Korean Culture & Sexuality

I've talked about a lot of topics in these pages, and have certainly hinted around about sexuality, but I haven't yet dedicated a blog to it.  So, here's a short post about some of the differences I've noticed between Korea and the US.  Why today? Because spring is well underway and "chopstick weather" is here.  

Um, ok, so what do I mean by "chopsticks" (besides those pointy things that Asians use for eating)?  In the Korean pop music scene (k-pop) and during the warmer months, Korean (young) women's fashions reveal a whole lot of leg, but not bosoms (even tank tops are uncommon).  In the winter, young women wear skinny jeans or tights, but spring brings out the very short skirts and long legs.  An ex-pat woman here, perhaps dealing with her middle-aged shape-changes, calls these lovely legs "chopsticks." It's an admittedly catching description (which Sam all-too-readily adopted, with shouts of "chopsticks!" becoming frequent in warm weather).  I once mentioned to a Korean student my observation about covered bosoms vs. exposed legs.  Quite matter-of-factly (and uncharacteristically blunt for a Korean), she said "we show off our good features [legs] and cover our small chests."

Chopsticks in Pohang and on campus.

Mannequins show off the latest in women's clothing (Seoul)

Living on a college campus leads me to the topic of dating, which, at least among these Christian students, is a bit different than in the US.  Public displays of affection for Korean couples appear to be limited to hand-holding, so how is a couple to demonstrate their true love commitment?  Well, they wear matching clothes, of course!  It's not uncommon to see couples wearing matching jackets, hats, shirts, or shoes, or riding matching bikes; I've even seen store displays for matching underwear (see some examples on this ex-pat's blog: https://twosorethumbs.wordpress.com/tag/couples-underwear/). I am not making this up; I recently saw this ad for couples watches on facebook:

I can't really imagine why guys agree to this.  Then again, it's very common for men here to carry purses for their wives/girlfriends, to wear (very) skinny jeans, to wear pink or lavender, and even to use floral or rainbowed umbrellas with no embarrassment.  I see far less male-female distinction here than in the US, which is kind of refreshing once you get past initial impressions of Korean men seeming rather effeminate.

Billboards and TV ads generally don't use sexuality to sell (though that is rapidly changing with K-Pop entertainment and increased openness to Western influences).  Still, to an American, many Korean ads seem innocent and almost childish in their use humor and corny situations.  Thus my surprise about the high number of "business clubs" and "love hotels" in town. The clubs are just for men and, given the silhouettes on the doors, presumably include female dancers and who knows what other amenities. The love hotels are designed for short stays (pay by the hour) and include privacy curtains over the parking garage entrances so no one can see who is driving in with whom.  Surely these kinds of places exist in the US (Vegas comes to mind), but here they're inexplicably blatant, in contrast to the cultural innocence I see elsewhere.