Instagram face — featuring a sun-kissed complexion, big, bold brows and eyes, plumped-up lips, a pert nose, and high, contoured cheekbones — is generally considered the prevailing, social media-driven beauty standard of the Western world. But in Seoul, and now in cities across the continent, the modern beauty standard is what sociologist Kimberly Kay Hoang has described as the “Pan-Asian ideal.” Given the beauty ideal’s similarities to other Korean exports like K-pop and K-drama, as well as its distinctly South Korean roots, Jane Chung would argue that the pan-Asian ideal could be more accurately described as K-face. Broadly, that includes a wide, double-eyelid fold forming “almond eyes,” a “Barbie nose,” a V-shaped face, symmetrical features, and light, taut, glossy, ageless, and blemish-free skin. Chung flew to South Korea for plastic surgery. She left feeling more insecure than ever. Tap the link in our bio to read about her experience. Story by Jane Chung (Credit: Gracia Lam f...