Jo Moon L&S Social Sciences
Beautiful Work: Lookism and Aesthetic Labor in South Korea
Seoul, South Korea, is revered as the beauty capital of the world. The embedded “oemo jisang juui” culture, meaning “looks are supreme” and shorthanded to “lookism,” defines Korea’s aesthetic hierarchy, leaving little escape from cosmetic treatments, products and procedures as solutions.This globalized reputation, however, conceals structural labor dynamics that underlie Korea’s beauty culture. My research seeks to contribute towards redefining productivity in South Korea, bridging the gap between the political economy of affective and aesthetic labor and existing scholarship surrounding K-beauty. K-beauty rode the Hallyu Wave into global notoriety, cementing its role as a driver of insecurity and a spectacular economic success in South Korea. However, mainstream economic analysis does not yet recognize that this $10 billion industry is not the only productive aspect to the Korean economy. Nor does it recognize that in a society where lookism renders physical beauty as a prerequisite for economic mobility, the unwaged—but essential—labor in maintaining appearances is not just a means to productive work, but is productive work.
Message To Sponsor
I am incredibly thankful to receive funding for my research, as it affirms the academic value of critically studying labor that not only isn’t considered “productive” in mainstream economics, but is a subject deserving of scholarly attention. This funding acts as an essential gateway towards reinforcing the legitimacy of beauty’s place in an economy, and I couldn’t be more grateful to delve into it this summer.