Image is Everything!

I've been thinking about blogging on this topic for a while now, but when Kev told me about the Korean singing group "Big Mama," I couldn't resist! I knew it was finally time...

This is a picture of Big Mama, a quartet, known for their powerful voices, and their "big" bodies.

"These women were actually given their name because they are all overweight, by Korean celebrity standards. They don't wear size zero clothes, prance around in barely-there outfits or gyrate all over the stage when performing. So, until a top exec decided to give them a chance, these talented women had been relegated to singing backup." Can you believe this?!

It's a good thing that Korean fashion is to wear loose shirts and dresses, with leggings, because otherwise nothing would fit me in this town... and I'm a size 6!!! Forget finding a pair of jeans that would fit!

But, like the blog is titled, "image is everything" in Korea. For example... The English classroom at my school is currently being remodeled. Stella's responsibility was to chose a clock and a mirror for the room. Yes, a mirror was a necessity, "for the students to make sure they look their best," of course!

And this is a bottle of whitening lotion, which actually whitens your skin! Kevin was given this sample bottom from a beauty store near his school where he purchased some skin lotion. Apparently the clerk thought he might want it to whiten his tan skin! Koreans are crazy about this stuff, because the lighter the skin, the more beautiful you are considered. I'll be honest, I have put my bronzer away for the year, and will be wearing sunscreen and a hat when I visit the beach!

And lastly, I went to coffee with a gorgeous Korean teacher who works at my friend Jessica's school. We got onto the topic of image in Korea and she told us that her parents offered to buy her a "double eyelid surgery" so her eyes would be more beautiful. When parents give reconstructive surgery recommendations for their stunning daughters, you know that image is everything!

Time for me to go eat some carrots, so I won't be considered fat!

My morning soundtrack

On the hill behind our home, there is a small Buddhist temple.  This morning was the 1st time I could hear their drumming ritual from my apartment.  I've always been a fan of the sound of the Buddhist drums, so I muted the TV, opened all the windows and enjoyed the mix of birds chirping and monks drumming.  It was a nice reminder that I do, indeed, live in Korea.

Sweet Irony!

Kev's been talking about wanting to buy a small dresser for his closet, so his t-shirts, socks, and undies have a place to call home, so this morning we jumped on the scooter to do some furniture shopping!  We spotted a dresser at the 1st store, and the owner was nice enough to tie it onto the scooter for Kev to drive it home.  It was actually quite a funny sight!  And might I add... whoever said you "need an SUV" has no idea how much you can tie onto a scooter!

Anyhow, when we got home from lunch later in the day, Kevin opened the window to cool the apartment off and abruptly said, "Oh my gosh Jill, come here and look."  I walked over to the window and looked down at the street.  There, in plain sight, was a FREE dresser for the taking.  As Kevin would say, "sweet irony!"