I grew up in Southern California in the early 2000's, in a predominantly Korean high school (70% South Korean).  My mother is full korean, and my father Caucasian.  It was drilled in my head, not to lift weights, or "make myself into a man" by working out.  I swam at the varsity level, which gave me a more athletic built.  My mother would sometimes deny me seconds at dinner, and tell me I was getting fat.  I was 5' 3" and 115 lbs.  The standards were strict, especially when you are biracial but still being judged by a east Asian standard.  That ballerina body type was pushed on me and I was often called "a bulldog" body type.  Needless to say, i had my issues with body image by the time I attended college.

I think this sort of discussion of differing beauty standards is so useful to be able to understand that beauty standards relate to a particular time and place because of particular cultural context and values. They aren't constant, or objective, truths or reality.

If the message you hear from your society is that the fairest possible skintone is the ideal, it can be incredible to learn that in another place, people consider very light skin to be unattractive and sickly-looking. Just as in a place where people starve themselves to death in a place that thinness is aspirational, it would be unthinkable that elsewhere in the world, people die taking medication that designed to fatten up livestock, in an attempt to have a voluptuous figure that is prized there.

Seeing the absurdity in the polar opposite ideas of what is most beautiful or desirable can show us the futility in chasing impossible standards that cause us harm.

The guy who came up to you and told you that you're overweight was way out of line.

I'm Sudanese but born and raised in England so the Sudanese beauty standards were pushed on me by older relatives growing up. They prefer voluptuous women and I have zero curves and my low but still healthy weight was always raised as a concern whereas outside of the community I get praised

It seems like Korean esthetic standards are starting to gain influence in the West, due to the popularity of K-Pop music.  Plastic surgery “vacations” to Korea are also becoming popular.  I have a relative who plans to travel there for plastic surgery because it’s a lot cheaper there.

When I reached 47 kg it was because I was ill. And I'm short and slim. (I'm healthy now, don't worry).

Generation also matters. I was a teenager in the European nineties,  where sharp bone structure super models were a big thing. Almost every 90s supermodel has a long midface 😂

Totally get the different beauty standards in different countries. Like where my family comes from the beauty ideal would be Sofia Vergara, Salma Hayek etc.

I appreciated your videos on facial proportions. It can be comforting to see that even celebrities downplay some features while playing up others, and you showed ways we can all do that IF we choose to.

Appreciate your transparency on having work done, too!

these beauty standards are so insane that people have borderline forgotten what ACTUAL ASIAN PEOPLE look like. like in china when brands use models that DON'T have eyelid surgery and nosejobs they think they're "stereotyping" and "making chinese people look ugly" WTF

❤ I appreciate how you give helpful information! It’s always been clear that you aren’t imposing any standards or insecurities on anyone, just explaining how we can use techniques to achieve the effects we want

The girl who had her forehead made rounder looks weird imo, I've always thought a straight forehead was a sign of beauty, and fillers move around and are dangerous

I still don't understand the "big head/big face" thing. Someone would have to have a very disproportionately large head or face for me to even notice any difference in head size between people. I also don't quite understand what makes a head "big" - just the length of the face in proportion to your overall height? Or wideness of the face? Or is it the circumference of the head? Overall, it seems like one of the more bizarre aspects of appearance to worry about. Like that episode of Seinfeld where Elaine breaks up with her boyfriend and he tells her she has a big head in revenge, and she tells Jerry, who says, "it's almost a compliment!" And she was like, "it's one of the nicest things anyone's ever said to me." I think in Western culture, if there's any association with head size at all, it's the (mistaken) notion that the bigger your head is, the smarter you are.

Who on earth would perceive your explanations of proportions as toxic :0 these were the most informative videos, the ones I would definitely rewatch. I finally understood why certain glasses flatter me and I finally know the outline of my perfect frames❤❤❤ I found my old earrings that waited 20 years to be worn and  now I know that wearing them does make a difference  - thanks to your videos!  My shoulders also look "broad", but now I understand why I look good in certain clothes (and that it was better to get rid of the ones that do not  suit my proportions and my face/body ratio, neck/shoulder ratio etc). It was such a relief! I actually fit perfectly to Kibbe "natural" type (as he described it in the 80s), but still, I prefer the more scientific explanation WHY I need this mane of wild hair 😂 etc. and I got it from you❤
Please do not stop making these videos!

I liked your videos about facial proportions and started following you because of them. I think you always have been very clear about this is just "theory" and not rules that everybody has to follow to change their bodies. You always enhanced the fact that every body and face is special: "stay unique and stay gorgeous". If anyone gets you wrong it's because they didn't understand anything 😅 You should choose every topic that inspires you, regardless of some people's opinions. The majority of your followers undestand your message and find it very useful and inspiring!

I think teaching about faceshapes and visual harmony is not toxic as long as it covers all the face or body types. I find it helpful to see that, for example, my long nose is not a problem when I work in harmony with it. And that sometimes a nose job can really distort facial harmony.  Just as an example.  There are also people out there with very short midfaces who seek elongating makeup tipps.

Hey Jenn! 🙂 Speaking for myself, you're totally correct that I have been confused at times about some of the beauty preferences you've identified in your videos. But I have graduate school training in human services regarding cross-cultural interactions. So at the most basic process level, I've learned if I'm having my own reaction that something seems surprising, I should probably check my own assumptions because it's entirely possible I'm unaware of cultural differences that may be a factor in why I'm having a reaction. So yes, it was really interesting for me to learn more about Korean beauty standards from you today. So generous of you to teach others about your home culture, as you said. Thank you for that. 🙂

Also, I think whenever we're in a position to give advice, it's a good and ethical practice to be transparent about our own preferences and biases, as you often do and as you did today. 🙂 That way, listeners can pick and choose from our recommendations in ways that are as helpful as possible.

I would add that whenever we're adjusting our appearance, it's so important that we balance our adjustment behaviors/choices with healthy respect (and love!) for our naturally occurring beautiful features. I think you've always emphasized that balancing  process on your channel, which I appreciate very much. 🙂

Have a great day, Jenn!
🦋🧡🦋

Goodness,  im so happy my Dad never made commentary on me or my sister growing up. He was always positive never comparative to anyone different from us or anything. He just spoke kindly to us.

Just wanted to take a moment to appreciate how  thoughtful and insightful this comment section is. All these comments sharing experiences and talking about such a complex subject in the most  level-headed  way is a clear reflection of the kind of following you've been cultivating here with your videos

I just thought is a good example of how your content and the way you share your views is far more positive and informative than the average style/beauty channel. It's so nice and refreshing to have a space like this

So glad I grew up in the era with no social media and mobiles we could be ourselves and we were all free and happy all this body image, plastic surgery and lip plumping etc its so much pressure for the youth nod today. We had so much freedom from this toxic pressure to look great. X