Do you love those “100 Years of Beauty in a Minute” videos as much as we do? A new one came out today from Cut.com depicting the changing beauty standards for women in Korea — both South Korea and North Korea — all in 60 seconds.
The model, Tiffany, first appears in a beauty look 1910s and goes on through the 1950s before she splits to a dual-screen for both the Republic of Korea (South) and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea or DPRK (North). This corresponds with the division of Korea into two zones, and then two countries, following World War II.
As we see in the video, South Korean beauty standards for women follow a more Westernized beauty trend, with sophisticated eye makeup, brightly colored lips, lots of jewelry, and and stylish hairdos.
The North Korean beauty standards for women, on the contrary, are much more spartan and utilitarian — less makeup, practically zero accessories, and a narrow range of no-fuss hairstyles. By the 2010s, when South Korean beauty girl is wearing false eyelashes, big hoops and her cheekbones are contoured up the wazoo, the North Korean beauty girl has barely changed her lipstick shade.
These Cut.com videos are truly fascinating for those of us who love women’s history as much as we love beauty. Make sure you don’t miss the other three videos in the series below:
Iran:
African-American:
Caucasian-American:
READ MORE: Photographer Gives Her Glittery Take on the Damaging Effects of Beauty Standards
