thoralli berwin willah

[Antonio Brittenham]

After reading the lengthy discussion, i feel really shallow. I watched the movie and enjoyed it for what it was - entertainment. Although i do not believe that one should subject oneself to plastic surgery just to gain another person's approval, favour...or love.

I watched TPB because it was entertaining and not because I was looking for some movie to influence or change my life. I don't get why people like bashing TPB because of its skewed message about beauty. It's like were supposing that people are that weak willed to be easily swayed by a simple movie to just go to any plastic surgeon to change their appearance.

Give the viewers some credit of having enough EQ and IQ to just watch the movie and take it as just a form of entertainment. It's like the argument about the Harry Potter movies. The religious fanatics are bashing HP because it promotes witchcraft and blasphemy yada yada, but helloo... I think we're not that dumb to actually believe everything we see on the big screen or on TV.

Anyway, basically my point is that I don't believe that a movie like TPB will turn women into raving plastic surgery addicts. It's all about the viewers' core values. If you're a person who is confident about yourself and know where you stand when you see the movie then you'll remain the same. If you're a person who is not averse to having plastic surgery then you'll remain the same. If you're a person who loves plastic surgery then you'll remain the same.

I think most of the concern over the message isn't that women aren't intelligent enough to stop themselves from turning into raving plastic surgery addicts. I think the concern about this film is the same concern many mothers, and other women have about the way popular media portrays women, and their bodies. While most of us understand they are an impossible ideal for most people, and that models and pop singers don't represent a large part of the world population... The effect that media has on young women, especially teens, can be different. They often don't have the maturity and hormonal stability to understand that this is NOT an expected ideal, and these body traits are not typical.

Plastic surgery has become so common place in Korea, even with teen girls. This movie (which I enjoyed, really) presents the idea that if you're fat, you're not worth anything other than what other people can garner from you, and it blatantly puts out there that plastic surgery and becoming "beautiful" will make you worth more as a person, and be deserving of love and attention.

I also thought the movie's message was rather horrifying, but still enjoyed the movie for what it was nonetheless.
Why I disapprove is that not every girl who watches the movie will be like us, who have their priorities and insecurities in order, and will inevitably take in the wrong message- which is basically saying that plastic surgery will make you pretty, you will go through a little hardship (physical and emotional), and then you will get what you want in the end.
But I also saw the ending as somewhat truthful. Because in the end, no matter what people say, there will always be people who will want plastic surgery to solve their problems, and really, there's nothing we can do to stop them. That's life, and I guess we have to accept that fact too.

Now that the topic of the movie's (un)disturbing message has been brought up, I really think that the "go do plastic surgery to get the one you love" was not the MAIN message of this movie. In contrast, after watching this movie, I admired Hanna's sacrifice (physically in the immense pain associated with multiple surgeries, as well as emotionally in the need to disappear from her past life and completely reestablish herself) for the man she loved.

And I really do not have a problem with Hanna's decision to go for plastic surgery to get a man, and actually, I don't think that was the only reason she did that. She also had her own dreams and ambitions to be a solo singer, and more so, was just tired of all the jeering superficial "beautiful" people directed at her. As much as she was emotionally strong, enough is enough sometimes. But for the sake of argument, even if she did go under the knife for a man, what's wrong with that? Why is it more horrendous when it's for a man, as opposed to when it's for personal satisfaction, growth, etc? When it's for a man, it's in essence for love, which I believe is more important than success (to me).

Furthermore, I have no problem with plastic surgery, and so have no problem with the repercussions this movie's "pro-plastic surgery" message has. However, I do have a problem with lying about plastic surgery and this movie nicely addressed that point. Hanna ended up confessing that she was not a natural beauty, and through that confession, experienced further success, personal growth, and ultimately success in love.

Oh... and I have more to say. Plastic surgery is the result of an individual's physical and emotional pain and money. Who is to say that the result from plastic surgery doesn't belong to them? (I'm quoting indirectly from Boys Over Flowers here... I just relate everything to BOF lol.) It's the same as using money to buy designer clothing. Yes, plastic surgery is "fake" but in a society with such advanced technology, even beauty can be bought and synthesized, as is almost everything else. So, I find nothing disturbing in the movie's concentration in plastic surgery and the benefits to be gained from it.

Good points. But have to disagree with you on the one about doing something because of someone. Much as the idea of doing something because of someone is 'honourable', it's also pretty stupid. Especially in this situation. This MAJOR situation, which is a matter of changing your body. My friend got plastic surgery recently, I'm pretty okay with it, other than the fact that he did it because his mom kinda pushed him into it. I had a big problem with that. It's your life, your body. It's for you to decide what's best for you, not for someone else. They have no right. So what if he/she COULD BE the love of your life?! Personally, my life, my body, my decision. I'm certainly not going to do it FOR anyone.

Oh, man, I was so excited to read this!! I love intelligent conversation about movies (a few honors film classes having ruined me), and so I really looked forward to this, lengthy though it was. It has been awhile since I've seen the movie, though, so I feel ill-equipped to post my opinion (and if I watched it again, I might even have to rescind my comments).

But honestly, for all my ambivalence about movies (it's sometimes tricky to negotiate between feminism and hopeless romanticism), I think reading this point-counterpoint just exhausted me. I don't really know where to comment or what to say. I think there were some excellent points brought up, and while I do agree more with Sere and you, Javabeans, I applaud Samsooki for arguing his points.

Some key points that I liked: this movie is flawed, but it's one of many in such a culture (same can be said in all cultures, though). I find it interesting, the micro-analysis of one movie in a sea of media that perpetuates the same message, though. I also definitely agree that the last scene was entirely offputting--in fact, I was actually liking where the movie was headed with its message until the last scene, which completely reversed the way I had read the movie. I understand it was for comedic value, but that tiny scene undermined what I had interpreted to be the message of the movie, for (even more) commercial appeal, perhaps.

Perhaps it's been too long since I've seen the movie, but I was under the impression that the plastic surgery failed to produce what Hanna wanted. Wasn't that what the climactic scene was about: that she had lost her self along the way, and that it was the fat, ugly girl who was more important? Was I wrong in thinking that she hadn't necessarily found love with Joo Jin Mo's character?

After reading the point-counterpoint, I feel like I didn't understand the movie at all. I thought the movie sought to, in some way, bring to light the double standard of beauty and plastic surgery (so taboo, and yet the best plastic surgeons are in Korea). The movie is unquestionably flawed and has several issues, but that it was so commercially successful and popular seemed like a step forward, given that it even confronted the topic.

I'm completely with Sere. I hated the movie too. I might have enjoyed the first part, but the ending completely and utterly ruined the whole thing for me. If i ever have a kid, she's not watching this movie. That is, if I can't raise her any better than a senseless simpleton. I feel sad for the future.

I would definitely agree with SERE. I'm not just jumping on the bandwagon and criticizing, but I did notice what SERE was saying when I first saw the movie a few years back. As much as I enjoyed the movie, I couldn't help, but notice the extremely wrong and dangerous message of the movie. The music was nice and the characters were too, but at the end I wouldn't say I liked the movie. I think the reason why I ultimately didn't like the movie was the whole of idea of conforming to society's standard of beauty, which was a total turn off for me.

LOL, Orchid, I feel EXACTLY the same way. I watched the movie and I completely loved it and enjoyed it, and that last scene with Kim Ah-joong's best friend didn't disturb me at all either. I guess saying that just now makes me look a little dense or stupid, but I really just enjoyed the movie because it's a piece of mindless entertainment! And, yeah, I agree that everything out there has messages and things attached to it and producers/directors have responsibilities in making sure that they're conveyed responsibly, but really! I just watched it and loved it and enjoyed it as a movie, period.

Well that's a bit scary...It's not like she was sacrificing through pain etc. for the good of the guy she loved or to save him from some horrible fate, she was doing it to conform to his own shallow ideals and the ideals of the world. To admire someone for losing themself and conforming so completely (and dangerously I might add) in order to gain the affections of some guy is not a passionate or amazing sacrifice, it's disgusting self-deception (on Hanna's part) IMO.

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