IT HURTS TO BE THIS BEAUTIFUL

Ji Yeo’s series of striking photographs entitled ‘Beauty Recovery Room’ tackle the very up-to-date issue of cosmetic surgery; is it right or wrong? Being a Caucasian female, I often associate this kind of surgery with celebrities among western media, however Ji Yeo’s portraits dispel this often-ignorant assumption and instead display Korean women, bruised and bandaged, in their most vulnerable state recovering from the surgery.

"The latest raw data compiled from the International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery in 2010, confirms that South Korea is indeed the country with the world’s highest per capita rate of cosmetic plastic surgery. It is a culture where men are judged on their financial balance sheet and women by their beauty."
- Ji Yeo

Instead of glorifying the surgery and showing the women glammed up to the eyelids after weeks of arduous healing, these photographs show the real effects of altering yourself so dramatically, and I personally was left feeling pretty sorry for the women, saddened by the thought that they do not think enough of themselves. Yes, this could be seen as taking a rather patronising view, as many of the women who have undergone the surgery may feel happier and more confident once they have healed. Ultimately, it can be said that this cosmetic surgery craze isn’t going to stop any time soon, as long as the procedures are still being offered, and wherever you are in the world, the media continues to belittle our faces and bodies until we eventually give in. 'Beauty Recovery Room' comforts us in knowing there is definitely no getting away from the reality and importance of this subject, and it will continue to be addressed until we no longer feel we have to alter ourselves physically to become better people.

ANNA