One of the most commented and criticized topics of the idol industry is undoubtedly the transformation seen between pre-debut and recent photos of many artists. Today I'll be analysing those extreme image changes and the questions that always divide opinions. But remember, neither I nor anyone else can surely say what is or what's not "plastic". My examples will be based solely on pictures that are available on the Internet and thus can't be proved to be true or false.
The road to "perfect" beauty - Is it a wrong road to follow?
Hit me if you've never read someone judging an idol by the fact that he/she did plastic surgery. It's really common to see this kind of reactions in the K-Pop fandom, even if it hasn't been officially confirmed. And every time I read a comment like that, it comes to my mind one basic question: Why is someone bothered by the fact that other person got prettier?
Well, some surgeries can end up really bad, but let's focus on our object here. Korea has the best professionals in this area. An idol would never be put under the knife if their agency didn't know exactly what would happen. While it might not be enough for some "ungifted" faces, plastic surgery is already a developed science and it can't be compared to what it once was. So, going back to my first question, why the social paranoid with people who got something done in their face?
It's said that DBSK's angel-face Jaejoong went though surgery for his eyes - Look at him now. Got anything to whine about?
With that in mind, some possible answers start popping up. Basically, the beauty process that the idols may go through is expensive. Not only that, but it requires full dedication and couldn't be done under a "normal life" routine. Therefore, as in most K-Pop polemics, we have the jealousy factor. Netizens probably can't afford having their faces fixed, so they decide to attack who can.
This rage leads to the unfortunate events that we see every day, when every single idol that shows up is already accused of being "plastic", childhood bad photos (that kind of photo that everyone has and everyone hates) are searched and even websites are hacked simply to find ANYTHING that could be a reason to destroy the idol's image. And that's the moment when things are wrongly mixed, because a transformation doesn't mean someone went through plastic surgery.
The famous Big Bang's TOP pictures - the exact same face with just a different weight
When entering the entertainment industry, it's obvious that you need to be at your best. Many famous artists just worked really hard to lose weight and gain muscles. Not to mention their new haircuts, carefully chosen to fit their faces by specialist. Those are changes that make HUGE, I said HUUUUUUUUUUGE differences.
Those transformations, along with plastic surgery, also have a great psychological impact over the ones affected by them. It's extremely important that these singers have good self-esteem, and image is the main point in that matter, not only when you are an idol, but when you're a human being in a society that praises beauty over anything else, which is the basic structure of modern mass culture. These people are under an unimaginable pressure, and being pretty is essential to even think about a successful entertainment career.
See that? He would never have a girlfriend before! How can that be more depressing?
(Thanks to whoever made this awesome picture.)
Argue as much as you want, because in the end it comes back to the primary, obvious but mostly ignored question: "SO WHAT?". If someone's face bothers you, don't look at it. Judge it and you're basically saying that you are prettier, which in most cases I doubt it (no offense). Models and Idols, they are supposed to be an example of the "beauty pattern". What's wrong with the ways used to get there? Their personal success depends on it and no one has the right to punish them. But if you insist in criticizing them, here's a suggestion: Get a life, maybe then you can get the money to fix your face too, Mr. Natural Beauty Only.
"So what?"
