Beauty is big in South Korea. It has the world’s highest rate of cosmetic surgery per capita, and it keeps rising. It has become a destination for nip-and-tuck tourism. The beauty market — cosmetics and facial care products like masks — generated $13 billion in sales last year, making it one of the world’s top 10 beauty markets.

Now, gender inequality and the global #MeToo movement have fueled “Escape the Corset,” a campaign to cast off the country’s rigid beauty standards.

“Misogyny is more extreme in South Korea, and the beauty industry has made it worse.” 

–Kim Ji-Yeon, 22 year old

Read the full story at: New York Times 

Illustration: Flickr: Paola Sparta