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South Korea's first black model faces widespread racism

But what do you mean by "western"? It's like the OP is about Koreans' that are racist as fuck to people with mixed parents, and I know from living here that includes one white parent, and that's all about how they look different. But then people are getting surgery for it. I've never seen a Korean with surgery that looks like one of my colleagues's kids who are from mixed families?

The problem people have is your complete denial of any western influence whatsoever to it, and that these beauty standards are ONLY an insular Korean thing, despite their current culture saying otherwise.
 
So Europeans traded for slaves with the local African authorities?
Are you Dan Ryckert? lol
Calling it "authorities" is a bit of a stretch. There were kings and other tribal leaders, and yes, the Europeans did trade with them. Slave traders obviously traded for slaves.
These tribes and kingdoms often warred each-other so they had warriors and prisoners of war which they then traded.
Of course it was far from unusual for the slave traders to eventually go after the tribes they they traded with.
There was obviously a huge gap in technology and warfare, but some tribes did resist. See the story of Queen Nzinga for example.
 
My question is he really the first black model in the history of SK? You mean to tell me there has never been any form of advertisement (online, print or TV) in the history of SK without a black person? I find that hard to believe....
 
But what do you mean by "western"? It's like the OP is about Koreans' that are racist as fuck to people with mixed parents, and I know from living here that includes one white parent, and that's all about how they look different. But then people are getting surgery for it. I've never seen a Korean with surgery that looks like one of my colleagues's kids who are from mixed families?

You mentioned Julie Roberts earlier, a pretty white all american girl. Celebs get that look, the eyes, the facial structure, the nose job. Then these surgeries become popular because that is what the celebs got.

You said you have lived here for six years, I am pretty sure you have heard Koreans talk about western eyes and know exaclty what they mean.

Koreans don't want to look like Julie Roberts, they want to look like Korean celebs who look like Julie Roberts.
 
The problem people have is your complete denial of any western influence whatsoever to it, and that these beauty standards are ONLY an insular Korean thing, despite their current culture saying otherwise.


The guy I responded to said Korean's "worship white beauty", I don't agree. And I don't think Korean's have "white people nose" surgery. I think the majority of Koreans get surgery because looks are very important, but they get surgeries based on the looks of other Koreans.
 
My question is he really the first black model in the history of SK? You mean to tell me there has never been any form of advertisement (online, print or TV) in the history of SK without a black person? I find that hard to believe....

First black Korean model. Of course black people have done advertisement, but this seems to be the first time a Korean who is black has become a model. I was confused like you until I read his name and understood.
 
The guy I responded to said Korean's "worship white beauty", I don't agree. And I don't think Korean's have "white people nose" surgery. I think the majority of Koreans get surgery because looks are very important, but they get surgeries based on the looks of other Koreans.

I don't see how you don't get this.

You mentioned Julie Roberts earlier, a pretty white all american girl. Celebs get that look, the eyes, the facial structure, the nose job. Then these surgeries become popular because that is what the celebs got.

You said you have lived here for six years, I am pretty sure you have heard Koreans talk about western eyes and know exaclty what they mean.

Koreans don't want to look like Julie Roberts, they want to look like Korean celebs who look like Julie Roberts.
 
The guy I responded to said Korean's "worship white beauty", I don't agree. And I don't think Korean's have "white people nose" surgery. I think the majority of Koreans get surgery because looks are very important, but they get surgeries based on the looks of other Koreans.

A lot of Korean beauty standards come from KPOP idols.

red-velvet_1426863012_af_org.jpg

It's true that it's not 100% Western influenced but KPOP idols DO take from Western standards.
 
Pretty typical for racially homogeneous nations, actually. A *lot* of countries are *far* more racist than you may think. The less people interact with other races, the more likely they are to develop damaging stereotypes and deep mistrust. Korea is *extremely* homogeneous.

I'm actually surprised the number for China in the OP is so low, but I fully admit to being ignorant of relevant information.
Because China is the most diverse country in that region.
 
And many don't even like other East Asian countries. It's more than just racism, it's ANYBODY that doesn't share the same cultural heritage.
Yeah this is a big issue as well.

I've had a Chinese friend who goes to Japan frequently and since she's also fluent in Japanese, she makes it a point to never bring up her actual nationality.

That said, having been to Japan myself (as a minority even) and interacted with people there, I would still recommend visiting the country in a heartbeat. With the exception of this one lazy worker at LaoX, everyone I met was incredibly polite. Although I admit it'll probably be a different story if I maybe went to the less popular areas of the country and if I wasnt lucky enough to surprisingly pass off as a Japanese person for the most part.

Some stories from SK really sound way shittier than the ones I've heard from the rest of East Asia though.
 
As a white male in Korea the last seven years it can be hard enough.

Taxi drivers don't want to take you, some places flat out have signs on the doors saying no foreigners, people not wanting to sit next to you on the bus or subway.

But non white friends have it much worse, especially with the comments.

The sad thing is that the most unwelcoming people tend to be the younger generations.

Granted I was only in South Korea for 3 weeks or so during the 2002 World Cup, but I never experienced any of this as a white Australian. It's actually one of the best countries I've visited based on my experiences there, every Korean person I met was incredibly welcoming. They treated me like a rock star, people were stopping me in the street to take photos with them, women were buying me drinks at bars, plenty of randoms gave me lifts back to my hotel after a drunken night, even random people in the street asked if I wanted to use their phone a few times when I looked lost.

From what we were told they hate all Americans, black or white...
 
A country where people worship white beauty so much they have the highest rate of plastic surgery in the world, doesn't like black people?

tenor.gif



Are we just going to pretend this is not specific to black people? Nothing to do with being homogenous as they would love to live next to white people.

They just don't like black people. Let's stop with the excuses.

Yeah, feel free to make topics about this, but there's not really much "discussion" to be had.
 
I can only speak from my own experiences as a white male, which of course are not gonna come anywhere near to what friends have experienced, but i view the younger generation as less welcoming to foreigners. A lot of the older generation tend to remember the Korean war and are very thankful for foreign help.

The younger generation seems to want to keep their distance at time. In Gangnam, the place PSY made famous, they have bars and clubs that flar out refuse foreigners, even white people. I remember an article in a Korean paper a view years back that younger Korean felt threatened about losing jobs in the key industries to foreigners and that was a reason why they were not welcoming.

Of course it is my own experience and I am sure a large percentage of older Koreans would not want their children marrying non-Koreans.

those bars and clubs that flat out refuse foreigners, refuse allllll foreigners fyi. including korean american foreigners.
 
There is mo reason to believe the woman didn't react like a teenage girl would with Ed Sheeran was behind the mask.
I'm talking about both guy included. You say it's a classic staged reaction, so I'm just asking for confirmation in this particular instance.
 
This is just going to keep happening to homogeneous societies

They'll stop kicking and screaming eventually

Hope less incredibly stupid people will hurt other people for the way they look someday
 
There should be protests, really. And work to criticise or outright ban k-hip hop and other cultural appropriation until Koreans start treating black people like humans.
 
China, Japan and South Korea have more nationalistic tendencies than other Asian countries.

This should come as no surprise to anyone.

If you spot / knows someone who buys a fucking toothpaste from " made in my country ", good chance he is xenophobic. Patriotic my ass.
 
I'm only surprised in that Koreans are two faced assholes and usually suck up to mixed raced kids or adoptees if they are attractive/rich/famous. Like Hines Ward or Benson Henderson. Or how that one "dad" came out crying claiming he "lost" his son at the market after he ended up on the US Olympic team.

I guess this dude is "too dark" to let it slide.

Koreans are horrible.
 
Ironically, they'll start liking black folks if more black politicians make decisions about their country.

You need a strong intelligent black politician telling them whats what. You had Obama for that, but you need a whole group of them to really sink it in. I doubt they had a good image of Caucasians until europeans came around and made decisions that impacted them directly.
 
I can only speak from my own experiences as a white male, which of course are not gonna come anywhere near to what friends have experienced, but i view the younger generation as less welcoming to foreigners.

I've lived in Gyeonggido and Jeollabukdo. Most of my Korean friends are college students (or are finishing up their military service). I've been dating a Korean for the past 2 years. My experience has been the complete opposite of this, the younger generation is significantly more likely to interact and welcome foreigners than the previous generation, who largely ignore us. They tend to be a lot more traveled than their older counterparts and are definitely more exposed to foreign culture.

Those Koreans who are against foreigners tend to be against them for the same reasons as in the west - there's not a ton of jobs available in Korea (especially for younger people) and they see them as a threat (same reason a lot of them aren't exactly looking forward to reunification).

Ironically, they'll start liking black folks if more black politicians make decisions about their country.

You need a strong intelligent black politician telling them whats what. You had Obama for that, but you need a whole group of them to really sink it in. .

Speaking of Obama, he was insanely well liked here. Donald Trump (a white man)? Not so much.
 
Beautiful guy and can only hope he gets positive feedback outweighing the negative. If enough of that happens, there's hope for a change in attitudes. It would be a shame for his agency to give up on him and other mixed/foreign models.
 
Beautiful guy and can only hope he gets positive feedback outweighing the negative. If enough of that happens, there's hope for a change in attitudes. It would be a shame for his agency to give up on him and other mixed/foreign models.

They will give up. Because the industry will freeze the agency out and they will have no choice if they want to continue to do business.
 
The reaction doesn't surprise me. What I have often wondered about though is how black fans of Kpop and Korean dramas feel about idolising celebrities and figures that hail from a country where dark skin is so despised. Isn't the aversion towards dark skin far stronger in south Korea than it is in Japan or China? How do you overlook those cultural views in the knowledge that the celebs you idolise likely harbour those very same views (more so because they are in the entertainment industry where there is a special emphasis on appearance)?
 
Probably the abstract nature of the statement. After all, a 'foreigner' can be anyone, like say... a white Brit. Ask them if they want an Iraqi, Nigerian, or Mexican neighbour and the answer might be quite different.
An important distinction.

Or even just ask white people whether they want a black American as their neighbor. It will be higher if they are being honest. I remember when I was little and my friend was moving away from the neighborhood. I asked why, "Dad says there are too many black people now."

White flight is a thing.
 
China, Japan and South Korea have more nationalistic tendencies than other Asian countries.

This should come as no surprise to anyone.

If you spot / knows someone who buys a fucking toothpaste from " made in my country ", good chance he is xenophobic. Patriotic my ass.

The racism in Japan is far less apparent than in Korea, hence my disappointment in Korea since even their neighbors are more libral

I can't comment on China though Although I have a friend who went there for 1 year and said that he had great time
 
Well, whatever the initial reason, it was exacerbated by a hundred years of global Hollywood.

Yup.

If white people are being treated as better or equal or only slightly worse than locals, it's because they succeeded in cultural dominance through Hollywood.

Asia have limited interactions and understanding of black people, it's not as excuse to be ignorant but I'm pointing out that the Hollywood halo effect is real.

Culture can change a race perception overtime.
 
Yup.

If white people are being treated as better or equal or only slightly worse than locals, it's because they succeeded in cultural dominance through Hollywood.

Asia have limited interactions and understanding of black people, it's not as excuse to be ignorant but I'm pointing out that the Hollywood halo effect is real.

Culture can change a race perception overtime.

Korea is also influenced by a history of US military presence and anectdotal evidence by the diaspora. 18 years olds of any ethnic background aren't the best ambassadors of a country/culture. And what Koreans hear from relatives who immigrated, primarily to the US isn't so great either.

And it reflects. Having been to orphanages in the Seoul area, a good number of the kids are clearly biracial black. It's fucking heart wrenching. Those kids have a markedly harder future in that society.
 
A friend of mine sent me this on Facebook the other day:

https://m.imgur.com/gallery/8B80Y

You know

I heard this from a woman who complained about going to Japan and people were angry at her for wearing perfume.

East Asian people hardly need deodorant/perfume so you don't expect people to smell strongly on public transport. I think that's what this is.

--

But for real SK has racism issues even with Irish people. And go outside of Seoul and people get legit scared if you're black.
 
You know

I heard this from a woman who complained about going to Japan and people were angry at her for wearing perfume.

East Asian people hardly need deodorant/perfume so you don't expect people to smell strongly on public transport. I think that's what this is.

Almost all Korean and most Japanese people have a genetic mutation, where they do not have the gene ABCC11. Along with producing dry earwax, it also doesn't allow for sebaceous glands which excrete the oils associated with body odor.
 
I'm only surprised in that Koreans are two faced assholes and usually suck up to mixed raced kids or adoptees if they are attractive/rich/famous. Like Hines Ward or Benson Henderson. Or how that one "dad" came out crying claiming he "lost" his son at the market after he ended up on the US Olympic team.

I guess this dude is "too dark" to let it slide.

Koreans are horrible.

That's cool, generalize and insult an entire race. There's nothing ironic about this post at all.
 
That's cool, generalize and insult an entire race. There's nothing ironic about this post at all.

I have a lifetime of experience of which to draw on.

I love them and hate them. I will sing their praises when I need to, but I'm not going to sugarcoat the bad stuff.

Koreans are two faced. It's cultural.
 
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