I recently decided to grow a beard. There were all the normal issue's involved in this, like itchy skin while it first grows in and the awkward look until it is fully grown in. However I also realized that Koreans really do not like facial hair. Of course there are a few Koreans who like it, but the vast majority, easily over 90% dislike it and some really hate it. My students spend a good portion of each class trying to convince me that I looked more handsome without it and that I should shave it off. They say I have a dirty face. Apparently in Korea's past Beards where common, they were a sign of maturity but sometime in the last 50 years they went out of style and today they are just not socially acceptable. It used to be when I walked down the street I would get a lot of smiles from Korean women, when I first grew the beard I noticed that I was being treated differently but it took me a few weeks to realize the cause, the beard. Anyway I am not discouraged by the Korean opposition to my beard, I like it and all the foreigners dig it too. So I will keep my beard and continue to tease my students by telling them I will shave it off if they all get 100% on their tests, which they never will....
When a Korean business opens or they want to advertise they hire dancing girls. These are young women,that I assume are generally 19-25 years old and they dress in cheerleader like outfits with a 80's twist. They always wear skirts even in the snow, although this is common all over, women here wear winter leggings under their skirts. They stand on circular platforms that remind me of american gladiator platforms and they dance and say sales pitches into microphones.They repeat the slogans or pitches and talk to people who are walking by and try and get them to go in the business. There is also loud music playing, its very noticeable so I suppose it does its job but I often wonder how much it costs to rent these girls and the stage and sometimes there are balloons and flowers and those inflatable guys. I once read a blog that suggested that the girls that do this where once cheerleaders, then they become dancing girls and eventually they go into being coffee girls. Coffee girls are girls who ride around on scooters and deliver coffee to old men and talk to them, its kind of like strippers on scooters with coffee. This is a unique Korean cultural phenomenon, at least it is to my knowledge maybe this type of advertising happens in other countries but I have talked to many English teachers who have taught all over the world and no one has ever seen this before!
