Wednesday, April 21, 2010

About Korean women and girls

...in comparison with Taiwanese girls


Since there's so many stereotypes about Korean women and girls, I decided to write a post dedicated to them. I'm fairly known for being a good observer and a man, who appreciates the grace and beauty of women, so I think you can rely on my good observation skills and trust me, that the information about women is very reliable, hehe (ok, I'm exaggerating a little here). Anyway, I always believed that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, which means that it's a highly subjective matter, so you can't really debate it. I mean really debate it. So what I saw in Seoul, someone else may see it totally differently. Please keep that in mind.

My first impression of Korean women and girls was positive, but I wasn't as amazed as I expected to be before my trip. I guess my expectations were too high. The truth is, look-wise, there are so many kinds of women, from tall to short, from those who wear a lot of make up and those without any. There's no typical Korean woman, there are just many types, a whole variety of looks and styles. And same goes for Taiwan, its female population is very diverse as well. But doesn't that go for all women every where you go? I guess so.

With that said, there are some things about Korean women, that I have noticed and I wanna share that with you. And remember, this is about some Korean women, not all of them. I don't like generalizations of the type like all Korean women are like...or all Chinese women are like... This is about some things that stood out a little. Here we go:

Three generations of Korean women. The woman on the right caught my attention.

Interesting things I have observed during my Korea trip:
  • Most Korean women I saw dressed conservatively. By that I mean, that they still dressed womanly, most often wore high heels, stockings, skirt and jacket, but their style was elegant, refined, only subtly sexy. They looked rather serious and unapproachable. Even young women in their early twenties would wear clothes that you would expect on women over forty.
Black high-heels with a zip behind are totally in these days.
  • Black seems to be the most common color. It's amazing to see how many Korean women and girls wore black shoes, black stockings and a black skirt with black jacket. I don't know, if that's a current fashion or if it's a typical style for the common Korean woman. Maybe someone can enlighten me on this. If you compare Taiwanese women, they are much more playful. Even older girls and women around 30 would wear cute stuff and colorful clothes with various accessories and a matching make up. Not Korean. I didn't see many Korean girls with thick make up and flashy clothes.
  • Many Korean women wear jeans (the type like the girl below). I haven't seen so many Taiwanese girls wearing them, but that may be due to the climate. Seoul is much colder these days (in April), between 3-13 degrees Celsius during the day.
  • Many Korean women tie their hair in a bun. That's not so common with the Taiwanese women and girls, who prefer their hair open.

  • Korean women usually don't wear thick makeup. Same goes for Taiwanese women. But both of them still look good. The makeup is usually subtle. I guess the opposite are Japanese women and Asian American and Asian Canadian women. Am I wrong? :-)

  • Korean women and girls don't wear fake eye lashes as often as Taiwanese women. I still saw some of them wearing them, but it's really not as much as you see in Taipei, where maybe every third one wears them.
A Korean girl renting a bike in Yeouido.
  • Korean women and girls are usually skinny. I really haven't seen a single obese girl. But that's also true for Taiwanese women, who are mostly skinny (and petite) as well.

  • Most Korean women's skin is fairer than the one of (most) Taiwanese women, but that may be due to the climate as well. Taiwan is a subtropical island, while Korea has long cold winters, so that makes sense.

  • Some Korean girls are pretty tall. Some were even taller than me "-_- I'd say Taiwanese women and girls are (in average) shorter.

  • Many older Korean women also wear make up and take good care of themselves. But same is true for many Taiwanese women.
Beautiful Korean girls taking photos near the cherry blossoms in Yeouido.
  • There are many beautiful girls in Seoul, but I'd say there are more in Taipei. There were moments, where a stunningly gorgeous girl passed by and looked like one of these girls here. But I must admit that this was not as often as in Taipei. Both cities have plenty of beautiful women, but I really think that there are more beauties in Taipei. Actually as someone who wrote a lot about beautiful Korean women (see here), I was highly surprised that I came to this conclusion. I was really pondering over this a lot, but I just can't deny that there's so many beautiful women in Taipei, it's really amazing. But Korea is for me a very close runner-up for me, that's for sure. I've seen extremely gorgeous girls in both countries and all I can say is: Thumbs up. Korea and Taiwan are awesome! :-)
Sure God created man before woman. But then you always
make a rough draft before the final masterpiece.
~Author Unknown

What's your impression of Korean [and Taiwanese] women?

34 KAFKAESQUE COMMENTS:

Ceecile ~Priscilla Clara~ ^^ said...

wow, you're a good observer! ^^
you even pay attention till the fake eyelashes part, hehe.. :P
but it's true, like what I see in the K-Drama, Korean women use less makeup but still have flawless complexion! I'm so envy.. T__T'

April 21, 2010 4:39 PM  

MKL said...

@Ceecile: Thank you. I try my best, hehe :) You watch a lot of K-drama, haha. You're an expert, too :P

April 21, 2010 4:56 PM  

sabrina said...

So when are u gonna write a post on malaysian women???

lol!

April 21, 2010 6:01 PM  

Americanising Desi said...

ahhh seems like they are women comfortable in their skins :)

April 21, 2010 6:20 PM  

Carina the Blogarina said...

Hm... I don't really know a lot about Korean or Taiwanese woman. Except that is sounds that the Korean woman dress more European and conservative, which I like. Oh, and the pretty girls under the three, the one photographing.. she's wearing hooker shoes.. Don't like them! But maybe that's just the conservative European in me ;=)

April 21, 2010 6:45 PM  

... daisy... said...

I don't like girls wearing like 40 year-olds... but they look lovely! I like the style of the bycicle girl!!!
Wow... what do you say about Italian girls? ;-)))

April 21, 2010 7:52 PM  

ChinkyGirLMeL said...

Well I definitely learned a lot reading this post. I've been into Korean dramas and I just always thought they were so colorful and playful with their outfits. But then again, that's just tv... Oh and I love the quote you had on this post! I think I'm going to use that as a shoutout on my facebook page. hehehehe

April 21, 2010 8:19 PM  

Harini said...

I am really curious to know what you think of Indian girls now :P.

April 21, 2010 10:43 PM  

MKL said...

@Sabrina: Haha.. I've written about them here and there. Browse my old posts :P

@Desi: Seems that way :)

@Carina: I've seen a lot of girls with these shoes in Seoul. I guess they're popular there. For me, they look good :)

@Daisy: Haha.. Well, for me, Italian girls are the prettiest in Europe. Look at those girls in your talk shows, they're amazing! Drop dead gorgeous :)

@Mel: Cool. I want to be informational, that's how I like my blogging now :) That quote really suits the post, hehe.

@Harini: Ah, India is so big. I should visit first, before I allow myself a good judgement :)

April 22, 2010 2:59 AM  

... daisy... said...

Eheheheh... thanks! (I'm talking for all Italian girls!) ;-)

April 22, 2010 3:51 AM  

adamantixx said...

judging from a few of the pictures you share, Korean girls have great legs too!

i'm not really a legs guy but i'm always keen to further my research! ;)

April 22, 2010 3:52 AM  

Kasia_B said...

This was actually a very interestng post :)

April 22, 2010 4:02 AM  

Karen said...

I like your post! I hate to generalize too because no matter how you warn people that it's just your own opinion (duh! like everything I say is my opinion of course), it's such a touchy topic I could get slammed. Okay, I've never been to Taiwan or Korea. I don't recall ever befriending someone from Taiwan. Korea yes. And again, before someone slams me for this, I never got along with a single Korean woman. I got along with Japanese women and funny enough, the Japanese women (all of the women I'm talking about are young - 20s or early 30s) didn't like Korean women in general. They seem stuck up here. And the Korean men are sooo subservient to their women from my experience and I do admit I have not experienced much. I don't tend to have female friends for one and most of my friends/acquaintances are not Asian. But you know...maybe one day I'll meet a really nice Korean female that I end up being friends with. I'm pretty easy going.
I think makeup and dressing up more sexy than conservative is perhaps a European/American/Canadian thing. Asia is still very very reserved especially if you wander outside of the big cities. Funny but as a man, I would prefer a woman with simple to almost no makeup. But I always wear a crap load of war paint LOL. Idunno, it's just me. Maybe because I love men and men don't wear makeup so it reflects into what I would look for if I were to be a guy? Darn am I making sense anymore? LOL

April 22, 2010 4:15 AM  

Manju said...

black heels with back zips are in everyyyyyyyyywhere these days lolll

i like the shoes of the two girls in the cherry blossom pic :D

April 22, 2010 4:22 AM  

apaerie said...

One thing I know for sure is that a lot of Korean women have absolutely GORGEOUS skin! Same goes for the Japanese and some Chinese women too though, I think. But a lot of Korean girls I know seem to have a light, fair skin that just radiates, and I think that's very beautiful. But again, like you said, beauty is within the eye of the beholder and to me, light, fair skin on Asian girls is very beautiful, lol. And I'm not just talking about Korean singers and actresses, who can obviously afford expensive, brand name cremes, I'm talking about average Korean girls. I don't know how they take care of their skin or whether it's simply genetic, but it is very stunning.

I think you're right about most Taiwanese girls dressing in more colorful clothing than some Koreans. I never noticed it but now that you mentioned it, I do remember seeing Korean and Taiwanese girls who are foreign exchange students at my university dressing in very different styles, generally speaking of course. The Taiwanese girls, at my campus at least, are more willing to wear clothes with lots of different colors and prints whereas most Korean girls tend to wear darker colors. They tend to keep things a little simpler too, I think.

Although, personally, I think Korean fashion is more in tune to my style than Taiwanese, lol. Or at least, comes closer to it. Like that photo with the girl with the bike that you posted. She kept the colors simple by going for neutral colors like black, gray, and white, which I really like. And I can't help but noticed that she's wearing skinny jeans with flats, which is awesome. I think her style is my favorite of all the girls you've posted in this entry (although I wouldn't advise her to wear such a formal coat with such a casual shirt and denim pants).

Haha, as for Asian Americans and make-up; I guess it varies. Some girls do, some girls don't. I generally don't wear make-up, ever, when I go to school or even to the groceries. I do wear make-up when I go out with friends. But as for whether or not it's thick, I generally wear lighter make-up during the day but darker make-up at night. I still wouldn't say it's that thick though because I don't use blush or foundation. I don't have that many Asian American female friends, more like acquaintances, but I notice that most of them don't wear really thick make-up on a day to day basis either. But again, I can't speak for all Asian American females.

April 22, 2010 8:48 AM  

Crystal Hew said...

Korean women definitely have good skin complexions...not sure if its cause of the weather thou...

April 22, 2010 8:56 AM  

Shingo T said...

The only korean gals I have seen are mostly on TV drama serials, and they are yummy yum yum.

From a personal point of view, I agree with you that there are more pretty ladies in Taiwan. I guess maybe I'm more drawn to the Taiwanese dressing, find it more girly. Yummy yum yum!

Someone once told me that man like fake stuffs. Well, I'm drawn to fake eyelashes, they really amplify the beauty of the eye.

Darn, I'm so superficial.

*wipes away saliva from the keyboard*

April 22, 2010 12:06 PM  

hans said...

korean woman is so cute n nice

April 22, 2010 3:42 PM  

MKL said...

@Daisy: Ah, I haven't seen all to tell you :P

@Adamantxx: Yes, they have great legs. There's many women with great figures.

@Kasia: Actually? :P What does that imply? Hehe. Ok, thanks.

@Karen: Wow, your experience is interesting to read. If you go to urban dictionary and search for "Korean girl", you'll get similar impressions. I think the Korean women born in USA and Canada are different than the ones Korea. That's what I assume. I couldn't really go deep into the temperament of Korean women, my observation is only about the looks and styles, so I can't really add my 2cents on that :) I guess the reputation is not so good, but in the end, we need to judge each and every individual. You know, white guys (especially Canadians! :P) in Taiwan don't have a good reputation here, because they drink, party, sometimes don't take their teacher jobs seriously, write demeaning blog posts about the local women and Taiwanese netizens read that and debate on forums. So sometimes I'm somehow put in the same group, although I'm so different than the stereotype of that kind of white men and I have to fight it. It's really bad, when people avoid or judge you based on some prejudice. So in the end, our attempts to find some general characteristics of certain groups should be taken with a pinch of salt, right? ;)

April 22, 2010 5:48 PM  

MKL said...

@Manju: I see. Ya, that photo is really one of my favs. Those two girls looked lovely.

@Van: I agree on the skin. They really have light skin, from what I saw. And I generally think that on White and Asian girls tanned skin doesn't look so good, but some still do intentionally and think it's beautiful. It's their choice, though, but I don't think it's beautiful.

Ok, regarding Asian Americans and make-up, I haven't seen them in real, but from what I see on so many beauty blogs, they like smoky eyes and fake eye lashes with strong lipsticks. But that may be just one part of the whole group, right? Well, they're influential enough to influence my opinion :)

@Crystal: Yes. I've no idea, too.

@Shingo: Your yummy yum yum should be copyrighted, hehe. Well, this post is about superficial things, but I know you're not only that. :)

@hans: You nailed it ;)

April 22, 2010 5:54 PM  

apaerie said...

I like your taste in beauty then. I find fair skin more aesthetically appealing on Asian and white women than darker skin, especially fake tans. Well, generally, I don't like tans, period. I think if I were a guy, I would go for a girl with a light complexion. Of course, a lot of people would disagree with me since tans seem to be the "in" thing nowadays but that's just my taste.

Oh yeah, beauty blogs do generally promote smoky eyes. Well, maybe you're right then. I suppose if you consider smoky eyes to be thick make-up, then yeah, a lot of Asian American girls are into smoky eyes, including me, lol. I'm not into fake eye lashes though and lipsticks aren't really my thing. I prefer light lip glosses, lol.

April 23, 2010 2:19 PM  

MKL said...

@Van: Yeah, I also think tans are not nice and our girls in Slovenia tan themselves en mass during summer. Some are totally red or dark and it just looks unnatural. But well, to each their own, hehe. Usually I'm the weird one in summer, when I'm at home. People like to poke fun at those who don't tan their bodies. But even if I do, my skin becomes very red and the tan doesn't stick. I'm the Nordic type with fair skin and freckles. If I expose myself too much, I get more freckles, which I don't like. So yeah, I like fair skin on myself and on those, who are born with one :)

April 24, 2010 12:51 AM  

Sasa J. said...

Man i should really take you to Osaka. Those girls are badass!! Get ready for your blood pressure to explode! I am aware that Taiwanese girls are your favs, and you will very probably get married to one, but still the man inside you, will get totally crazed out by the looks of Osaka office girls....believe me. They are something special, even in Japan. Soooo beautiful.........sooo attractive. The hairstyle, the make up, their choice of clothing...All top notch. And Wild.

April 24, 2010 3:56 PM  

MKL said...

@Saša: Funny that you mention Osaka. Lily just suggested we go to Osaka/Kyoto this autumn, if I can stay here. Some airways have a promotion and the tickets are very cheap these days. I hope I can go there and see for myself. I need to see Japan one day. But hope it will be soon, cuz I'm so close to this country now :)

April 25, 2010 2:26 AM  

Stefanie said...

Another THUMBS UP post!

I don't like thick make up. I love flawless girls like the Korean girls. Black heels, me likey. Fake eye lashes, too bad, I don't even know how to use them, but my sister has a lot of that.

April 28, 2010 3:19 PM  

MKL said...

@Stefanie: Thanks. Now I don't remember so many details anymore :P Glad I blogged it soon after I was back, hehe. Yes, Korean girls look natural, have good skin and quite many have great figures. But I'd not say they're flawless, cuz there's many average girls there, same as in Taiwan and any country :)

April 28, 2010 3:23 PM  

jstele said...

Are you sure that the women are Korean? I'm referring to the picture of 3 generations of women. Based on their facial appearance and dress, they look like they are from a Chinese country. Not Korean. Also, something about their demeanor seems very Chinese to me.

November 8, 2010 9:10 PM  

MKL said...

@jstele: Well, I'm pretty sure, because I heard them speak Korean.

November 8, 2010 9:44 PM  

A–Gonzaga said...

Nice blog you got. On their fashion being mostly black: I’m supposing a people’s fashion trend is somewhat shaped by the sort of industries available in the place, then the weather. I noticed just what you mean while in S. Korea myself. The industries are mostly “serious” here, ergo, the Nordic fashion ought to stay “serious” (mature/elegant/business—thereby mostly dark: black and ash)—with school pupils and parents often sharing the same shops. S. Korea quite compares, especially when you take into account its enviable ICT—dominant (which provides mostly “serious” jobs, of course). The weather, too, isn’t one of the warmest in Asia. Rock on!

March 8, 2011 11:45 PM  

MKL said...

@A-Gonzaga: Good observation. Thank you for your input. I totally agree. But now almost 1 year passed, maybe they already dress in a more colorful way :)

March 9, 2011 12:18 AM  

A–Gonzaga said...

I couldn’t agree more, bro! -)

March 10, 2011 6:12 AM  

MKL said...

@A-Gonzaga: Cool :)

March 10, 2011 9:04 AM  

Glen Villar said...

The good thing about korean women and girls is that they can wear thick and double clothing because it is probably colder in Korea than in some place of Asia, thus, it makes them more attractive and fashionable.

Even the ordinary girls and women in Korea have nice skin complexion. Maybe someday I'll go to Korea and write something good about them too. ^_^

February 28, 2012 2:24 PM  

MKL said...

@Glen Villar: Thanks for sharing.

April 1, 2012 1:12 PM  


Please read my comment policy, before you comment.

  © Free Blogger Templates Spain by Ourblogtemplates.com 2008

Back to TOP