Legs!

Previously, I’ve never been of the “Asian persuasion,” which is to say, I’ve never been one of those guys who wish for a significant other from the Far East. For this reason, before coming to Korea, I assumed that I’d never be distracted from my prerogative: to compare U.S. and Korean culture. Well, I must admit that I am falling for the “Asian persuasion.” As soon as I deplaned at Seoul Inchon Airport, I found myself instantly comparing the look, style, and demeanor of Korean women with those of the U.S. To not make such a comparison seemed almost impossible, for Korean women instantly appear much dressier than those in the United States. Short pencil skirts, tapered blouses, and heels are everywhere. In fact, the skirts are quite short for United States standards. Some are downright scandalous.

At first I wondered why so many Korean women went to great lengths to look more than presentable. Why dress so nicely when simply going to class, airport, or shopping at the outside local markets? Maybe it’s expected of them by their culture, or perhaps the answer partially lies in the fact that Korean women can very successfully pull off this look. Let me clear: for the most part, Korean women have fabulous body symmetry. Only a very small percentage of Korean women I’ve come across are overweight. Slim, hourglass figures are everywhere. Walking down a crowded street is like walking behind 42 runway models. Nearly every woman possesses a tiny waist with long, slender, very-intentionally exposed legs, which are almost always accentuated by heels. Granted, Korean women are quite petite compared to U.S. standards, but their near perfect body symmetry gives the appearance of height.

However, for what Korean women gain by their slim figures, they lack in, well, bust size. In the United States, if one walks through any public place, s/he is bound to encounter more than a few intentional displays of cleavage. In Korea, that virtually never happens. In fact, low cut blouses are rarely to be seen. In terms of clothing above the waist, Korean women appear extraordinarily modest compared to their U.S. counterparts. But their skirts certainly do not mimic this apparent modesty.

After contemplating these differences in dress between Korean and U.S. women, I propose a common denominator can be found between them: women in both countries use clothing to deliberately accentuate their greatest physical “assets.” For many U.S. women, they may feel that their favorite attribute lies above the waist. For many Asian women, they may think their best attribute lies below their waist. Right or wrong, such a premise on its face certainly seems to explain the differences between the clothing of Korean and U.S. women.

In terms of demeanor, Korean women never make eye contact when passing by, unlike many women in the United States. I asked a local university student about my observation. She stated that in Korea, people do not make casual eye contact. In other words, one should not expect a smile or even an acknowledgment from a Korean when walking through a public place. One of my classmates from the U.S. said it best, “I feel like I should say, ‘Hi,’ or something to these people. It’s so weird that no one says it.” The lack of eye contact and friendly smiles offered by Korean women (and men) may make them first appear uninviting. But when interaction occurs, I have found Korean women to be incredibly kind and gracious. Warm smiles and friendly gestures are prevalent. In this regard Korean women are very similar to the actions of a typical “Southern Belle”. Just don’t expect a smile, or even an acknowledgement of an offered smile, from a Korean woman when walking down the street.