I have a little game I sometimes like to play where I compare Japanese people I see on the street with American celebrities and friends. I once had a Japanese acquaintance who was a dead ringer for Nathan Lane, for example, and a popular Japanese comedian reminds me a whole lot of a childhood friend.

Of course, it’s not like these guys were going out of their way to look like Westerners; they just happened to have similar features. But there’s a whole other class of Japanese, Koreans and other East Asians that spend an exorbitant amount of time and money trying to get that Hollywood look – from wardrobe changes to hair dying, even skin bleaching and plastic surgery.

Results are typically mixed, but one South Korean woman apparently hit the jackpot in her quest to look like Australian model Miranda Kerr – because, after numerous plastic surgeries, she’s pretty well on her way to looking like Kerr’s long-lost twin.

▼ See? We weren’t kidding!

The Korean model, Hong Yuh Reum, was featured on a Japanese TV special about plastic surgery recently, where she admitted Kerr was her inspiration for undergoing surgery in the first place.

On the show, she said of Kerr, “It really struck me when I first saw her in a magazine. She has a baby face but she’s very sexy. I knew I wanted to be like her!“

Even as the show focused primarily on the myriad dangers of plastic surgery up to and including death from surgical complications, Reum was damn near bubbling over with praise for the practice, attributing going under the knife to much of her current success as an international model. It probably helped that Reum seems to have undergone surgery sparingly and settled for a rough facsimile of her idol, while others have – less successfully – gone for more literal interpretations.

We have to say that Reum, for once, actually makes a pretty good case for the benefits of a little surgical touching up, although judging from before pictures, it was far from necessary in the first place.

Source: ModelPress
Photos: Feature, Insets

• Japanese adult video star’s dramatic plastic surgery sets internet abuzz
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Origin: Korean woman gets plastic surgery to look like model Miranda Kerr, gets pretty close!
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We’ve looked at plastic surgery in South Korea from pretty much every angle there is, but this is the first time we’ve come across something quite like this!

The Korean Wave (Hallyu) of pop culture has been steadily gaining strength around the world over the last few years as more and more people discover the infectious sounds of K-Pop and the addictive plot lines of K-dramas (seriously, I double dare you to watch only one episode before going to bed). South America is no exception to the trend, with starstruck female fans swooning over the dreamy Korean men and soaking up the trademark dances that go with each song. Which is perhaps why one 25-year-old Brazilian man decided to undergo a series of cosmetic surgeries to make himself look more Korean.

We’ve heard of Korean citizens getting work done to look more like Western models and stars, but this is a first for us. Join us after the jump for a slew of photos from this man’s amazing transformation.

Many young and fresh-faced male Korean singers and actors are often just as famous for their pretty faces and fashion sense as for their acting or singing skills (the notable exception being Psy of “Gangnam Style” fame), and have legions of fans all over the world for that very reason.

A Brazilian man, who now wishes to go by the name Xiahn to protect his identity, also felt that this Korean look was the epitome of handsome, and so opted to spend a significant amount of money to get the same look for himself.

According to his Facebook page, Xiahn attended the Universidade Feevale in Brazil’s southernmost state of Rio Grande do Sul. At some point, he also studied abroad at Dongseo University in Busan, South Korea as an exchange student (it is unclear whether he is still there; his profile seems to indicate that he is still in Busan). To add to his impressive international education record, he is able to speak Portuguese, Spanish, English, and Korean.

While in Korea, Xiahn apparently became fascinated by the high frequency at which Koreans got plastic surgery and their casual attitude towards it. “Koreans have many surgeries to modify the shape of their eyes and become more like Westerners,” he remarks. “It was easy to tell when one of them had done it, walking on the street wearing sunglasses and a surgical mask.”

Perhaps his curiosity got the best of him, because he eventually embarked on a journey to undergo 10 surgical procedures for a grand total of approximately US$3,100 in order to look more Korean, with most of the work being done on his eyes. In addition, although he is naturally a blue-eyed blonde, Xiahn now wears dark-colored contacts and dyes his hair.

What do you think of his new ‘Korean idol’ look? 

▼OK, there’s no way he’s NOT trying to channel Big Bang’s T.O.P. circa the Alive EP era…

▼Hey, what’s that guy doing there?!

The following are a few pictures from the last two years, maybe before the bulk of his surgeries (?):

▼August 2013

▼June 2013 (that pose is typically made by Korean girls trying to act cute)

▼May 2012

All in all, Xiahn appears to be satisfied with the results of his surgeries. His final thoughts? “I have no regrets, and I don’t intend to have any more procedures.”

Sources: Korea Herald, hellokpop, The Kashgar Times
Images: Facebook: Xiahn

• Korean woman gets plastic surgery to look like model Miranda Kerr, gets pretty close!
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• “Smile Lipt” surgery promises to make you smile even if you don’t want to
• Yup, it’s time for another “Korean plastic surgery” picture post【Photos】
• Busted on national TV! South Korean celebrity’s CT scan reveals she had plastic surgery

Origin: Brazilian man spends over $3,000 on plastic surgery to look ‘Korean’
Copyright© RocketNews24 / SOCIO CORPORATION. All rights reserved.

In today’s modern world plastic surgery is just one more way of attaining our beauty ideals, and anyone who gets surgery has their own personal reasons for the decision. However, one woman’s reasons have become a hot topic in China after she revealed that she was going to have plastic surgery because she was fed up with doing her makeup every morning. Now the results of her surgery have also been made public.

Jenny is a 25-year-old woman from Qingdao, China. Ever since she was young she’s been strived to look as beautiful as possible, and she was known as something of a fashionista among her friends. As she grew up and her world widened, she met more and more beautiful people, and as she did she increasingly began to feel that the bar for beauty was being set ever higher. Before long, her morning makeup routine was taking her over an to apply. Figuring that this was a waste of her valuable time, but still wanting to look as stunning as ever, Jenny decided that plastic surgery was the answer.

People online mocked her reasons for going under the knife as a joke, but when she actually went ahead with it and photos of her surgeries were published by Gingdao News, which had been following her story from the beginning, it caused even more of a stir.

Jenny went ahead with five procedures including double-eyelid surgery, rhinoplasty for a narrower and higher nose, and contouring of facial fat and muscle so that she could achieve the small, oval features popular among Korean idols. The surgery took seven hours in total.

Whatever your views on plastic surgery, as you’ll see in the photos, it’s clearly a serious undertaking, no matter how easy reality TV stars make it seem. Apparently Jenny was in tears when she went under anaesthetic, and her first words upon waking were ‘Am I still alive?”.

Her surgery took place on August 26, and the photos were publicized four days later. While she’s still covered in bandages, there’s no doubt that her face has changed, although it will take a month to see the full results. She’ll also undergo another procedure once she’s recovered from these ones. However, she’s very happy with how the surgery has turned out and at finally having the face she’d yearned for.

It’s a fact that makeup can be washed off at the end of the day while surgery changes your face forever, but whether that is a good or a bad thing is all down to the individual. Feel free to leave your thoughts on the issue in the comments section below.

▼ Jenny before her surgery.

▼ She underwent seven hours of surgery and five facial procedures.

▼ It will be a month before her face is completely healed and she can see the full results of the surgery, but Jenny is happy with how it’s turned out so far.

Source/images: Qingdao News [1] [2], Weibo

• Beauty is pain: A journey through one South Korean woman’s plastic surgery 【Photos】
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• Yup, it’s time for another “Korean plastic surgery” picture post【Photos】
• Triangle-Shaped Head New Benchmark for Beauty in China?
• Korean woman gets plastic surgery to look like model Miranda Kerr, gets pretty close!

Origin: Chinese woman fed up of putting on makeup, gets plastic surgery instead
Copyright© RocketNews24 / SOCIO CORPORATION. All rights reserved.

Yeah, yeah, here comes another article about plastic surgery in South Korea. But this time there’s an international twist to it–the story is about two Thai women who received plastic surgery on a Korean TV program.

As reported by Coconuts Bangkok, the September 4 episode of Korean show Let Me In featured a pair of Thai women who received several cosmetic surgery treatments for free and which followed the entire surgerical process from start to finish. The women’s transformed faces were revealed to the public for the first time at the end of the episode. How do you think their procedures turned out?

This isn’t the first time we’ve featured the controversial South Korean documentary/reality TV program with the clever title Let Me In (Let 美人; 美人=mi-in, or “beautiful person,” in Korean) on our site–remember that episode when the 29-year-old “Old Lady Face” transformed into a youthful-looking “Dream Girl”? The general premise behind the show is that men and women try to convince the show’s hosts why they think they need surgery, and if selected, they receive free cosmetic surgery performed by a team of expert doctors in the field. In return for the procedures, the participants agree to allow their images to be used in public advertisements for cosmetic surgery.

On the Season 4 episode titled “Special Global in Thailand,” Nichakorn Kuhachit and Nisanat Tangdat were two women chosen out of 2,000 applicants to be flown to Korea to undergo a series of cosmetic surgeries.

Nichakorn stated that her nickname was always “Monkey” due to her prominent jaw line. After a lucky discovery, the surgeons also removed a tumor that was found in her chest.

Take a look at her before/after pictures below:

▼A map of all the procedures done to Nichakorn

▼Nichakorn with her mother

The main work done to Nisanat was to fix her five-mm underbite. Here’s the map of all of her procedures, as well as some before/after pictures:

You can also watch the entire episode below, from the initial ‘auditions’ in Thailand to the moment of reveal on the show. Unfortunately, there are no English subtitles available, but let’s be honest: most of us will be watching this for the images anyway.

▼Part 1

▼Part 2

I’m personally not sure how I feel about plastic surgery in general, but it’s always nice to see women gain a new sense of personal empowerment for their daily lives, if that’s what works for them.

Source: Coconuts Bangkok
Images: Facebook (Stmstyle Mt), My Seoul Secret (Let Me In Season 3 promotional image)

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Origin: Korean cosmetic surgery show treats two Thai women to free procedures
Copyright© RocketNews24 / SOCIO CORPORATION. All rights reserved.

The pursuit of beauty and the relentless quest to look younger is nothing new and has probably been around since the first human looked into a pool of water and realized that the disfigured beastly thing staring back was themselves. A couple of hundred thousand years and many medical technology breakthroughs later, we are spending massive amounts of money, time and pain on that quest to look younger and more beautiful. And last week a Japanese cosmetic company made an announcement that seemed to suggest they found the fountain of youth when they took 30 years off a 67-year-old man’s skin using a breakthrough technology.

To turn the clock back for this man’s skin, cosmetics maker Kose was using the relatively new method of induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cell technology. These cells are grown from adult stem cells and can potentially grow into many kinds of body tissue, making them extremely attractive for many in the medical industry hoping to regrow body parts using a patient’s own DNA. Although most in the medical community have focused on how the technology can be used to save lives and treat diseases or disability with no cure today, the ability to regenerate body tissue would be huge for the cosmetics industry.

▼ iPS cells created from adult skin

Image: Facebook (Center for iPS Cell Research and Application (CiRA), Kyoto University)

Although iPS cells were only discovered about eight years ago, Kose had been collecting skin samples from a man since 1980 to study how skin ages. They then begin working with researchers at Kyoto University to make iPS cells using the man’s skin samples they had collected over the years. With the iPS cells, the chromosomes in the man’s 67-year-old skin became almost identical to the skin samples he took when he was 36.

While still at the most basic levels of research, Kose said it hopes to be able to further study this technology and eventually develop a line of tailor-made skin-rejuvenating cosmetic products. The company said it will reveal more details of its potential fountain of youth next week in Paris at the annual gathering of the International Federation of Societies of Cosmetic Chemists.

Although many cynical Japanese netizens wondered what Kose was doing since 1980 to make this recent breakthrough, most on the Internet couldn’t wait for the opportunity to buy a product that could make their skin look younger. But many said that if the company really wants to be able to convince the public that its product works, they are going to have to show some before-and-after photos.

Since this is just the earliest stages of a skin cell-regenerating product from Kose, we are just going to have to wait and continue to use our conventional methods to keep our skin looking young and fresh!

Feature Image: Wikipedia
Source: Jin 115, Kose

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Origin: Has a Japanese company found the fountain of youth? One man’s youthful skin suggests so
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In perhaps the one case in which broadly dismissing an entire group of exotic-looking people by saying, “Eh, they all look the same to me,” maybe isn’t all that offensive, the 2014 Miss Korea contestant lineup once again looks eerily like a lineup of I, Robot-style doppelgangers.

This year saw around 50 finalists, whom the agency holding the competition saw fit to line up in a photo roster for our viewing pleasure:

As you – and thousands of other Netizens – have likely concluded, there’s an uncanny sameness to all these ladies’ looks, from hair style to face shape, and it doesn’t help that they’re all photographed against one of only two possible backgrounds.

The same could be said of the ladies of last year, who we and the rest of the Internet talked about thoroughly at the time; everybody just looks uncannily “same-y” and seems to be striving for the exact same look. Some say this is the direct result of Korea’s obsession with plastic surgery, but reports suggest that this isn’t the case.

Either way, we don’t envy the judges of this particular contest one bit.

Source and photos: Itai News

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Origin: Attack of the Clones: Finalists in this year’s Miss Korea contest once again looking eerily alike
Copyright© RocketNews24 / SOCIO CORPORATION. All rights reserved.

There’s another batch of shocking “before and after” pics of plastic surgery doing the rounds: transformation pictures of Chinese women, accompanied by captions listing the procedures the women have had, from double eyelid surgery to rhinoplasty.

I’m not a doctor, but I do have eyes, and surgery is not the only thing going on in these pictures. There are heaps of other factors that make these amazing post-surgery photos look better than the “before” shots. Here are but a few.

The Chinese women in these photos all travelled to South Korea to go under the knife. Seoul is arguably the cosmetic surgery capital of the world, with 1 in 5 women aged 18 to 49 having had some kind of procedure, but let’s be careful not to overgeneralise here. Saying that there’s an “extreme plastic surgery craze in Asia” based on statistics about Seoul is like saying there’s an extreme Irn Bru craze in Europe because the fizzy orange stuff is popular in Scotland (where it outsells Coca Cola, since you asked).

Oh, and the surgery actually looks quite good if you like that kind of thing (which I don’t). But I digress. Here’s how to make a transformation shot so good, it’s literally unbelievable!

▼ Take the “after” photo in lovely soft studio lighting.

▼ In the before shot, have the girl scowl. Afterwards: smile!

▼ In fact, light the “after” photo so her skin also looks a completely different colour.

▼ Put a sneaky bit of cleavage into the “after” shot.

▼ Or a naked shoulder!

▼ Before: have her stand facing the camera straight-on. After: turn to one side, with a sassy hand on the hip.

▼ In fact, just take the new photo from a 90 degree different angle.

▼ Before: monochrome. After: life is full of colour!

▼ Before: shorts and T-shirts. After: matching lacy dresses.

▼ Remove any unconventional headgear for the “after” photo.

▼ Print the scowling “before” photo onto a placard/ping pong paddle.

▼ Give her a completely different hairstyle to go with her new face.

▼ And let’s not forget the greatest non-surgical tool of all: the airbrush.

Remember: if something looks too good to be true, it probably is.

Sources: 163.com, Shanghaiist, Huffington Post
Images: 163.com, via Shanghaiist

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Origin: How to take a post-surgery “transformation” shot: A guide to faking it【Photos】
Copyright© RocketNews24 / SOCIO CORPORATION. All rights reserved.

If you’ve been reading up on our international medical news recently, you may have stumbled upon the shocking story of staff posing for photos during surgery on a patient at a hospital in China. While the news was disturbing to say the least, it seems they’re not the only ones fooling around in the operating room, with a new set of images from a clinic in South Korea showing medical staff enjoying birthday cake, games and unabashed selfies, even with the patient lying unconscious in the medical chair.

The images, apparently posted by a staff member, were taken at the well-known Jewelry Plastic Surgery Center in the affluent district of Gangnam, an area made famous by pop star Psy’s worldwide hit “Gangnam Style”. The behaviour of staff at this particular clinic has led many to question what really goes on in the multi-million dollar industry. The collection of photos show a number of questionable practices, including what look like impromptu parties being held and staff striking poses which show little regard for the patient in their care.

▼ In line for the “what-were-they-thinking?” award of the year is this worker – who actually tagged the hospital director behind her – used the hashtag #inthemiddleofanoperation, and then posted her picture online.

▼ Other staff appear to gossip and play-fight while a patient lies in the chair, unaware of what’s going on around her.

▼ These photos were taken when the surgeon apparently allowed staff to enjoy a party in the operating room.

▼ And burgers in the operating room.

▼ How not to respect the patient: strike a pose with their implant. And then post it on social media.

▼ Time for the operation – but first, let me take a selfie.

▼ A surgical clinic is not the place to make it rain with money taken from your clientelle.

The clinic has reportedly apologised for the actions of its staff and officials are conducting an investigation into any possible violation of medical laws. If their behaviour is deemed to have damaged the reputation of medical practitioners, a suspension can be ordered under South Korean medical law.

Source/images: Otonarisoku

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Origin: Scandal as hospital staff take selfies, play games & hold parties while patients lie unconscious
Copyright© RocketNews24 / SOCIO CORPORATION. All rights reserved.

While it’s hard to believe, not everyone is born fitting perfectly into the extremely high (and sometimes, a little repetitive) standards of what a person “should” look like. Recently, some Korean net users were reminded of this little fact of life when they came across photos of a gorgeously curvaceous South Korean fitness instructor during her days as a cute girl-next-door type.

Not believing the woman could become this dramatically beautiful without the help of a good plastic surgeon, the before and after pics sparked a debate about beauty standards and why we care so much about how we look. Click below to see more photos of the fitness guru who went from cute to va-va-voom.

While there’s nothing wrong with cute, this fitness instructor certainly turned it up a few notches over the years and none can argue with her amazing physique. Of course her job probably keeps her in pretty great shape, but some online argued that looking this good took more than just exercise. Here’s a video of her teaching pilates on a Korean TV show to show how she looks today.

But the photos that surfaced online recently revealed that she didn’t always have this supermodel-like beauty. The pictures showed a still very beautiful girl, but someone whose adjective was probably closer to “cute” than “hot.”

Take a look at the five photos of this fitness instructor from the past:

Now compare that to more recent pictures of the woman whose beauty, some say, is “unfair.”

Some argue that the differences between the past and current photos of this woman are too unbelievable without taking into account a little plastic surgery. Others argued that this is what happens in a society where beauty standards are so high that even already very pretty women have to get work done to achieve them.

What do you think of this woman’s journey from girl-next-door to super-slim TV fitness instructor? Is this just the result of hours at the gym or has she had little help from a surgeon? And if so, did she even need it, or is society simply producing a bunch of super-slim clones by setting the bar so high?

Source: Stomp
All Images: Viral Charm

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Origin: Korean fitness guru goes from cute to drop-dead gorgeous, sparks beauty standards debate 【Photos】
Copyright© RocketNews24 / SOCIO CORPORATION. All rights reserved.

In this day and age, we are all very aware of how deceiving photos can be. In China, the power of Photoshop cannot be undermined as both women and men go to extreme measures to give themselves “cosmetic surgery” on their mobile phones. In fact, sometimes the pictures are so Photoshopped, they look nothing like the real deal. This rampant Photoshop phenomenon has led to this hilarious parody mocking throngs of Chinese girls who spend most of their time editing their own faces.

Using clips from a period drama, the video dubs them over with new lines involving the characters fighting over Photoshop in ancient China. For example, here two bourgeois court ladies are fighting over how with the increasing use of Photoshop (commonly referred to as PS in China), plastic surgery should no longer be relevant.

In the meantime, the emperor’s mistress discusses her manipulated likeness with a chambermaid, who teases her about her drastically altered appearances in the Photoshopped scroll she’s holding.

The older woman, however, comes to her own wise conclusion that in the past, people used to say, “There are no ugly women, only lazy women.” but that should now be updated to:

Here’s the scene in motion. Enjoy!

Certainly Photoshop has taken the Chinese internet by storm. The video leaves us with a rather colorful quote full of cultural stereotypes:

“Korea has cosmetic surgery, Thailand has sex change, our great dynasty has Photoshop!”

Source/Images: Shanghaiist

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Origin: What if there was Photoshop in ancient China?
Copyright© RocketNews24 / SOCIO CORPORATION. All rights reserved.

It’s probably common knowledge by now that South Korea is one of, if not the most, cosmetic surgery-obsessed countries in the world. It’s a topic that has been touched on pretty regularly here on RocketNews24; last year alone we brought you news of a Korean clinic that makes art out of patients’ jawbones, a girl who underwent an enormous amount of plastic surgery to turn herself into Miranda Kerr, and a Korean reporter who changed her looks so drastically that many were left aghast.

Korean cosmetic surgery, on the whole, is geared towards achieving a standardised set of features that are considered beautiful. And while the entries for Miss Korea may or may not have had a little bit of work done at some point, it’s startling how similar they all look in their competition portraits.

How similar, you ask? Well feast your eyes upon this gif of all the Miss Korea candidates and try to work out where one girl starts and another ends.

Candidates for Miss Korean in one gif #gif reddit.com/user/Greypo http://t.co/pSWtW3BASI

—
Gif Time (@gif_Time) March 07, 2015

It’s kind of hypnotic, no? If you’re not tired of looking at the same face yet, then feel free to check out our past Korean plastic surgery roundup posts here and here.

Source: Reddit via Twitter
Main Image: Twitter @gif_Time

Origin: Spot the difference: This gif of Miss Korea candidates is pretty much what we were expecting
Copyright© RocketNews24 / SOCIO CORPORATION. All rights reserved.

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You know how people always say things like “looks are not important”, or “money isn’t everything”? It’s something we’d like to agree with, but isn’t it ironic how some people gain overnight fame and roll in riches just because of their appearances?

Case in point, a 15-year-old girl in China recently hit the headlines on various Asian news websites because of the looks she acquired through plastic surgery. She doesn’t brand herself as a “living Barbie”, but by the looks of it, she has probably earned herself membership into the Real Barbie Army.

Hailing from Zhengzhou City of Henan Province in east-central China, the 15-year-old girl who goes by the name Danae (@李蒽熙Danae) on Weibo rose to Internet fame due to her unsettling, slightly plastic-like appearance.

▼ Before

▼ After

As always, there are people who think positively about plastic surgery, and also people who detest the idea. In Danae’s case, however, there seemed to be more negative comments than positive ones, especially since she has gone under the knife at such a tender age. Her overly-powdered, unnaturally fair face has even led to some netizens calling her a “ghost” or “demon”, but the young woman appears to be unfazed by the bashing comments, saying that “when there is praise there is defamation; the more criticism you get from jealous women, the more good-looking you must be.”

What’s even more shocking than her unnatural features is the extravagant lifestyle she leads. She often posts pictures of herself in hotels and resorts, donning brand-name shoes and accessories, getting new tattoos, and lounging about in revealing outfits. We’re not sure if she has a family background similar to that of Paris Hilton, but this obviously isn’t the kind of teenage years most of us went through!

Needless to say, there are loads of comments criticizing her for showing off, but once again the little miss retorted with a big serving of sass, writing, “Those people bashing me: When you were 15, did you get presented with branded perfumes on a daily basis? Were you chauffeured around in luxury cars? How much of the world have you seen at the age of 15? Did you have 500,000 yuan (US$80,415) of pocket-money to spend every month when you were 15? If you didn’t then shut up, you are in no position to be bashing me. We have to live with the times to survive in today’s society, we can’t afford to be at a disadvantage at the starting line, you understand?”

It seems like the rat race in the world’s most populated country has taken a toll on this young woman, but you gotta admit, she has an attitude that would probably take her places, though we don’t know if she’s aware of the price she’s paying to get there. I mean, even though as a teenager I used to fantasize about leading a glamorous lifestyle, I’m rather happy with the memories of my dorky teenage years now… but that’s just me. What about you?

Source: Apple Daily via Hachima Kikou
Images via Weibo

Origin: 15-year-old Chinese “plastic” girl gets bashed on Weibo, lashes back with attitude and selfies
Copyright© RocketNews24 / SOCIO CORPORATION. All rights reserved.

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Weibo, the Chinese microblogging site, is full of people of all walks of life, just like Facebook or Twitter, we suppose. Everyone from your average Joes to 15-year-olds with more plastic surgery than Hollywood can get together, share pictures, and argue ad nauseam. The last Weibo user we saw with a ton of work done certainly hit a nerve with Internet users across the world, though she apparently did not give a crap what we thought. And good for her! Listening to the haters is a sure way to ruin a good day.

But now, a new angular face has appeared on the scene, and it looks like he’s not bowing to the Weibo hate either. Though we’re not sure his “deny, deny, deny” tactic is going to work out quite as well as he’s hoping.

Liu Zi-chen, an 18-year-old who goes by the online name Snake Spirit Boy, has the kind of jawline you wouldn’t expect to see anywhere outside manga illustrations. And, like Danae last month, he’s pale, very thin, and seems to have an affinity for iris-enlarging contact lenses.

But unlike Danae, Snake Spirit Boy is claiming he hasn’t had any cosmetic surgery done.

Chinese Internet users aren’t buying it, though, and the shapely young man been accused of – *gasp* not on the internet!? – lying. Apparently, someone managed to dig up an old photo of the youth, pictured above, ostensibly proving his claims untrue. However, Snake Spirit Boy countered that the photo on the left only looks different because it was taken half a decade ago — though he did eventually concede that he’d had some work done. On his nose.

As for his chin, SSB (as we’re calling him) insists that he was able to mold it to pointy perfection with face masks. Like many commenters on Weibo, we’re a bit, um, skeptical.

In addition to close-ups of his angular face, the young man has also posted a slew of nude and semi-nude photos on social media. In the interest of keeping things as safe for work as possible, we’ll just use this one to illustrate the bizarre direction this story is taking.

With all the hate on his page, SSB decided to fight back…by claiming his detractors were just jealous, bragging about his cash, overseas lifestyle, and huge number of cell phones. He’s not entirely wrong about that — we wouldn’t mind a bit of that cash bed he apparently sleeps in.

The 18-year-old has also declared that his photos are works of art, which is something we’ve decided we are unqualified to judge. After all, how many painters have found fame while they were alive?

Well, Snake Spirit Boy, we’re not sure we believe you, but we’re also fine with you doing whatever makes you feel happy. But if we have any advice for you, maybe don’t brag about how much money you have? We hear that might rub people the wrong way…

Reference: Shanghaiist
Images: GetJoys

Origin: This guy claims he’s never had any cosmetic surgery done, but the internet isn’t convinced
Copyright© RocketNews24 / SOCIO CORPORATION. All rights reserved.

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These days, it’s not really out of the question to think that people, especially young Korean women, may have had plastic surgery at some point. Really, it’s almost becoming the norm in some places. However, we’d like to think that there are still plenty of natural beauties out there too.

Recently, some photos surfaced on the Internet that are supposedly the high school photos of the South Korean beauty, DJ Soda. While normally one might think, “Wow, she really grew up!”, thanks to the cosmetic surgery culture in South Korea, people are saying, “Hey, wait a minute, did she get work done?”

▼ She did lose quite a lot of cheek. But that’s a normal part of growing up, right?

While people may be jumping to conclusions, assuming that the sexy-cute DJ has more than just mother nature to thank for her current image is kind of understandable. Remember when another South Korean celebrity was busted on national TV when her CT scan revealed she had gotten a nose job? Her fans were not exactly pleased.

▼ Is this the face and body of a natural beauty?

DJ Soda’s fans are pretty split on the issue. Some people have come to her defense, while others are positive she’s had surgery. But really, with cosmetic surgery so common, does it even really matter? Up until a few decades ago, people having their teeth straightened and whitened was still something of a rarity, but now TV and movie stars are rarely seen without perfectly straight, dazzling white teeth. Maybe in the near future, we may be surprised to learn that our beloved celebrities haven’t had surgery?

Source/ Images: Lillipop

Origin: Did South Korean cutie DJ Soda get plastic surgery after high school? Some fans think so
Copyright© RocketNews24 / SOCIO CORPORATION. All rights reserved.

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Just how far are you willing to go to transform into your favorite childhood superhero?

Meet Herbert Chavez, who has, in fact, undergone 23 surgeries to effectively become a living version of the Man of Steel himself–or as he puts it, the “Man of Plastic.” But despite the celebrity status that comes along with being the alter-ego of a real-life Clark Kent, do the benefits really outweigh the risks?

A native of Calamba, Philippines, Chavez grew up emulating Christopher Reeve in the classic Superman films, making it his lifelong dream to become the comic book character’s biggest fan in the world. So far, it looks like he’s making very well on that promise–Chavez has been in the Guinness Book of World Records since 2012 for owning the world’s largest collection of Superman memorabilia.

▼ Take that, Thai Batman enthusiast!

▼ Some of his treasures, which occupy an entire house

Of course, when you’re the super-mega-I’m-not-messing-around type of fan that Chavez is, it’s not good enough to just collect mountains of merchandise. You have to live, breathe, and be the Man of Steel himself. To that end, Chavez has undergone 23 plastic surgeries over the course of 18 years, including liposuction, jaw realignment, rhinoplasties, and even skin lightening procedures costing a grand total of over 300,000 Philippine pesos (US$6,653).

Let’s take a look at how those surgeries have since transformed him:

▼ Here he is without any costume or face makeup.

▼ He first wore blue contacts given to him by a friend at the age of 16.

▼ A short video clip of Chavez from September 2013

After 23 surgeries already, how in the world does he know when to stop? Well, the short answer is that perhaps he doesn’t.

Chavez appeared on an episode of the American reality TV series Botched late last month. His goal this time around was to finally get Superman’s legendary “abs of steel” with the help of the show’s two resident plastic surgeons, but things didn’t go quite as he had planned. Upon learning that Chavez had been injecting himself with MesoLipo, a controversial ab-filler, the doctors refused to perform the surgery and said that he would be better off hitting the gym if he really wants to get Superman’s famous abs of steel.

▼ A promotional clip of Chavez on Botched

Despite his disappointment at not getting the abdominal surgery, Chavez does explain why his transformation into Superman has become such an important of his life. We’ll leave you now with his words from the clip above to ponder during your daily meditation time:

“I like to show to the people, especially the children of the Philippines, that I’m here. Superman is real. What I want is to give them is inspiration. Because I’m not rich to donate thousand [sic] of peso for the children but what I can give is happiness.”

Sources: Daily Mail, YouTube (E! Entertainment)
Featured image: Facebook (Herbert Chavez) (Edited by RocketNews24)

Origin: Filipino Superman injects self with controversial ab-fillers, just wants to make kids smile
Copyright© RocketNews24 / SOCIO CORPORATION. All rights reserved.

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It’s no secret that South Korea has something of a fondness for cosmetic surgery. We’ve published countless articles about how woman and men are flocking to the clinics to enlarge their eyes, tuck in their chins and shape their noses. The results are startling and the “before and after” images are definitely impressive, but now, sadly, pets are also finding themselves on the receiving end of the worrying craze.

According to a Focus-Asia report, earlier this month the Chosun Ilbo (Korea Daily) newspaper featured an article which documented the rise of cosmetic surgeries being performed on dogs and other pets in South Korea.

Existing cosmetic procedures for pets apparently range from making an animal’s eyes bigger to removing wrinkles from their face, all in the name of making the pet cuter. One lady, who had recently taken her five-month-old dog to the vet for vaccinations, was even advised by the doctor to get a procedure to remove the wrinkles from around her dog’s mouth.

▼ We’re not sure that puppy fat is the same as wrinkles…

Flickr/Lisa L. Weidmeier

Of course, there are medically sound reasons for performing plastic surgery on an animal, such as certain in pugs and bulldogs when the long roof of their mouth and short snouts make it difficult for them to breathe. In such cases, a “nose job” is conducted to help open the nasal passages and facilitate proper respiration. Other plastic surgeries include removing wrinkles to prevent the build up of bacteria and removing fur and skin from around the eyes to aid vision.

Yet, the rise of purely cosmetic surgeries on pets say quite a lot about the importance of appearances in today’s society. One veterinarian in Korea was quoted in the article as saying: “Surgeries such as these are completely safe. There is a right as a pet owner to make your pet cuter.”

Animal rights groups strongly disagree and have been quite outspoken against the unnecessary procedures, stating that while people can make the choice to get plastic surgery, pets cannot tell their owners what they are thinking – nor, for that matter, would they care about their physical appearance enough to want an operation in the first place. Protestors have also argued that forcing an animal to have cosmetic surgery is abusive and should be prohibited by law immediately.

We can’t help but agree – I mean, aren’t pets perfectly cute as they are? If the following pictures – of, thankfully, perfectly ‘natural’ pets – don’t convince you of that, then we don’t know what will.

Flickr/Tommy Hemmert Olesen

Flickr/BusyBee-cr

Flickr/erik forsberg

Source: Focus-Asia
Top Image: Jorbasa Fotografie

Origin: Not just for humans? Pets now being roped into cosmetic surgery in South Korea
Copyright© RocketNews24 / SOCIO CORPORATION. All rights reserved.

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A few years back we saw an image that would quickly became a symbol of our time, highlighting one of the major flaws in humankind’s obsession with achieving physical perfection. The image was a family portrait, the mother and father of which had both undergone plastic surgery and looked startlingly different from their three kids, all of whom had similar, very distinct physical features. As it was later discovered, however, the portrait was completely staged, and none of the people in it are related in any way.

Nevertheless, the negative impact of the photo was so great that the life of the young “mother” took a drastic turn for the worse after the image went viral. The woman is now suing the Taiwanese plastic surgery clinic and advertising firm behind the image for using it unfairly and for not explaining the nature of advertisement the photo would be used for.

The woman in the now infamous photo is Heidi Yeh, a model from Taiwan. Here’s a quick sample of her modeling work so you can see what she’s done outside of the infamous picture:

According to Taiwanese news sources, Heidi’s side of the story is that she signed a contract for the photo to be used in a different advertisement. She claims that the plastic surgery clinic stole the image and used it without permission.

Not only that, but Heidi’s lawyers also claim that she has suffered as a result of false accusations. After the anti-plastic surgery image exploded on the internet, wild rumors surfaced about a Chinese man who sued his wife for giving birth to an ugly baby. The story goes that the man felt he was deceived because his wife had plastic surgery, so he didn’t know what she really looked like.

Of course that story is not true, but the power of gossip is such that it severely impacted Heidi’s modeling career and mental health. The model’s lawyer told Taiwanese media that they are suing the plastic surgery clinic, the advertising firm, and Heidi’s agency at the time for breaking the terms specified in her contract.

Here’s the video of Heidi presenting her case to the media. Even if you don’t speak Chinese you’ll no doubt still be able to feel the emotion behind the model’s words:

But Heidi’s isn’t the only side of the story. The plastic surgery clinic that used the image says that they were given the photo perfectly legally via the advertising firm. The firm itself even claims that Heidi signed a consent form allowing them to use the photo as “a picture of a plastic surgery family.” Of course that use is up to interpretation, and it will be for the courts to decide whether or not the photo’s usage falls under that definition.

No matter who you think is in the wrong here, it’s hard to argue that the lives of the people in the photo have not been affected for the worse because of it. The parents of the children pictured are, as you might imagine, also upset over it, and they claim that the children’s faces were intentionally altered to look ugly.

Who will be declared right? Only time will tell. But until then, let’s just be glad that we finally know the truth behind the photo that we all may have jumped to conclusion about.

Source: Facebook/Simple Beauty, Facebook/J. Walter Thompson Taipei, Apple Daily Taiwan,  ET Today, Liberty Times Net
Featured/top image: Twitter/@tw_chinatimes (Edited by RocketNews24)

Origin: Anti-plastic surgery ad debunked as fake, “mom” model suing ad firm for ruining her life
Copyright© RocketNews24 / SOCIO CORPORATION. All rights reserved.

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A shed-load of plastic surgery and cosmetic products later, the model looks (a bit) like his Final Fantasy VIII video game mercenary inspiration.

21-year-old Amirul Rizwan Musa, started modelling back in 2014 and since that time has had several surgical procedures, with costs totalling RM200,000 (US$46,865) in order to edge closer to his Squall Leonhart ideal. No hand model he, Musa is the face of a number of cosmetic products, including skin whitening creams and tablets. This may also go some way to explaining his pale complexion, more in keeping with Squall than with his earlier photos. While several individuals have attempted to achieve a Barbie doll-like appearance, Musa may be one of the first professional models to try and emulate someone from the Final Fantasy video game franchise.

▼ For those unfamiliar with his appearance, here’s Final Fantasy VIII’s main character, Squall Leonhart…

1. Squall Leonhart (obviously). Related to him a lot playing FF8. Was so happy when he turned up in Kingdom Hearts!… twitter.com/i/web/status/8…

—
James_Archer_51 (@LeonBelmontX) June 29, 2017

▼ …and his copycat, Malaysian Amirul Rizwan Musa

▼ Nobody knows melancholy like a lone wolf mercenary, and Musa even has Squall’s moodiness down to a T.

While Musa has plenty of fans throughout the world, not everyone is enamoured with his look and the extreme lengths he has gone to attain it. In an interview with the Malaysian newspaper Harian Metro, Musa explained that he often receives abusive calls and messages and that people will even travel to see him to insult him to his face. Where’s a gunblade when you need one?

It’s not all bad though, as the publicity has only helped his own cosmetic products business and even led to Musa being offered acting parts and sponsorship deals.

▼ Musa’s “before” and “after” shots, results he claims are thanks to vitamin tablets (with an assist from extensive surgery).

▼ Musa’s quest to look like his hero has made it into the media both in his native Malaysia and further afield

Imitation being the sincerest form of flattery, we’d like to think that Squall himself would be pleased with the results, although being an angsty so-and-so he’d probably just say “whatever”.

Source, featured image: Instagram/miyyone_rizone via NextShark

It’s a facelift in a box!

We’ve seen a number of unusual beauty tips and plastic surgery stories from South Korea in the past, but now there’s a new hack that’s making news online, and this time it’s a simple product with a dramatic effect that Korean women are going crazy for.

Called the Face Maker Lifting Tape, the new beauty item from Dodo Label comes in a box containing 20 sheets, each of which are designed to be used around the jawline to lift the sides of the face to give a slimming effect.

To see how it works, take a look at the video below:

In the clip, you can see how the tape lifts the jawline, creating a smaller face shape, which is an idealised form of beauty in South Korea and throughout much of Asia.

▼ The results of using the tape can be subtle…

▼ Or dramatic, depending on the shape of the user’s face.

▼ Once the tape is covered over with makeup, it’s unable to be seen.

The lifting tape can be purchased online from Dodo Label for 5,700 Won (US$5.06), which is a pretty small price to pay for such a dramatic uplift.

Source: Dodo Label
Images: YouTube/My Princess HK