Korean Photo Studio Under Fire, Sparking International Debate About Beauty Standards
Content Warning
A Korean photo studio has left netizens intensely divided regarding beauty standards.
Bory Photo is a Korean photo studio with over 7K followers on Instagram. The entire Instagram account’s feed showcases the photo studio’s portfolio. This primarily focuses on showing the before and after of editing the clients’ photos.
The editors change various things about one’s appearance, from minor imperfections, such as teeth…
…to smoothing up fine lines and wrinkles to make a bride look even more youthful on her wedding day…
…to slimming not only one’s face but the entire body, so it appears the client lost weight.
Although Bory Photo regularly posts these before and after edits that only attract a couple of comments, one post garnered international attention, amassing over 200 netizens’ critiques.
It was a black-and-white photo of a bride and groom, and both were made significantly slimmer. The woman especially was given skinnier arms and a small hourglass figure.
Netizens were shocked that the editor changed the clients so much. Some agreed that retouching and removing blemishes, such as pimples, is understandable. Yet, making so many physical changes to one’s photo makes the subjects unrecognizable, and it’s inappropriate for such a commemorative occasion, such as a wedding.
Others argued that the photo studio simply had done its job, and the clients likely requested these services, hence why they would hire this photo studio known for such work, specifically.
Still, the debate regarding South Korea’s strict beauty standards is unavoidable in this topic. Why must people feel it necessary to change so much about their appearance just for a photo meant to capture a special moment? Do you think making so many edits to one’s photo boosts or destroys self-confidence?
