A poster for Korean beauty products in Humayunpur | Photo: Suresh K. Pandey A poster for Korean beauty products in Humayunpur | Photo: Suresh K. Pandey Keya* is 17 years old and already owns more anti-aging cosmetic products than her mother Maya*. Her favourite music is Blackpink, a Korean girlband founded in 2017 and her favourite artist is Jennie Kim, the band’s lead vocalist.
“She is so glamourous; her skin and her hair look like they’re made of glass. Flawless!” Keya says, her eyes lighting up with excitement while discussing something she loves. By her own admission, the teenager researches and follows 28-year-old Kim’s beauty and selfcare routines. This includes spending over Rs 10,000 every few months on K-beauty products that the popstar reportedly uses, her mother says.
“She finds all the information on Instagram, and lately she’s taken to ordering them online without telling me,” says the exasperated mother. Maya has recently started using these packages as a kind of bribe to get her daughter to follow her instructions. “When the package is delivered, I get it instead of sending it back, and then we make a deal—you want this toner you have to eat this much of your food, you have to do this much homework etc.,” says Maya. But she worries that her daughter is chasing something unachievable and how this is will impact her self-image and mental health.
Keya’s is not an unusual story. According to Malvika Shah, who is pursuing her M.A. in clinical psychology at St. Xavier’s College (autonomous), Ahmedabad, young people who consume K-content “are more dissatisfied with their body as compared to those who do not consume Korean content.” Shah’s dissertation was a study on the effects of Korean media on young people. Her study found that consumers of Korean content are more likely to have body dysmorphia. She also found that “people who were consuming Korean content are more preoccupied over not gaining weight and that their self-classified weight was more exaggerated.”
These are worrying findings given that India is the country with the greatest number of young people in the world. Around 808 million people, which is approximately 66 per cent of the total population of India, are under the age of35. Around 40 per cent of them are 13-25-year-olds, i.e., Millennials and Gen Z. On average, Indian women (adults and teens) spent 531 million USD on South Korean products as last counted on 2023. By 2032, this market is expected to grow to over 1.3 billion USD—most of it thanks to Gen Z.
Anindita Sarkar is a senior doctor/consultant at Aayana clinic, a medispa founded by renowned dermatologist Simal Soin, that offers cosmetic treatments ranging from hair to skin to body-sculpting. With over 21 years of experience in the field, Sarkar says Indians’ interest in medical treatments for skin and hair has been steadily increasing over the last “15 years.”
K-Top Into The New World | Outlook's Next Issue On Korean Culture“About 15 per cent of our clientele is young people (minors) approaching us for acne and other issues. And their numbers are rising. The good thing is that they are accompanied by their guardians and parents,” she says.
Keya has recently taken to showing her mother brochures for treatments that include using lasers and radio frequency to achieve the shiny, poreless and bright skin that her K-pop idols are known for. Sarkar confirms that children are “putting a lot of pressure on their parents,” but adds that “there is an awareness in parents today that this will help their kids’ confidence and if it’s within certain boundaries, then it’s probably a good thing.”
With a medical-grade facial priced at around Rs 10,000 per session and more intensive treatments going for almost Rs 1.5 lakhs, buying confidence can prove to be expensive. Sarkar points out that this is a luxury segment without doubt. “What we see now is that the people who were earlier willing to spend on luxury items like bags etc., are now realising that healthy skin is the best accessory.”
At Aayana, we came across two young women who had taken time from work to consult on the body-sculpting treatments. One of them confirmed that the procedures— priced at nearly a lakh per session—would be “quite an investment” but would be worth it as they had been struggling with body issues for “most” of their lives. They had heard about the treatment, popularised by celebrities worldwide, through social media.
The Media and Body DysmorphiaThe Netflix wrap 2022 Korean and Spanish was the most popular language content apart from English. Research done by Netflix in India found a 370 per cent increase in Korean drama viewership in the country. Articles by Koreaboo.com also highlighted original posts of international reddit users and netizens stating how Korean music videos and idols impacted them. One female user stated how she started hating her long face after viewing small faces of Korean idols and some of the users considered plastic surgery to change their faces.
Keya, who is only 17, has repeatedly asked her mother if she can get a non-invasive cosmetic treatment that is popular with K-pop stars for anti-aging known as the HIFU treatment. This can cost between 8,000 to 10,000 per session, with a minimum recommended package of six sessions every fortnight to see lasting results. Maya laughs about it, but says she is worried. “Even I don’t get this because it is so expensive and must be redone every six months to maintain results. Also, it’s for anti-aging. Can you imagine explaining to a 17-year-old that she doesn’t need HIFU and retinoids at her age?”
A few months ago, Maya found out that her daughter was following the infamous cup diet which has been popularised by K-pop stars. As per the diet, you are allowed to eat only the amount that fits into a small papercup. The 17-year-old, who leads an active life and participates in many sports, survived for several months on only 900 calories a day—less than half the 2,000 calories she would need to remain healthy.
Grace Lee's Journey: Korean Language and Culture Flourish in PatnaDr Shilpa Garg, a dermatologist at Sri Ganga Ram Hospital, says that following such trends and the youth’s growing obsession with “perfect” skin can be damaging. “It is understandable when young people come in with genuine problems that affect their psyche and confidence, but currently people come to us with small issues that are just a variation on the normal—some acne is normal for teenagers.” Many youngsters consult her because they are uncomfortable in their skin. “To make a person conscious about their skin is very easy; it’s turning a normal day-to-day variation into something abnormal.”
Shah’s dissertation supervisor Supriya Sioni, an assistant professor at St. Xavier’s adds, “People nowadays have more body dysmorphia about their looks, appearance and weight. Till now, Indians were focused on fair skin and dark skin, but now when we see Korean features which are completely different, that is creating more body dysmoprhia in people and they are using more Korean products and beauty treatments in an effort to emulate the standard.”
She cautions that chasing these standards could also have an adverse effect on children’s well-being. “This generation is reaching for something beyond their scope. So if people are not able to achieve the beauty standard even after using all the products, then they feel frustrated and they may go into depression because of not achieving their dream appearance.”
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“The final was really intense; the Chinese were breathing down our necks throughout the game and made it really difficult for us to create a clear goal scoring chance,” Harmanpreet said in a Hockey India release.
On Tuesdayhot646, deep inside Chinese Mongolia, the Harmanpreet Singh-led Men in Blue did just about enough to beat a spirited Chinese side. The occasion: the final of the Asian Champions Trophy 2024.
