LR代写 self-degrading era
According to Chapkins (2006), the world has entered into a self-degrading era, wherein most people become sensitive about the latest fashion and the most popular beauty standard. Influenced by this social change, women are being pushed to make themselves look better, despite that most females can never be like supermodels they observe in Korean series (Chapkins, 2006). However, most women are still finding ways to follow the latest fashion trend and dress as Korean idols. Chinese women should only feel beautiful if they could be competing with standards that the entire society or at least their social groups dictate.
Although modern technologies allow Chinese women to control their bodies and skin tone, they still rely largely on external beauty standards advocated by their social groups (Li et al., 2008). Currently, there is a substantial body of researches which investigate significant impact of people’s social denies on their perceptions, emotions and behavior. For instance, Ellemers et al., (1997) observe people who stick with unsuccessful groups and find out that even these people may have the opportunity to become successful, they end up with jeopardizing their individual well-being so as to be consistent with social groups, or to protect collective self. From this, it can also be estimated that the collective self is subservient to their individual self (Gaertner et al., 1999). These examples also imply that people’s collective selves and social identities play a guiding role of forming their perceptual, affective and behavior in many different aspects in daily lives.
Whereas the concept of personal self can be defined as a kind of continuous awareness of which someone is, it is still clear that these personal selves may perceive their social selves differently, as they may belong to different social groups (Baumeister, 1998). In the opinion of psychology professors, social identities refer to social selves who are derived from varying social groups. Moreover, social categorization indicates that social selves can be divided into different social groups, depending on the type of social identity that is the most salient (Crisp & Hewstone, 2001).
Nowadays, Chinese women who are ranging from 18 to 25 years old admit that they are undergoing pressures from their parents and influenced by behaviors conducted and advocated by other group members in the same group while they are thinking about the necessity of performing plastic cosmetic surgeries. The prevalence of Korean series has presented Chinese women with so-called beauty standards. To be accepted by the majority public, Chinese women, especially those young ones, begin to pursuit for standard beauty as portrayed in Korean series. In addition, it is widely witnessed that some Chinese women have won substantial confidence and self-contentment from their social groups after they have undertaken some plastic surgeries to look alike with Korean popular stars. As a result, there are more and more Chinese women who choose to perform plastic cosmetic surgeries to be more accepted by their social ties.
The theory of social categorization also indicates that social selves may be influenced by other group members. The extent of influence depends on how social selves perceive themselves in terms of their particular group membership (Ellemers, et al., 1999). For social selves who are dedicated to their social groups, they present higher level of commitment with particular social groups. This kind of social commitment can also be used for indicating the strength of social selves’ ties with group members. In the globalization era, the social commitment can be strengthened through marketing result. Therefore, the popularity of Korean series can be regarded as some kind of media marketing of Korean beauty (Kung, 2014). This is also one underlying reason why some Chinese women still accept plastic surgeries as a popular trend, regardless of countless examples of plastic surgery failure and other medical accidents. These Chinese women undertake these plastic surgeries so as to become present their characters of belonging to certain social group or to be classified by the public into desired social groups easily.
To understand the impact of social identity and social categorization on Chinese women’s attitude towards plastic cosmetic surgeries, it is necessary to be aware of social context. Turner (1987) points out that immediate social context can be regarded as one key factor that influences self-definitions and concerns of self-identity (Turner, 1987). It is the social context that determines which social categorization is the most suitable to become a major trend. Empirical research results also show that individuals of different social groups perceive their own and others’ behavior as conveying different characteristics, depending on which dominant social groups provide the framework for them to make their judgments (Van Rijswijk & Ellemers, 2001). That’s to say, the social context can be utilized as a potential resources for individuals to deal with social trends. Individuals’ commitment is a determinant factor that affects individuals’ response and attitude towards particular social phenomena.
What’s more, the involvement of social media has also changed group behavior significantly. In commercial organizations, the growing popularity of social media has revolutionized marketing practices carried out by organizations (Uptal, 2004). From this perspective, it can also be seen that the inclusion of Korean singers and dancers into Korean series is also one popular practice to attract Chinese TV fans, especially women who are ranging between 18 and 25 years old.
Cultural aspects will also influence consumers’ usage of online social networks. Compared with previous time, a lot of shopping can be accomplished and information can be got access to via the Internet (Williams, 2000). Given the fact that online social Medias contain so many advantages, Korean TV series producers also promote their series via online social media platforms. Through doing so, Chinese fans of Korean series can watch these TV series at any time they wish, instead of sitting in front of the TV screen and wait for the broadcasting of TV series.
That’s to say, Chinese fans have more flexible time in watches these Korean series. Another advantage for Korean TV series producers to broadcast their series via social media platforms is that they can collaborate with other organizations and input product placement advertisement into their series. For instance, hospitals that are professional at performing plastic cosmeticssurgeries can input their product placements in these Korean series, which will definitely increase their knowingness among Chinese women.
By promoting Korean series on social media platforms, Korean series producers can also monitor and guide Chinese women’s “so called” beauty standards. These producers will even recruit some external promoters to propagandize advantages of pursuing for Korean-standard beauty on these social media platforms. Attracted by those virtual or real examples of Chinese women who have undertaken plastic surgeries, more and more Chinese young women are willing to spend more effort on modifying their physical look to be consistent with those advocated in Korean series.
