My face is smaller than your face

Body image and body ideals in different cultures have always fascinated me. What Americans consider beautiful (big pouty Angelina Jolie lips and bigger, poutier Pamela Anderson boobs) is not necessarily what other cultures deem beautiful. I have a vague memory from years back of my mom telling me that Brazilian men favor small breasts and big butts. This was quite a shock to me, since I had always considered my small tatas and "bubble butt" (thanks for that one, mom) something to be less than enthusiastic about. If I could only speak Portuguese, I thought...

In every culture, there seems to be something that women (and men, for that matter) want to change about themselves in a big way. I'm thinking about the Ethiopian women who wear increasingly larger lip plates until their lips are stretched beyond recognition; or the neck rings worn in some parts of Burma that stretch the neck upward and push the collarbones and ribs down; or the antiquated Chinese custom of foot-binding. In each culture, there is an image of ideal beauty that, sadly, women are not living up to.

Korea is no different. Here, as I think I've mentioned before, a V-shaped face and big eyes are desired. And not only is the shape of the face important, but the size as well. The smaller the face, the better. My co-worker, William, shared a Korean commercial with me that addresses this face shape issue. And while he was nervous that I would use the commercial to mock the Korean people, I think it's symptomatic of something larger and more universal--the idea that women are not made right, no matter what culture you find yourself in, and that if you have the chance to right yourself, no matter the pain, you should do it. While this commercial is light-hearted, I think it aims at something deeper, and it makes me sad. Essentially, the commercial involves a "face-off" between two girls who are both trying to prove they have the smaller face. In the end, one wins and one loses. The one who wins instructs the other to drink more of the tea they are both selling so that she can alter her face size. Major bummer.

Take a look: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l0MVG-gP0lE