Degree Type
Honors Capstone Project
Date of Submission
Spring 5-1-2009
Capstone Advisor
Michael Cremedas
Honors Reader
Dona Hayes
Capstone Major
Broadcast and Digital Journalism
Capstone College
Public Communications
Audio/Visual Component
no
Capstone Prize Winner
no
Won Capstone Funding
no
Honors Categories
Professional
Abstract
Brief Summary of Capstone Project
My Capstone Project is a short film documentary exploring the plastic surgery obsession in South Korea. The focus is on the double eyelid surgery, a controversial and intriguing procedure that creates a crease on the upper eyelid to make small eyes bigger and rounder. The infatuation with the double eyelid surgery is a social and cultural phenomenon that is changing the South Korean people. The documentary attempts to discuss various factors that influence the decisions people make to go under the knife and the social and cultural implications and consequences that result from it.
Statement of Concept
The concept of this creative piece was to tell a story, and share insight on an issue that is affecting the people of South Korea at an alarming rate and reach. The visual storytelling engages the audience and successfully delivers a message that most people are not aware of. Most importantly, the documentary is able to connect to the audience in ways that verbal or written presentations cannot. The purpose of the documentary is not only to educate the audience, but also to provoke individual questions about what it means to be beautiful and the extent people will go to justify it in their hearts.
Context of the work
The documentary is not a creative piece in that no new ideas were generated to form a conscious theory regarding the double eyelid surgery. The research was mostly academic, in addition to personal experiences, interviews, and news.
Discussion of the medium/processes used in the project’s creation
Basic filming devices, including digital cameras, were used to record and document interviews and footage. The Macbook iMovie HD program was used to edit the material alongside Adobe Photoshop. Original interviews were conduced in Seoul, South Korea. The editing was done at Syracuse University.
Conclusion
The obsession with plastic surgery in South Korea encourages us to reevaluate beauty and societal norms. It also challenges people to consider how this epidemic affects the global community and evolving ideas.
Recommended Citation
Kim, Haeun, "The Plastic Surgery Obsession in South Korea" (2009). Honors Capstone Projects - All. 485.
https://surface.syr.edu/honors_capstone/485
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License.
