American students don't really care about what they wear to school until middle school.
Although I stated my pretty accurate observation that in Korea it's trending style > name brand, don't get the idea that Koreans absolute don't care about name brands. Like I said, they gobble up them name brands. In my blog post that I linked in the first paragraph, I mentioned how not having a Northface jacket in Korea has caused bullying issues. So yeah, name brands are big deal in Korea. It's not a good factor to have with their crazy obsession with following the trends, so this does put Korea in a bad light, but society can be harsher in Korea than it is in America. But hey, what country out there is perfect? Korea still has it's pros too. I still love So Ko!
(667)
Calvin Klein, Polo Ralph Lauren, Coach, etc. are all loved by Koreans. But, being that these brands are American and they're being sold in another country, these brands are a whole lot more expensive there than it is here in America. So when Koreans visit America, they exclaim about how cheap the big name brand products are (while we Americans just shake our heads) and they crazily buy them up and take them back to their home country. So it's easy to take gifts to America, just get them a big name brand merchandise.
Of course, when it comes to international name brands in Korea, or for that matter, any other foreign countries, there are fakes. People make fake Coaches and what not, and if you have an Asian friend, you may have heard of this.
However, although Koreans are all about taking up trends, unlike in America, not having a name-brand clothing is not necessarily frowned upon. For example, let's say there's a certain winter fashion style that's trending now in Korea (and there always is), and as long as you take up that style, then you're good. It doesn't matter if it's not Calvin Klein or Northface or whatever. Of course, in America, it's not like you're considered living under a rock for not wearing expensive name brand clothing, there are always fashion style trends here too. But I feel like when I go to school, I have to wear something from like American Eagle or Hollister, but not necessarily take up some trend. Of course I do take up trends in general, like that pretty much annual trend of everyone where UGG boots, but it's like the focus is on what store name is stamped across your shirt. But Koreans are more about following the trend itself, not necessarily wearing the brand everyone wears. Am I making that distinction clear? So in "American terms", as long as you take up a trending style, it doesn't matter too much whether you got that trending outfit from Wal-Mart or American Eagle.
So I wish Korean clothing was more prominent in America. One thing I noticed for one is that it's more modest than the majority of the popular clothing worn here. And if I don't have to worry about where I buy my clothes from, as long as it's still cute and accepted by modern-day society, it would make things easier. Anybody else out there agree with me? (Seriously, I appreciate all the views but feel free to leave a nice comment! :D)
But I have to point out the factor that in Korea, you wear uniforms in middle and high schools. And then in elementary schools, it's not about store brands and the same thing can be said about America; most American students don't really care about what they wear to school until middle school.
Although I stated my pretty accurate observation that in Korea it's trending style > name brand, don't get the idea that Koreans absolute don't care about name brands. Like I said, they gobble up them name brands. In my blog post that I linked in the first paragraph, I mentioned how not having a Northface jacket in Korea has caused bullying issues. So yeah, name brands are big deal in Korea. It's not a good factor to have with their crazy obsession with following the trends, so this does put Korea in a bad light, but society can be harsher in Korea than it is in America. But hey, what country out there is perfect? Korea still has it's pros too. I still love So Ko!
(667)
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