Retouched Reality: Beauty, K-pop and filters in Korean Social Media : A qualitative interview study, enriched with ethnographic insights, exploring social media's role in shaping and reinforcing beauty ideals in South Korea.

This study investigates the interplay between social media and beauty ideals in South Korea, focusing on the experiences of young women. South Korea has the highest number of plastic surgeries per capita, highlighting its extreme beauty culture. The country has also been recognised for its prominence in popular culture, with K-pop idols being poster girls for the nation's beauty ideals. To explore how social media and K-pop idols influence beauty ideals and self-perception, the theoretical frameworks of mediatisation and feminist media theory are applied. Ethnographic descriptions based on our six weeks in Seoul have been included as a part of the data collection method. Furthermore, semi-structured interviews with seven South Korean women aged 18 to 30 were conducted to collect material. Their responses were analysed through thematic analysis. Nine key themes have been identified based on the following research areas: the digital constructions of beauty ideals, the impact of K-pop on beauty, managing beauty through filters and women's interpretations of beauty ideals. The findings show that beauty ideals in South Korea are heavily influenced by social media and K-pop idols. On social media platforms such as YouTube and Instagram, unattainable standards of beauty are promoted, leading to societal pressure and appearance dissatisfaction. The study highlights the need for a critical examination of the media, emphasising the importance of creating more inclusive and realistic norms to counteract the harmful effects of beauty ideals.