It is no secret that in Korea, makeup is sort of an essential part of life. Not just women but people of all genders are known to use at least a few makeup products to enhance the preventability of their face on a daily basis. However, just because it is normalized doesn’t mean the practice is free from criticism.
A picture posted by a Korean netizen who destroyed her makeup during the “Escape The Corset” movement to protest toxic beauty standards in the country | Reddit
There are concerns over how people feel pressured to meet the strict beauty standards in Korea since physical appearance decides a lot of someone’s fate in their personal and professional life. So, the over-emphasis on makeup, even in day-to-day life, could often indicate potential body dysmorphia or similar conditions.
One extreme instance of this would be Bae Da Mi, who went viral in 2011 for not removing her makeup for two years straight!
Bae Da Mi was featured on an episode of the tvN show X-File when she was just 20 years old. The program revealed that she wore makeup around the clock for two years.
The episode offered a detailed glimpse of her life and makeup “addiction,” which seemingly started during high school. Since then, her family hadn’t seen her bare face for years as she refused to remove it, even while going to sleep. Bae’s mother tried reminding her that she was still beautiful without makeup, but Bae was convinced that it was the only way to maintain her idea of beauty.
Bae reportedly couldn’t stay away from mirrors. She would carry a mirror everywhere she went.
In fact, the episode showed her stopping mid-way while skiing to fix her makeup, even though her face was barely visible with the skiing gears.
