[Letters] Women obsessing over beauty

I agree with the opinion of the article “Women dying to look good” on Oct. 21. The regulation on photo editing is one of the many good ways not to make people obsessed about a mirage: the digitally-enhanced figure of models. I think the cause of this pursuit of beauty is not only women’s desire to win the competition for a better mate. There are other reasons for it.

In the second half of this year, the struggle to get a job has heated up. Job seekers try to get many certificates, high TOEIC scores and practical experience, but they also need a good appearance. According to a poll on a Web site, 83 percent of company interviewers answered that the first impression is important. 73 percent of them have the experience of marking a candidate down because of their appearance. The hollow effect makes people think that beauty contains all virtues: kindness, strength and a sense of humour.

The media also teaches us the importance of outward appearance. On TV shows that introduce females, the male guests judge them by their appearance and give them a score. The program judges them with some scripts like “cute,” “fantastic,” “looks like one entertainer.” It deprives TV viewers of the chance to judge for themselves. This leads viewers to have a distorted point of view.

According to the research of the Samsung Economic Research Institution, women in Korea last year spent a total of 50 billion won on cosmetic surgery, 100 billion won on diets and 550 billion won on beauty products.

I want to remind people of this wise saying from the Bible: “Do not consider his appearance or his height. The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

Chung Ji-yea