You're So Vain, You Probably Think This Blog is About You...

Korea is the most image-obsessed country in the world and for me, Korean vanity is probably the biggest thing I've had to come to terms with regarding cultural differences.

In order to really understand the scale of the problem you must first understand the socio-economic background of the country. I'm no expert but to put it simply... Until around 60 years ago Korea was brutally ruled by Japan. The country was poor, people were starving, there was almost no western influence and Korea had little contact with the rest of the world. Since then, the country has undergone probably the fastest economic growth in history and today Korea is a leading world power that continues to develop and surpass its western counterparts. In terms of social effects this means that the Korean people are now richer than ever and this new-found wealth needs to be expressed and showcased.

Korea is country where mums wear designer dresses and 9 inch stilettos to take their children to school; where there's a queue of people waiting to preen themselves in the mirror in the men's bathroom; where make-up must be meticulously applied and re-applied at every spare moment, even in between teaching kindergarten; where bathrooms in bars and restaurants have a special 'make-up' area complete with sofas and soft lighting; where 6 year olds where Marc Jabocs and Ralph Lauren to play on the playground; where people bleach their skin in order to distinguish themselves from the manual labourers; and where lanky western girls with frizzy hair and baggy hippy pants get the odd discerning look.

Contrary to appearances however, Korean people are far from shallow. They're welcoming, friendly and unbelievably intelligent. Yet I can't shake the feeling that all these people are all dressed up with nowhere to go. As for me, I'll stick with my flipflops and my "natural" approach to make-up!