I'm awed at the sheer amount of research that was undertaken to write this book, and I can't wait to share this with my students.
Beauty has so long been written as a feminine habit; it's mind-blowing that beauty regimens for men are so under-represented when history proves how it's always been important for all genders across all cultures. It was interesting to see the similarities and differences of skin-care, hair-care, fashion, make-up, etc. across time periods and nations, and it was also enlightening to see how so much of our beauty trends now have roots from so long ago.
What was most impactful for me personally was getting to read how Korea has impacted the beauty industry. It's so strange to see how big KPop has blown up worldwide, and stranger still to see how much people want to learn about Korean culture because of it. I never imagined that music could leave such an impact like this growing up; KPop was largely unheard out outside the Asian community when I was listening to it as a teen, so to think that people would be learning Korean not only just to sing their favorite BTS song (or album, no judgement here!) but also to read the Korean text of their favorite skincare product is wild.
I can't wait until I share this book with my students. I have a majority male-presenting group, and they've grown extremely close over the years as they taught one another how varied the male identity can be (trans, cis, gay, etc.). I'm sure they'll appreciate this book far more than I ever could, and can't wait to have them see it.
Beauty has so long been written as a feminine habit; it's mind-blowing that beauty regimens for men are so under-represented when history proves how it's always been important for all genders across all cultures. It was interesting to see the similarities and differences of skin-care, hair-care, fashion, make-up, etc. across time periods and nations, and it was also enlightening to see how so much of our beauty trends now have roots from so long ago.
What was most impactful for me personally was getting to read how Korea has impacted the beauty industry. It's so strange to see how big KPop has blown up worldwide, and stranger still to see how much people want to learn about Korean culture because of it. I never imagined that music could leave such an impact like this growing up; KPop was largely unheard out outside the Asian community when I was listening to it as a teen, so to think that people would be learning Korean not only just to sing their favorite BTS song (or album, no judgement here!) but also to read the Korean text of their favorite skincare product is wild.
I can't wait until I share this book with my students. I have a majority male-presenting group, and they've grown extremely close over the years as they taught one another how varied the male identity can be (trans, cis, gay, etc.). I'm sure they'll appreciate this book far more than I ever could, and can't wait to have them see it.