On Bikinis and Makgeolli Before Noon

You may have heard the recent twitter in cyberspace about the ‘foreign girls in bikinis’ along Cheongyecheon, a stream that runs through the middle of Seoul. Some citizens, netizens, and media outlets were up in arms because of the ‘inappropriate’ clothing of the women, specifically the one woman in a bikini top. According to some, bikinis are ‘not yet acceptable’ in Korean society while others have stated that wearing a bikini top might go against the ordinance that states Cheongye Stream is supposed to be a ‘wholesome’ place.

I was in a discussion last week about this topic with a group of foreign women on an online forum I am part of, and a few people mentioned that non citizens should stick to the norms of the society they are living in. True (mostly). If I were to live in a burqa clad nation, I would probably be sporting mine with the rest of the women or at least modifying my appearance to cover a great deal of my body. But is it true that the bikini is a foreign piece of clothing in Korea? A short scroll down to the bottom of the article I linked shows Korean women in a bikini and a Korean woman in a sports bra. A trip to EMart this past weekend to pick out Mr. Lee’s bathing trunks for our upcoming trip to Bali (yes!!!!) revealed a whole aisle of bikinis for purchase (or is that one of those ‘Love Motels are only for foreigners’ kind of argument….aka ‘the bikini aisle at the EMart Msleetobe is the only foreigner to shop at has all those bikinis just for Msleetobe’ sort of argument?) A quick perusal of my Korean friends’ Facebook photos shows a whole lotta Korean women in bikinis frolicking about in Korea. A scan of my classroom this past semester saw a whole lot of strapless, see through, and bra strap revealing tops. And on Tuesday at iPark mall’s water area in the centre of Seoul, my friend R reported that she saw 3 Korean bikini clad woman, one in a string bikini with a daughter in a bikini.

Then what about the ‘wholesome’ nature argument? That might have some legs to stand on. It’s true that women don’t regularly go walking around central Seoul in bikinis. But these women don’t seem to be doing that either. Is Cheongyecheon a beach? No, but it is a rest area which people often use like a stream in a natural setting (I live nearby. I’ve seen it). If bikinis are popping up at Everland, the beach, ads on the subway (saw those on Saturday), or daytime non cable tv, is it a stretch to say that Cheongyecheon is really so different?

I’m also reminded about something Mr. Lee and I observed about 2 years ago. Until very recently, Mr. Lee, a man of a slightly older generation, would not let me kiss him in public. Not a peck. Not a cheek kiss. Nothing. He said PDAs were ‘unacceptable’ in Korean culture. It infuriated me as only a complete ban on something can. So we were walking along Cheongyecheon one day killing time before a movie, when I noticed a couple completely making out in front of us. I poked Mr. Lee and said ‘look what they are doing??!!! Why can’t I kiss you on the cheek if there is tongue action going on right in front of us?’ At that moment, the guy stopped kissing the girl and bent down in front of her in a proposal type stance, but instead of asking for her hand in marriage, he took off her shoe, stuck his nose deep inside of it, and took a nice long whiff. Mr. Lee, knowing how I’m the anti anti anti foot fetish girl (touch my feet and I’ll break your nose with one swift kick), said, ‘Do you want me to do that too?’  Yes, sometimes things like that happen down at the Stream.

These issues come up periodically. Foreigners drunk on the subway! Foreigners go to night clubs! Foreign teachers drink! I myself got caught up in the big visa change of 2007-8 when the AIDS/drug tests + first round of police checks were first haphazardly introduced. Because I was one of the first people having to go through the new process (having given up my one job and trying to get a visa for my next over the Christmas break), I went through a lot of nonsense that a lot of other people thankfully did not have to do through. When trying to figure out what kind of health check I should get before coming to Korea/if I should get a health check before Korea (I was assured by immigration that I had to get it before, and the when I got to Korea was told only a Korean one would do), I was initially told that I would be checked for ‘alcohol consumption’ and on a questionnaire I later filled out, I believe I had to state whether or not I was an alcoholic. This ‘check’ amused me to no end. I do not believe anyone should be drinking and teaching. I do not believe foreigners should be making asses of themselves in Korea. But but but. Goodness this is a drinking culture, and it is a culture that has not fully come to terms with the concept of ‘alcoholism.’ Of course the alcohol test – whatever that was going to be …a breathalyser? – that was supposed to show if you were an ‘alcoholic’ never went through, but I just imagined some newbie being forced to go out drinking soju shots with the boss the night before, tested for alcohol consumption and being sent home for ‘being a corrupting influence in Korea.’

Mr. Lee was joking as we walked to a first birthday party last weekend that Koreans were very sober people. For my part, I pointed out the tables of Korean men drinking makgeolli before noon at two separate convenience stores along the way. Then beside us at the birthday party, there was a group of 60-something guys who had a pile of bottles under the table. One of the men started drunkenly shouting during the MC portion of the event that the baby in question looked like her grandfather not her father. Yes. Very very sober. And then today as I was walking home at 4 pm, I saw the incident that spurred me to write this post. There was an older Korean man who had pissed himself sitting on the side of the road propped up by a police officer. He was then loaded into a police car. I was actually surprised that they were doing something about him. Perhaps he was scaring the pregnant and TTC women going into the fertility clinic where he was sitting? My very first Buddha’s Birthday parade, there was an older drunken man literally trying to throw himself onto the floats. He was ‘baby sat’ by a very awkward and uncomfortable looking 18 year old doing his military service, but he was not arrested or taken away. In fact, older women were egging him on and parents were holding up their kids in order to see the spectacle. Ah sobriety!

This is not to say that public drunkenness, inappropriate clothing in inappropriate places (if that is what really happened…I would argue they were being appropriate), or any other ‘bad behaviour’ should be acceptable when foreigners do it. But if when in Korea do as the Koreans do is the mode foreigners are supposed to live under, it’s not surprising that sometimes foreigners follow the crowd. I would hope that visitors and non citizens behave a bit better than their hosts in all contexts simply because that is the most prudent and perhaps the wisest course of action. But but but……I see nothing unusual in a lot of actions deemed ‘corrupting’ in light of the larger Korean society.

Anyway, what I am really interested in is the foundational reason for this periodic outrage. Is it just because it is foreigners who are doing something? Do we just see the anti-foreigner voices come out now and then to denounce anything with a foreign face on it? Or, is it because sometimes a foreign face doing something a Korean does highlights an uncomfortable truth about an aspect of Korean culture. When grandpa is drunk and saying inappropriate things or passed out in the corner of the room, we can just laugh it off and say ‘oh grandpa’, or we can close our eyes and pretend it isn’t happening because under Confucianism elders are always right. But then when a foreigner does the same thing, the problems with that action are much more glaring. Or maybe, a foreign body allows a space for discussion to happen where it would not happen if all the actors were Koreans. Suddenly something many people feel uncomfortable with can be talked about but only if it becomes a ‘foreign’ issue not a Korean issue. (Obviously I’m talking Korea here because I live in Korea, but I think this happens in every culture – visible Muslims seem to be a big one in the West these days.)

As for the bikini issue, one of the women on the forum I was on brought up a fantastically amazing point when we were talking about the prevalence of scantily clad doumi girls outside newly opened businesses, K-pop stars, and breast implant ads. To paraphrase she said, it only seems to be okay for women to dress in less when they are being paid. To choose to do it yourself seems to be the problem.  Back to me again, does Confucianism, capitalism, sexism, and/or the patriarchy extend that far? Oh, I bet it does.

In closing, I’m not saying non Koreans should do whatever they see Koreans doing good or bad. God gave you a brain and common sense. Use it. Hopefully in all contexts we can rise above the lowest expressions of culture. And certainly non Koreans should be mindful of the dress standards that they see around them and note how there might be different perceptions of appropriateness or even contradictory ones from their own culture. But ohhhh I wish we would stop with the ‘look at the bad foreigner corrupting our culture’ line no matter what culture we are talking about. A foreign face just highlights what is already there. Girls are wearing bikinis and dressing for themselves. That’s far more a product of the Korean media, consumer culture, and a rebellion against traditional norms than it is the evil corrupting influences of one girl lying beside a stream. And people drink. A lot. In the daytime quite often. That’s a product of stress, Confucianism, and a myriad of issues that have everything to do with contemporary Korea and almost nothing to do with what an English teacher does on his night off. The conversation needs to focus on those root issues (not who is doing it), and people need to be honest about the changes and/or the failings of their own cultures.