“I feel free and comfortable”: The Escape the Corset Movement in South Korea and the question of women's agency

Over the last few decades, the beauty industry in South Korea has undergone substantial expansion, marked by advanced beauty technologies, a wide range of skincare and cosmetic products, and an extensive variety of plastic surgery options, resulting in South Korea being dubbed as the most beauty-obsessed nation (Holliday & Elfving-Hwang, 2012; Jung & Lee, 2006; Kim, 2003; Park, 2020; Shin & Lee, 2022). The emphasis on appearance management is not limited to Korea but is a global phenomenon, where the societal pressure to adhere to strict beauty standards is particularly felt by women (Botz-Bornstein, 2013; Hammer, 2012; Holliday & Elfving-Hwang, 2012; Kim, 2003; Park, 2020). In recent years, coinciding with the global diffusion of the #MeToo movement, there has been a notable resurgence of feminism in Korea, with many women in their 20s actively embracing feminist identities (Sohn, 2017; Kim, 2018a; Kim, 2023; Seo and Choi, 2020). The rise of the Escape the Corset Movement (ECM), which challenges traditional beauty norms, is closely linked to the expansion of the beauty industry and the growth of feminist communities in South Korea. While existing research has highlighted the empowering and liberating role of the ECM for young women, this study seeks to explore the perspectives of young college women on the ECM and critically analyze its implications by incorporating the concept of women's agency into the ongoing scholarly discussions.

Research examining the impact of feminist movements on challenging women's body image and beauty standards has demonstrated a critical interrogation of the idealized appearance, particularly the emphasis on a thin or hourglass body shape. Instead, these movements have proposed a more inclusive and positive body image and appearance (Afful & Ricciardelli, 2015; Cohen, Irwin, Newton-John, & Slater, 2019; Lazuka, Wick, Keel, & Harriger, 2020). For instance, the “Body Positivity Movement” in the United States, the “Size Acceptance-movement" in the United Kingdom, and the “fat acceptance movement” in the United States demonstrate how participants have contested the societal norm of the rigid beauty standard and regulations concerning women's bodies (Afful & Ricciardelli, 2015; Cohen et al., 2019; Colls, 2007; Holliday & Elfving-Hwang, 2012; Kim, 2003). The popularity and influence of these movements have grown through social media, as individuals willingly participate in consuming and producing related content, thereby actively reshaping mainstream discourse on aesthetic standards (Cwynar-Horta, 2016; Lazuka et al., 2020; Lynch, 2011). Similar to these movements, young women involved in the ECM are anticipated to opt for a shorter hairstyle, refrain from using makeup, discard cosmetics, abstain from wearing feminine attire such as dresses, and share their images on social media to promote the movement, freeing themselves from “the corset”¹ (Park, 2020). The ECM has instigated remarkable transformations in South Korean society by prompting women to acknowledge the artificiality and irrationality of beauty standards (Kim, 2019; Park, 2020; Shin & Lee, 2022). The ECM enabled young women to reject prevailing beauty standards, challenge existing power dynamics, and establish a new value system that moves away from the objectification of women as mere dolls for men and as second-class citizens (Park, 2020; Kim, 2019; Choi & Bae, 2022).

Drawing on previous research, this study aims to empirically examine the impact of the ECM on young college women who are loosely involved in the movement. Given that young women are most expected to manage physical appearance for their transition to the labor market,² this study examines how female college students feel liberated from the rigid beauty standards and articulate the impact of the ECM on their daily lives and the extent to which they assess its role in their attainment of freedom, liberation, and independence from societal beauty standards. The research findings suggest that young female students experienced self-enlightenment and recognition of beauty norms, as well as a sense of liberation and security from societal expectations and the male gaze. Nevertheless, the accounts of women's ambiguous and critical reflections on the perceived transformations also serve to indicate whether the movement has led to significant changes in the prevailing power dynamics of gender systems and social structures. The perceptions of women pose an inherently complex issue concerning their agency in adhering to or challenging societal beauty standards.