The Millimeter War

One of the most immediately obvious pop culture differences between Korea and western countries is the amount of exposed skin that it takes to be considered risque. Open up a Korean edition of lad mag Maxim and compare the Korean models to the Americans — the Americans are typically clad in almost nothing, with the Koreans looking like they’re planning a trip to Siberia by comparison. Even big-name actresses in the States will appear in photos I wouldn’t want my grandmother to know I have — without raising anything near the stir they undoubtedly would in Korea.

Nevertheless the Korean situation, as with most everything here, is changing rapidly. Short shorts and miniskirts are among the biggest-selling items of clothing and fashion gets sexier every year. It’s certainly no secret that top female stars vie to be considered the sexiest. As always in such matters, the Sports Chosun is on top of it.

“Shorter, sexier.”

This is the ‘1-mm war’. The open competition of these sexy singers is beyond imagination. The hip line has shot up to the point that you can almost see their butts, and chest lines are nakedly exposed. The more singers who attempt comebacks the more intense the level of exposure.

In the music industry’s sexy competition Lee Hyo-ri, Seo In-hyeong, Seo Ji-yeong, Babyvox and Uhm Jung-hwa lead the way. The thought “if you’re gonna take it off, make it hot” is the driving force. To be the topic of more conversations than the first showcase-grabbing singer, they aren’t unwilling to cross the line of dangerous exposure. The strategy is to attract more attention than the other singers by exposing an extra millimeter.

Bold Exposure from Butt to Chest

On the 15th at Seoul’s 1988 Stadium in Deungchon-dong the ample bosom of Lee Hyo-ri, who performed various one-act plays, was the point of attention. She wore a black jacket, hot pants and a fedora in an attempt to restrain her overexposure, but instead, in a frenzied display of dancing at the last minute her cleavage was deeply displayed through her jacket and drew all eyes.

Seo In-yeong, of the four-member girl band Jewelry, puts particular emphasis on her crotch. On the 13th on a music video shoot she created a stir by wearing hot pants so tiny they made people think of panties. The first Korean singer to expose her hip bones, she drew gasps with her revealing gold outfit.

Recently Seo Ji-yeong is proving no exception to the rule in her comeback, showing off her sexy beauty to the best advantage. Though it’s through her vivid stage clothing concepts that her second life has come, as her thighs and chest line go by turns her exposure is creating a doubled feeling of sexy beauty.

The most exciting comeback star of late, Ivy, is drawing attention with her S-line body, emphasizing its silhouette. From her chest to her waist and thighs, the lines of every part of her body, freely exposed with clothing made of spandex, really stimulate the imagination.

Lighting a fire in this exposure competition is “the original sexy star” Uhm Jung-hwa. Last year she grabbed the spotlight by appearing on stage clad in her underwear.

When everyone puts this much emphasis on exposure, the difference in sexiness felt from the difference of one millimeter is huge.

The effects of this sexy exposure competition are extending to ordinary women’s underwear. Recently released women’s underwear is showing this influence in daringly exposed chest lines and shrinking panties. One representative from lingerie brand Vivian said “As exposure becomes popularized recently, brassiere shapes are changing. At the same time that the center of attention in brassieres is moving south with cleavage more exposed, designs which have the effect of pushing the breasts together and making them look big are picking up in popularity.”