The drama My ID Is Gangnam Beauty, which contains realistic insights on plastic surgery, recently ended. When I watched this drama, I had many questions like, ‘Have I been living in a world without prejudice against plastic surgery?’ I thought that the reason for plastic surgery was simply ‘satisfaction with oneself’. However, this drama introduced me to lookism.
  The main character in the drama, Mirae, is a beautiful person who is very caring and genuinely concerned about others. However, when she was young, she was bullied because of her ugly appearance. Finally, she chose plastic surgery because she wanted to be normal. Her choice came from her desire that people would see her inner beauty instead of her appearance. I looked at her and thought, ‘Could I have not known the inner beauty of other people because I was also focused on appearances?’
  People say that appearance is a capability in this society, and plastic surgery is not difficult to undergo. Therefore, I thought about it. Why is the competitiveness of appearance in Korean society so intense? I do not know exactly, but I do know that appearance is important. This is because people are enthusiastic about beauty. Those who want to be beautiful spend money to become better-looking. I think plastic surgery is the representative form of such consumption. Many people often have cosmetic surgery because they can possess beauty after they pay for it. The problem is that people are evaluated through external appearances and discrimination often occurs. This can be easily seen on dating applications that simply rate a person’s appearance, and people can become desperate when they’re deprived of the right to love because of a lack of external beauty.
  For this reason, I think that people who have self-esteem often lose their confidence when they focus on their looks. Such people may diet or put on makeup to change their appearance. Despite these efforts, people who do not feel a change in their appearance eventually have plastic surgery. Plastic surgery is not just a means of satisfying oneself, but it is a means of overcoming the prejudices of others.
  Maybe we are all the same. We want to be interested in others and also pursue happiness. At the end of the drama, Mirae said, “From now on, I will live regardless of appearance. Therefore, I will find a way to enjoy my life.” I hope she will overcome her wounds and find true happiness, and I am confident that I can also find a way to be happy in this society.