Korea Herald 20080110

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COMMUNITY

THURSDAY JANUARY 10, 2008

Chasing the phantom: beauty Expat living is a page dedicated to the issues that affect foreigners' daily lives. It is your page, where you can share stories about your life in Korea. Send story ideas to Matthew Lamers at [email protected]

SeoulSteves.com’s

top events for this week Clubs Club Circle is having a blowout Retro party on Jan. 10. For more info see www.thecircle.com

Arriving in Korea can seem like an assault on the senses. It’s easy to get lost in the sea of neon, the maze of buildings, and the never-ending stream of cars, scooters, and people. But a few days into my stay here, I couldn’t help but notice the ubiquitous beauty. Not the beauty of the surrounding mountains and lush green foliage that seemed to peek out from the corners and cracks of the concrete jungle I had somehow found myself in. Not the riotous splendor of the streets of Seoul — living, breathing masses moving through, in, and around each other. No, I was struck by the loveliness passing me on the sidewalks, waiting beside me to cross the street, brushing past me in a flurry of high heels and jetblack hair. These women, I thought, are stunning. As a young woman born and bred in North America, I am no stranger to the pressures that girls and women face every day concerning their appearance.

Stephanie Morris on Women’s Issues Magazines, movies, advertisements, newspapers, books, articles, the media, all of the diverse and seemingly endless ways in which we as a society have found to ensure that females are to make no mistakes regarding perceptions of beauty; the effort must be unending. All women who hail from my part of the world have felt some sort of anxiety because of these pressures. It was my foolish and ignorant belief that these specific pressures were somewhat unique to our North American ethos, and that my journey to Korea would provide a welcome reprieve from this. This assumption was brought to a screeching halt when I came face-to-face with the realities here. Let’s put aside the fact that Korean women know how to work high heels like nothing

I’ve ever seen; rarely do they fall or even stumble even when running full tilt down a busy crowded sidewalk dodging people, scooters, even cars. Never mind the stats that tell me that approximately 65 percent of Korean women over the age of 25 have or are planning to have some sort of plastic surgery in the foreseeable future — the most popular choice involving the widening of the eyes. I’m even willing to overlook the hundreds of shops and stores lining the streets that exclusively sell products to help smooth, shape, alter and otherwise change a woman’s appearance. I find it strangely ironic that drugstores back home push creams and powders to help make our skin appear tanned and darker, and here, I’m hardpressed to find a face cream that does not include “skin-whitener.” What continuously blows my mind is the sheer dedication and devotion that Korean

women put into their appearances every single day. Hair perfect? Make-up done? Heels? Check. It’s all there. It’s remarkable. It’s admirable. A little bit intimidating, and more than a little alarming. Back home, women are taught to emulate a particular kind of beautiful, and hail it as the most truthful, the most pure. But it’s all deceptive, a lie. Yet we strive for it and continuously fall short of it. We are told that the ‘failure’ is our own fault, and if we just worked a little harder, we, too, could be beautiful like the ones we see in magazines, on TV, and in the movies. But it’s all one big impossibility. And here in Korea? With heels to make them taller, surgeons to make their eyes bigger, and cream to whiten their skin, it seems that what these women want, more then anything, is to follow their counterparts in the pursuit of the Western ideal of beauty. You want to talk about

the impossible dream? How about the impossible tragedy? How about some of the most beautiful women in the world trying to change themselves. I stand in awe of the natural beauty of so many of these women. And how often do we as women, Caucasian, Asian or otherwise, strive to look like something we’re not, simply because we’re told that what we are trying to look like is “beautiful?” We somehow lose sight of the fact that there are many kinds of beauty, many shapes, infinite styles. And we forget how much we all stand to gain by appreciating the differences, and recognizing the value of our own uniqueness. Best to stop trying to be something we’re not, and accept and love what we are. Stephanie can be reached through her blog at http://stephanieinsuwon.blogsp ot.com or stephaniemorris7@ yahoo.ca — Ed.

Club Answer in Cheongdam is hosting John Pearn of Bodyrox Party on Jan. 12. Cover is 30,000 won. For more info see www.clubanswer.co.kr

Exhibitions Never had a chance to get down to visit Gwangju, Korea’s sixth largest city? Gwangju will have a tourism expo this coming weekend at the COEX convention center’s Pacific Hall. For more info see www.namdokorea.com

Volunteer The Hanyang-Ae Orphanage is coordinating volunteer efforts to work with the children there. A volunteer event is being organized for next weekend, Jan. 19, but you must register well in advance. Other opportunities are also available. For more info see www.orphanhome.org or contact Bang Dong-hwan at 02-777-5217. The Lonely Lifetime expat annual rescue group is sponsoring ongoing weekly trips to a Daejon animal shelter which is being forced to close. For more info see www.lonelylifetime.com Efforts to clean up the oil spill in Taean are ongoing. For more info see www.iguidekorea.com/taeanoilspill.html and http://expathh.wordpress. com

Community Events On Jan. 13, the Seoul Sunday Pickup Football League will be hosting its weekly soccer game. For more info see http://tinyurl.com/yvpeou or email [email protected] An early RSVP is required for The Seoul Cigar Aficionado Society monthly smoker at the Kabinett wine bar on Jan. 17. For more info email [email protected]

Educational Professional photographer Vincent Sung will begin a new set of classes in English for all levels this weekend. If there is enough interest, classes may also be held in French, Japanese, and Korean. Call 02-2235-8364. Cost is 250,000 won.

Festival The Sancheoneo Ice Festival is underway and Adventure Korea is organizing a two-day, one-night trip for the bargain price of 87,000 won. The group leaves Saturday morning and returns Sunday evening. There will be a second trip next weekend. For more info see www.adventurekorea.com

Wine On Jan. 11 the Gangnam Novotel Ambassador hotel is hosting a “Le Cafe du Commerce,” a celebration of the ties between Korea and France to be celebrated by enjoying fine French wine and cheese. Call 02-5316868 for reservations and information. To submit your events for publication on SeoulSteves and possibly be featured in The Korea Herald, visit www.SeoulSteves.com/submit

PHOTO CHALLENGE — This week’s challenge asked you to show us “design.” The winning photo, taken by Mairead McDaid, is this beautiful antique cash register. Here is her caption: This antique cash register was in a little cafe in Sinsa-dong, Seoul. The ornate design of these old contraptions is appealing, so different from the technology of Mairead McDaid, www.flickr.com/photos/lemonade today.

Ask the photographer — the rule of thirds What The Book’s English bestsellers Fiction Bestsellers

Nonfiction Bestsellers

1. A Thousand Splendid Suns Khaled Hosseini Hard cover

1. I Am America! (and So Can You!) Stephen Colbert Hard cover

2. The Kite Runner Khaled Hosseini Trade paper

2. The God Delusion Richard Dawkins Hard cover

3. Water for Elephants Sara Gruen Trade paper

3. Guns, Germs and Steel Jared Diamond Trade paper

4. The Choice Nicholas Sparks Hard cover

4. God Is not Great Christopher Hitchens Hard cover

5. The Road Cormac McCarthy Trade paper

5. Eat, Pray, Love Elizabeth Gilbert Trade paper

6. Love in the Time of Cholera Gabriel Garcia Marquez Trade paper

6. The World is Flat Thomas L. Friedman Trade paper

7. No Country for Old Men Cormac McCarthy Intl paperback ed.

7. The Secret Rhonda Byrne Hard cover

8. Protect and Defend Vince Flynn Hard cover

8. Brother One Cell Cullen Thomas Hard cover

9. Body Surfing Anita Shreve Trade paper

9. An Inconvenient Book Glenn Beck Hard cover

10. Plum Lucky Janet Evanovich Hard cover

10. The Assault on Reason Albert Gore Jr. Hard cover

What The Book ships anywhere in Korea. See its website at www.whatthebook.com

By David Smeaton

Q: I was reading about the “rule of thirds,” but I don’t understand why it’s so important to photography. Can you explain it? — Joanne, Seoul A: The rule of thirds is an interesting topic and it’s important in most visual arts, not just photography. The rule of thirds represents a system of producing an image that is visually aesthetic. Sure, it seems natural to put the subject in the middle

of the frame, but the shot actually looks better when the subject is placed in one of the thirds, slightly off center. The rule of thirds is easy to understand. Use four lines to break the frame into a grid containing nine equal boxes. It looks just like a tic-tac-toe board. The aim is to frame your shot so that the elements in the shot fall close to those four lines. The horizon, a person, trees, buildings, and other strong visual markers in your shot can be

made more powerful by placing them along these lines. The four points where the lines cross are even more powerful. Placing your subject here will give the shot a very good aesthetic feel. Of course, the rule of thirds can be broken when shooting repetition or portraiture, but photos that are the most visually appealing always make good use of the rule of thirds. Another concept related to the rule of thirds relates to ac-

tion. When your subject is moving, try to have them moving into the frame, rather than moving out of the frame. The shot will look and feel more natural. The same goes for your subject’s eyes. If you are photographing people, have them look into the open two-thirds of the frame. These days, most cameras have the ability to turn the rule of thirds guidelines on and off in your camera’s viewfinder. I use guidelines because they’re handy

for helping frame shots quickly. Visit my website to see a visual demonstration on how the rule of thirds works. Happy shooting. Send David a message at [email protected] or visit his website at www. davidsmeaton.com. If you want to be a part of the weekly Photo Challenge, join the “Seoul Photo Club” group on Facebook (www.facebook.com). —Ed.

‘I Have the Right to Destroy Myself’ Written by Kim Young-ha Orlando: Harcourt, Inc. 2007 Translated from the Korean by Kim Chi-young

Harcourt’s newly-published English translation of Kim Young-ha’s “I Have the Right to Destroy Myself” does a number of things right, even as it sits on the table of new releases. The sepia cover with its surreal orange cityscape, full moon, and falling body grab the eye without being garish, and the promotional blurb from the Macarthur Foundation Genius Grant-winning novelist and playwright Han Ong further add to the appeal. Originally published in 1996, when the author was in his 20s, this was Kim Young-ha’s first

Book Review by Marshall Moore novel. It attracted warm reviews in France and was even adapted into a feature film, but it has escaped notice in the Anglosphere until now. And it’s a debut that demands to be noticed. Set in a fairly bleak 1990s Seoul, this short novel traces the lives of several characters whose stories are woven together by a nameless and insidiously malign narrator. The premise is elegant: this young man, who appears to be financially independent, works as a freelance helpline counselor. During these calls, as his callers unload their troubles upon him, he probes to

identify his ideal clients, the ones whose suicides he can facilitate. Two brothers in their mid20s, known only as K and C, have the bizarre misfortune to become romantically entangled with two different women who make use of the narrator’s services. Complexity ensues. This novel isn’t intended to be a thriller, so the story’s climax is not intended to be a surprise. Rather, the intrigue lies in the route Kim takes, and the cool erudition shown throughout. The book almost lost me in its early focus on K and C. There have been many — perhaps too many — novels written about underemployed and disaffected Generation X-ers. “I Have the Right to Destroy Myself” has all the requisite generation angst

hallmarks: empty sexual encounters, tenuous home lives and relationships, aimless friends — but just when I thought Kim was redoing “Less Than Zero” in Seoul, the brilliance kicked in. Kim’s timing was flawless: perhaps without meaning to, he upended the entire genre, quit while he was ahead, and returned to his nameless, satanic narrator’s quest for a new client to coax into killing herself. He maintains this balance of contrast and control throughout the novel. References to the works of artists like Klimt and Delacroix shine against Seoul’s gritty bleakness. In many scenes, his laconic characters barely know how to express themselves, and then the narrator comments on

Maria Callas or the architecture of Vienna. “I Have the Right to Destroy Myself” is reminiscent of the elegant perversity of a Ryu Murakami novel, yet it is entirely original. I will look forward to seeing more of Kim’s work published in English, and I expect him to take his place among the literary stars of his generation: Korea’s answer to David Mitchell, Bret Easton Ellis, and Alex Garland. Marshall can be reached through his website www. marshallmoore.com and msminpdx.livejournal.com “I Have the Right to Destroy Myself” can be purchased at “What The Book?” in Itaewon or at www.whatthebook.com —Ed.