Kyle: Cultural Learnings of Korea for Make Benefit
This morning, at the Dongjak cultural arts center in Seoul, South Korea, a thespian performance of epic proportions went down. The kindergarten class from my academy is preparing to graduate in a few weeks and their play/dance show today was one of their final activites together as a class. They have been practicing for weeks and this morning was the culmination of all of their hardwork.
I teach older kids, so I don't see the kindergarteners much (except for when I am playing Santa Clause) so today was a good chance for me to witness them in all of their cuteness. There were some incredibly goofy shows and some silly moments where mistakes were made. The whole show was done in a kindergarten/Korean-style English, so large portions were not understood by me (or the Korean-speaking crowd.) There was the story of the 3 Billy Goats Gruff, the Lion King, Chicken Little, etc. In between the plays there were elaborate dance routines. The dances were well-choreographed and all of the children were in crazy costumes - the kind of costumes you would expect to see in off-Broadway shows. I was both impressed and shocked. And then, a dance routine came on that blew me away and helped open a window into the mindset of the Korean culture: a dance routine done by four-and-five-year-olds where they were shaking their hips, gyrating their booties and doing other various dance moves that I would deem innappropriate for high schoolers.
As risque as the dance was, it was nothing compared to the outfits being worn. The boys were wearing what may be termed in Korea as "b-boy" wear, but the girls were wearing short, short skirts and tops that were essentially two strings and a strap. I made the comment that if I have a daughter some day, the only reason I can see her wearing a similar outfit is if she comes of age, gets kicked out of my house for excessive cocaine use and multiple stints in jail and is forced to take a job at a strip club to help make ends meet. Until then, she will wear an outfit like the four-year-olds were wearing over my dead body. I was literally speechless when these girls walked onto the stage.
As I said, this incident allowed me to gain a little perspective on Korean culture. Since I don't understand the language, I take a lot of cues from body language and outward appearances. I was shocked by the routine and outfits, but I was equally shocked by the parents' and teachers' reaction to the outfits - nothing but smiles. The parents clearly thought the outfits were as cute as the duck outfits worn in the "Ugly Duckling." When one of my American coworkers questioned one of the Korean coworkers about the slutty outfits, she responded with a baffled look. She explained that the dance they were doing was adult so it was only appropriate for them to wear clothes that were suitable for the performance.
Sexual attitudes change from culture to culture and I've been interested in Korean sexual attitudes since I arrived here. I have seen many a Korean lady who I would like to do "further socialogical studies" with, if you catch my drift. There is a weird combination of sexual openness and sexual repression that occurs all at once. The Korean woman is a mystery wrapped in an enigma wrapped in a quagmire. Today, the incident with the kids made me aware of a wider cultural thinking and hopefully a window into the Korean woman's psyche. I think I learned that what is shown on a superficial level (i.e.- slutty outfits in a bar) is sometimes just a reflection of what is seen as appropriate for the situation, not necessarily an invitation. In a bar on a Friday night, the Korean female feels that it is expected of her to dress up and appear sexy - and this is in no way an indication that she desires sex. Whereas, on a Friday night in a bar, the Kyle feels that it is expected of him to check out the girls dressed up and appearing sexy - and this is definitely an indication that he is good to go at any minute. So different, but yet so similar.
Jagshemash and Love from Seoul
I teach older kids, so I don't see the kindergarteners much (except for when I am playing Santa Clause) so today was a good chance for me to witness them in all of their cuteness. There were some incredibly goofy shows and some silly moments where mistakes were made. The whole show was done in a kindergarten/Korean-style English, so large portions were not understood by me (or the Korean-speaking crowd.) There was the story of the 3 Billy Goats Gruff, the Lion King, Chicken Little, etc. In between the plays there were elaborate dance routines. The dances were well-choreographed and all of the children were in crazy costumes - the kind of costumes you would expect to see in off-Broadway shows. I was both impressed and shocked. And then, a dance routine came on that blew me away and helped open a window into the mindset of the Korean culture: a dance routine done by four-and-five-year-olds where they were shaking their hips, gyrating their booties and doing other various dance moves that I would deem innappropriate for high schoolers.
As risque as the dance was, it was nothing compared to the outfits being worn. The boys were wearing what may be termed in Korea as "b-boy" wear, but the girls were wearing short, short skirts and tops that were essentially two strings and a strap. I made the comment that if I have a daughter some day, the only reason I can see her wearing a similar outfit is if she comes of age, gets kicked out of my house for excessive cocaine use and multiple stints in jail and is forced to take a job at a strip club to help make ends meet. Until then, she will wear an outfit like the four-year-olds were wearing over my dead body. I was literally speechless when these girls walked onto the stage.
As I said, this incident allowed me to gain a little perspective on Korean culture. Since I don't understand the language, I take a lot of cues from body language and outward appearances. I was shocked by the routine and outfits, but I was equally shocked by the parents' and teachers' reaction to the outfits - nothing but smiles. The parents clearly thought the outfits were as cute as the duck outfits worn in the "Ugly Duckling." When one of my American coworkers questioned one of the Korean coworkers about the slutty outfits, she responded with a baffled look. She explained that the dance they were doing was adult so it was only appropriate for them to wear clothes that were suitable for the performance.
Sexual attitudes change from culture to culture and I've been interested in Korean sexual attitudes since I arrived here. I have seen many a Korean lady who I would like to do "further socialogical studies" with, if you catch my drift. There is a weird combination of sexual openness and sexual repression that occurs all at once. The Korean woman is a mystery wrapped in an enigma wrapped in a quagmire. Today, the incident with the kids made me aware of a wider cultural thinking and hopefully a window into the Korean woman's psyche. I think I learned that what is shown on a superficial level (i.e.- slutty outfits in a bar) is sometimes just a reflection of what is seen as appropriate for the situation, not necessarily an invitation. In a bar on a Friday night, the Korean female feels that it is expected of her to dress up and appear sexy - and this is in no way an indication that she desires sex. Whereas, on a Friday night in a bar, the Kyle feels that it is expected of him to check out the girls dressed up and appearing sexy - and this is definitely an indication that he is good to go at any minute. So different, but yet so similar.
Jagshemash and Love from Seoul
posted by Kyle at 12:35 AM
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