South Korean advertisements

The emergence of the K-Pop industry in South-Korea has led to some drastic changes in terms of outer appearances of men. Over time, South-Korea - and other Asian countries – have redefined masculinity. Whereas in Western countries, such as the United States, the stereotypical men feel the need to come across as tough and muscular, Asian masculinity differs from the Western. Male K-Pop stars aren’t reluctant to behave in awkward or silly ways, and are less harder to understand because of their emotional state of mind. This mental attitude makes the fans feel more related to the male figures,and thus they feel stronger connected to the stars.

Another way in which Asian men try to stand out, is with their polished outer appearances. If anything, Asia has become known for it’s people who value flawless skin. Thus, the usage of skincare products is of great importance. The new form of masculinity attracts lots of female fans, and the skin-care industry has taken quite some advantages of it because they know it sells.

In this picture, which is taken in a shopping district in Seoul, known for the large amount of make-up selling stores, there are men depicted, promoting products such as skin-care products and make up, in the advertisements above the entrances. With these advertisements I would like to address the statement made by Dyer, who claimed that the male image must show activity in the way the body is posed. The male body, according to Dyer, is supposed to carry out the emphasis of masculinity, and should be prepared for action. Muscles, a symbol of power, are shown, too. However, in the picture above, all of the models struck a pose that is quite passive and not too dominant. Another statement made by Dyer is the claim in which he believes that muscles represent beauty and power. However, several Korean men have stated that they have been noticed more ever since they started to slightly change both their outer appearances as well as their inner appearances in a way that is not stereotypical masculine. Hence my opinion is that Dyers statements can be disproven.