Elise Hu on South Korean Beauty Culture and the Quest to Be “Flawless”

KQED's Forum

KQED

News, Politics, News Commentary

4.2 • 726 Ratings

🗓️ 30 June 2023

⏱️ 56 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

It’s no secret that American beauty culture, driven by Hollywood and social media, preys on our insecurities and promotes unattainable standards around the world. But another country is giving the U.S. a run for its money. In her new book Flawless, journalist Elise Hu explores the global rise and influence of K-beauty, or South Korean beauty culture, now a $10 billion industry. Hu, NPR’s former Seoul Bureau chief, reveals how that city became the plastic surgery capital of the world. And she examines how other countries, including the U.S., are now embracing South Korean beauty products and practices like double cleansing and snail mucus face masks. We’ll talk with Hu about how K-beauty standards both empower and constrain women, and about what it means to be “beautiful” in the 21st century. Guests: Elise Hu, NPR host-at-large and the host of TED Talks Daily; former Seoul bureau chief, NPR. Author of the new book "Flawless: Lessons in Looks and Culture from the K-Beauty Capital" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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0:51.5	Thank you. Very. From KQED. From KQED in San Francisco. I'm Leslie McClurg. I'm in from Mina Kim. Coming up on forum,
0:57.3	it's no secret that American beauty culture, driven by Hollywood and social media, praise on our
1:02.8	insecurities and promotes unattainable standards around the world. But another country is giving
1:08.2	the U.S. a run for its money. In her new book, Flawless, Lessons and Looks and Culture from the K-Beauty Capital,
1:13.6	journalist Elise Hu explores the global rise and influence of South Korean beauty culture,
1:18.6	now a $10 billion industry.
1:21.6	And she joins us next after this news. News.
1:42.6	This is Forum. I'm Leslie McClurek. I'm in today from Mina Kim. From the rise of K-pop megastars to the dominance of K-dramas on Netflix, South Korea has
1:47.2	become a global cultural powerhouse. And beauty culture is no exception. In her new book,
1:52.2	Flawless, Elise Hugh looks at the rise of South Koreans' $10 billion beauty industry and how it became
1:58.3	the plastic surgery capital of the world. And she examines how other
	...

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