In a subway automotive on a latest afternoon, seven younger South Korean girls stood silently amongst a crowd of passengers. He wore the identical seasonal jacket and windbreaker as the opposite passengers, however one accent made him stand out: old style hair curlers tucked tightly into his bangs.
These plastic cylinders, often coated with Velcro, might be seen virtually in all places round Seoul – in cafes and eating places, on public transport, on the road.
And whereas they could appear to be a relic of a bygone period, younger girls carrying them say they are not solely practical, but additionally an indication of adjusting concepts about gender and sweetness, and the nation’s generational divide.
Jang Eun-won, a 23-year-old faculty scholar in Seoul who makes use of curlers each day, stated she wore her bangs outdoors her dwelling to take care of good curls earlier than going to an occasion or assembly. She stated that her mom advised her to cease, for concern that others would discover it inappropriate.
Plastic cylinders, often coated with Velcro, might be seen virtually in all places round Seoul (Jean Chung/The New York Times)
But for Jung, look issues extra on the vacation spot than the way in which there.
“You only have to look good in front of the people you care about,” she stated.
That impartial perspective is shared by many younger individuals who really feel detached to conventions that had been as soon as seen strictly in South Korean society. Today’s youth say they’re much less involved about what different individuals assume and are selecting as a substitute to be extra careless.
Jung stated that not like earlier generations of ladies, who felt it was essential to decorate in non-public, hidden from the sight of males, she and others care little if their magnificence efforts are seen. “So it doesn’t matter if you have a curler on the subway or in a cafe.”
In South Korea, hair rollers are generally worn with bangs. Costing as little as 80 cents, they’re accessible and reasonably priced to most ladies. Korean celebrities usually submit photos on social media sporting curlers. Older girls are each intrigued and mystified by this phenomenon.
Lee Jeong-jin, 51, has a 21-year-old daughter who usually wears curlers outdoors the home, a lot to her mom’s dismay. Lee, who lives close to Seoul, stated it isn’t uncommon for youth to have a “so what” perspective.
She can relate. She stated that when she was in her teenagers, it was a pattern in South Korea to make use of hair spray to create lengthy, shiny hairstyles.
“I’m pretty sure the older generation thought we were weird at the time,” she stated.
Yet Kim Ji-in, 54, sees hair curlers as a part of a wider shift amongst younger girls who really feel they should behave in public with out complying with expectations about magnificence and gender. needs to be allowed.
“I’ve seen a 20-year-old woman sitting on the subway floor with makeup spread out in front of her,” she stated. He stated that in his time it was unimaginable for a girl to exit with rollers in her hair.
Protests towards South Korea’s usually inflexible magnificence requirements and restrictive views about gender are nothing new. Following #MeToo allegations within the nation a number of years in the past, some girls responded with “Escape the Corset,” a motion wherein they gave up make-up and lower bowls to protest oppressive beliefs about bodily attractiveness.
Still, the nation has one of many world’s main magnificence industries, accounting for about 3% of the worldwide magnificence market in 2019, in line with the International Trade Administration, a US authorities company.
The South Korean cosmetics business is flourishing regardless of the pandemic. Amorepacific, one of many largest magnificence conglomerates within the nation, reported an 8.5 p.c year-over-year enhance in gross sales within the first quarter of 2021. According to the Korea Trade Association, exports in magnificence merchandise additionally grew by 16% over the earlier 12 months.
But more and more, younger individuals say they like to return as they’re.
Researcher Kim Dong-wan, 25, in Seoul, stated he was confused when he first noticed girls carrying hair curlers about six years in the past. Now she says she is “indifferent” and is much less prone to stress girls lately to cover such issues and is demanding extra respect.
He stated, ‘Times have modified loads.
This article initially appeared in The New York Times.
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With inputs from TheIndianEXPRESS
