Assistant Professor, Department of Foreign Languages, College of Humanities and Management, Fooyin University, Taiwan
Online published on 16 May, 2016.
In today's society, high level of significance is placed on external appearance. Historically, it is women that are stereotypically associated with being worried about their appearance. Nowadays, men too are increasingly more concerned about their body image. Recent studies (Featherstone, 1991a; Giddens, 1991; Gill, Henwood, and McLean, 2005) have indicated that perceptions of the body are important to men's sense of confidence. There are a wide variety of means to achieve the ideal body image, such as workout, healthy eating, and exercise. Body modification practices, such as cosmetic surgery, are becoming increasingly popular among men who want to look younger and more attractive. To build on this research, this paper investigated college students perspective on their appearance and attitude toward minimally-invasive cosmetic procedures via focus group discussions with male college students in Southern Taiwan. Data are discussed in relation to contemporary constructions of masculinity, body image, and identity. Findings suggest that consumer culture and a star celebrity from South Korea promotes an atmosphere that the body is malleable and should be enhanced. The influence of South Korean popular culture has spread across Asia. Music videos, soap operas and pop stars are now very popular in Taiwan, Singapore and other parts of Asia, which influence how people consider the ideal beauty and masculinity.
Minimally-invasive cosmetic procedures, masculinity, identity, bodily image, the Korean wave
