My day in Seoul helps me understand why South Korea has the highest per capita rate of plastic surgery in the world.
我在首尔的日子让我懂了为什么韩国有世界上最高的整形手术人均比率。
A certain logic dominates the shop placement in downtown Seoul:
Bakery, Gym, Bakery, Coffeehouse, Gym, Bakery, Plastic Surgery Center….
一种特殊的逻辑决定了首尔市中心的商店分布：
面包店、体育馆、面包店、咖啡馆、体育馆、面包店、整形手术中心……
Grabbing a pastry on the way to work
去工作的路上抓一个小点心
Realize bathing suit season is approaching, feel guilty for eating said pastry.
发现泳装季节正在来临，对吃了那个小蛋糕感觉愧疚
Also start to think my face is too square.
开始想我的脸太方了
Feeling somewhat depressed about myself, I stop in to grab a pick-me-up coffee and more pastries.
对自己有点沮丧，我停住去买了一杯提神的咖啡和更多点心
Hmmm, maybe I could change my life if only I had a smaller waist and bigger bust, perhaps I should eat less pastries.
嗯，也许我能改变我的生活，只要我腰更细一点、胸部更豪放一点，也许我应该少吃点心
But these donuts are only 150 calories, and made of tofu, I’ll treat myself to a healthy snack.
但这些小甜甜圈才150卡路里，而且全是豆腐做的，我应该给自己一些健康的零食
Starting to regret having to take the subway back home again after work. At least I don’t have wrinkles yet, or wait, is that one on my forehead, crap.
开始后悔工作后坐地铁回家了。至少我还没有皱纹，等等，额头上貌似有一条，该死的
In case I was still on the fence, they’ve spelled it out for me: Getting surgery = snagging a (better?) man
以免我继续淡定，他们给我拼出来：做手术=嫁一个（更好？）的男人
I’m not alone in noticing this, here’s what the Korea Herald had to say in an editorial earlier this year:
我不是头一个意识到这个问题的，这是 Korea Herald（韩国先驱）网站在今年早些时候发的一篇评论：
“Images on TV convince people every day that beauty in this country is being “standardized” as it becomes increasingly difficult to tell one actress from another. The many doctors at aesthetic clinics in Seoul’s Gangnam district have done a great job in this national rush for appearance enhancement, which is not confined to the world of entertainment..
“电视上的图像每天都在让人们相信，在这个国家，美丽就是成为‘标准’，正如要区分一个女演员和另外一个越来越难一样。首尔江南区的美容诊所里成百上千的整形医生们在整个国家急于改善外貌的大潮中起了出色的作用，不仅限于娱乐界……
In Apgujeong-dong and Sinsa-dong in Gangnam-gu, some sections in the busy commercial streets are almost exclusively occupied by cosmetic surgery clinics. Their billboards line the walls of subway stations.
在江南区的松亭洞和新沙洞，繁华的商业街里某些街段几乎完全被整形外科诊所占据。它们的广告牌在地铁站排成一列。
Corporate policies emphasizing human relations potential in the recruitment of employees drive many job seekers to visit cosmetic surgery clinics. Applicants believe they can receive better scores in interviews with impressive physical features usually associated with better social acceptance. Young people would also like to enhance their appearance for their search for a romantic partner.”
招聘职员时强调人际关系潜力的公司政策让许多求职者来到整形手术诊所。求职者相信他们会取得更高的分数，如果他们在面试时拥有令人印象深刻的、常常有更好的社会接受度的外表和身材。年轻人还会希望改善外貌来找到一个浪漫的另一半。”
They go on to describe the growth cosmetic surgery clinics relative to total number of medical centers in Seoul, it’s up to about 15%. A significant proportion of business comes from Japanese and Chinese clients.
I’m starting to similar ads dotting the Beijing landscape, although thankfully not so blatant yet.
它们接着描述整形手术诊所与首尔市医疗中心数目相比的增长率，达到了大约15%。很大一部分业务来自于日本和中国的顾客。
我正开始类似地对北京的地点做广告标记，尽管谢天谢地现在还没有这么明显。
陈思禹
nice one, I love this article:)
before^^ after。。。