Korean primetime's 'lookism' problem

Comedian Lee Jin-ho, right, yells at fellow actor Park Na-rae during a skit last month on tvN's "Comedy Big League." The skit portrayed the experiences of two couples, poking fun at the couple seen as less attractive than the other. / Captured from YouTube

By Kim Bo-eun

A "good-looking" young couple sits in a coffee shop. The woman starts taking selfies and the man scoots over as if to get in the picture in an attempt to get closer to her.

There's nothing special about these lovers, played by actors on the popular sketch comedy show Comedy Big League. Such well kempt young people can be seen in cafés across the country; in the sketch they're meant to represent "normal" Koreans.

A few minutes later, comedians playing another couple stand in line to order coffee. The woman looks quite different, sporting unglamorous bangs and a plain outfit.

The man and woman discuss the drinks they are going to order but the man only orders his own. When the woman asks about her drink, he asks "Are you a beggar? You order your own drink."

When the couple sit down and sip their coffee, the woman gets a foam mustache, but instead of lovingly wiping it off, the man says she looks like an "old man in the Alps."

The message, hammered home by the skit's simplistic jokes, is simple: If you look different, you're less worthy of love.

The Korean entertainment scene, notorious for its insensitive content, has cut down on racially offensive scenes, but such "gag shows" continue to create jokes that make fun of people for their weight or looks. Observers say such instances of "lookism" contribute to the county's obsession with appearance.

If so, the jokes likely add to stress that Koreans feel in regards to their appearance. Young people say there is enormous pressure to marry at a young age and to a partner of high standing, making a person's looks of utmost importance. Appearance is also important on the job market. According to scholars, such attitudes contribute to the country's high plastic surgery rate.

For Gag Concert the country's longest running comedy show on state-run broadcaster KBS, such banality is a constant source of easy laughs.

The show recently got rid of a recurring skit in which a shapeless college freshman, Lee Su-ji, approaches her crush on campus but is flatly dismissed every time. Still, Lee's main roles are limited to those in which she is "fat-shamed."

Many of the program's skits incorporate the idea that the "less desirable" are legitimately subject to discrimination.

One sketch depicts the interaction between a father and his four young daughters. The father is kind and loving to his first three daughters but not so to his youngest, played by comedian Oh Na-mi, because she is less pretty than her sisters. Oh is widely known to assume the role of "the ugly female comedian."

Such instances of lookism are not limited to women. One Gag Concert skit makes fun of the lengths to which men will go to impress women. These men, however, are played by unappealing male comedians considered homely and unshapely. The punch line is that no matter their efforts, these guys will never be popular with women.

James Turnbull, author of the popular blog The Grand Narrative, which focuses on Korean feminism and popular culture, said that such portrayals may have a negative effect on viewers.

"Whether it's a variety program, a music video, an advertisement, or whatever…if what you're watching stresses being thin, if it encourages viewers to compare themselves with the ideal men and women presented, and/or if it makes you feel like there's such a huge gap between your own body and theirs, then you're just going be left feeling ugly," said Turnbull.

Some observers believe that lookism has a greater impact on young people. The comedy shows, aired during primetime on Sunday evenings, are regarded as "family entertainment" programs.

"Korean television really stands out with the sheer amount of programming time devoted to appearance and dieting, with its uncritical narratives that cosmetic surgery is a safe and reliable means to financial and romantic success; and with the seeming unconcern with and even positive encouragement of passing those messages on to children," Turnbull said.

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