[Courtney Caldwell]

I agree that it's worrisome to think about the consequences of such "perfection" on the youth. During our discussion tonight, Dr. Jung-Kim was explaining how as a graduation present, many South Korean youth actually receive the gift of some sort of image altering surgery. It makes me wonder how much of this is on standards created by Korean Film & K-Pop, as well as the Korean Beauty industry. It's definitely not something isolated to Korea, however, it seems like something that happens quite a bit in South Korea. Furthermore, how does this contribute to overall mental health not only of those receiving these altering surgeries but also those who perhaps can't afford or don't WANT to adhere to these standards?

[Courtney Caldwell]

I suppose this article actually made it clear for me when I really started to pay more attention to Korea or specifically K-Pop and it was with the emergence of Gangnam Style by Psy. The production value and energy of it was captivating and I remember it being EVERYWHERE! In addition, the article discusses how K-Pop male/female groups are really an entire entertainment package as they are "featured in stylish music videos with seemingly immaculate faces and figures, fancy costumes and hairdos, rapid dance beats, catchy sing-along tunes, and perfectly synchronized dance routines, K-Pop idols have enthralled a growing fan base across many parts of the world with digital technologies and social media."  

I also found it interesting that K-Pop actually was largely ignored by the Korean Government at its beginnings, and was mainly export-focused. This reminds me of the comment someone made about K-Pop in last weeks session, and how they mentioned K-Pop actually not really that big in Korea, and creates much more pandemonium in foreign markets (like the U.S.); I had no idea. We have been reading for the past two weeks about the concept of Korean film and now music being transnational, and this reading makes it very clear that at least part ofthe success of K-Pop is that it is truly transnational, and draws on entertainment styles from around the globe which helps in making it such a success. 

The part about image/identity also was fascinating (though not surprising) to me and I'm once again left wondering what this does for the consumers image standards but ALSO what it does to the K-Pop artists themselves who are made to adhere to these standards and images. The article does reference instances of anemia and malnutrition in teenage consumers, but I'm definitely interested to know the cost to the artists themselves. 

[Courtney Caldwell]

This was super interesting to learn and these replies really made me think more about it. I was fascinated to learn of all of the different remakes of Miss Granny. I have not seen the film YET (it's on my list!) but I'm curious to watch different versions now to compare. With remakes, I tend to wonder if/what is lost in translation? How much of the original film is honored and how much is changed to either appease a foreign market OR because it's lost in translation? 

[Courtney Caldwell]

The part where you discussed that growing up your culture was never seen as something to celebrate is one of the exact reasons I'm here on this seminar, so thank you for sharing that. To learn about culture, especially in a way that, as you said, is being SO well received by our students (pop culture!), I think will be very powerful in helping them see themselves and their culture being celebrated but ALSO to open the eyes of non-Korean students to the beauty of the culture in hopes of inspiring them to be more open and curious to learn about and celebrate all cultures. 

[Courtney Caldwell]

Replying your point, "As described in the article, Jung-Ah's "dedication to exploring cultural difference" really stood out to the writer and lived on in the way Blythe continued to experience new ways of being. Ultimately this feeling of fascination, unknown and wonderment is a goal I hope all of my students experience." 

Since beginning to teach ethnic studies, this has been a thought even more in the forefront of my mind. To ignite curiousity about other cultures, or even their own culture as a starting point is a huge goal. I think it's so important and something that I hope our curriculum inspires. I think that the work we do to incorporate pop culture as a way of learning about/exploring culture will really resonate and spark interest among our students. I know for me personally, I learned about so many different films I had not seen or heard of in last weeks discussion session so to do something like this for our students would be huge. 

[Courtney Caldwell]

I found it interesting (though sadly, not surprising) that when the film Parasite won big in the U.S. during awards season, it was met with outrage and criticism for being something different than what is considered as "traditionally American." Being perceived as "different" or "less than" is unfortunately so common place and while Korean film/entertainment has been drastically on the rise as evidenced by both the reading and lecture, it's still seen by many in the mainstream U.S. as "other." 

Another moment that stood out to me was when Blythe Worthy was detailing their own experience with learning Korean culture, not through film but through a person, Jung-Ah. This made me think of my own experience, not with learning Korean culture, but for me it was Chinese culture. Blythe details how eye opening it was to experience culture through interactions with Jung-Ah, and I related to this with my own experience on Fulbright in China and really being immersed in a culture in a way that made me so much more appreciative of those glimpses of Chinese culture I'd find here around the Bay Area. I think a lot of misunderstandings and negative feelings, like that that came along with the high praise for Parasite at the Oscars comes from a lack of education, well, lack of cultural education. Learning from others by experiencing either the people or places is truly eye opening and can shatter images/stereotypes/misunderstandings. This then, like with Blythe's case, sparks interest to learn more, to embrace the levels of culture like movies, music, tv, etc. 

[Courtney Caldwell]

Hi Everyone!

My name is Courtney Caldwell and I teach 9th grade AVID, Link Crew Leadership, and 9th grade Ethnic Studies in San Mateo, CA.

I'm excited to learn more about Korean culture and be able to incorporate to my curriculum more information on Korea/Korean society and culture especially through the lens of pop culture which is so relevant to our students these days.

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