Lookism deals with the double standards of beauty that have entrenched itself into our minds. The Korean anime series is centered around Park Hyeong-seok, a high school student, whose physical appearance makes easy prey for bullies.
The series starts with a shot of three school students bullying a fat student, and making him imitate a dog. The constant harassment makes him wish for death. But unbeknownst to him, a new life, or should we say a new body awaits.
One fine day Hyeong-seok wakes up to a new body and decides to start a new life with it.
Lookism and Its Take on Beauty Standards
It is no secret that beauty standards define a major part of our waking life. Body image problems are one of the biggest issues that plague school-going children and teenagers.
According to the research by Kearney Cooke A and Tieger D, around 50% of 13-year-old American girls reported being unhappy with their body. This number grew to nearly 80% by the time girls reached 17 years of age.
Calzo JP, Masyn KE, Corliss HL, Scherer EA, Field AE, and Austin SB found that 25% male children/adolescents in the US were concerned about their leanness and muscularity. They also expressed a greater desire for toned and defined muscles.
The Korean anime, although it retains the lessons of the webtoon, adds more details and consistency to the characters. The narration is top notch and pulls you in to the high-stakes situations the protagonist finds himself in. The original webtoon was created and illustrated by Park Tae-joon.
Lookism shows us how beauty premium affects our lives, and how seemingly good-looking people have it easy in life. Studies show that 65% of those under 18 and 45% of adults believe in an “ideal body.”
The animated adaptation shows the ordeals faced by the protagonist and packs some good action scenes.
The slice-of-life anime is off to a good start and evolves into some gritty. The first season sticks to the initial chapters of the webtoon on which it is based. If there are any more follow-up seasons, we can look forward to the development of the survivors’ psychology and how bullying changed them.
Lookism’s compact packing of short episodes make this eight-episode series a breezy watch. It is easy enough to catch up over the weekend.
More than anything, Lookism hopes to start some uncomfortable conversations about bullying and body image issues. The Korean series highlights the pressures faced by today’s youngsters in their daily lives.
Anime-ating Bullying
A 2019 study published in the Journal of Adolescent Health highlighted that amongst the 15,624 American high school students surveyed, 30% of males reported a desire to gain weight for muscularity purposes.
In another study, 80% of teenage girls in the UK admitted that their biggest fear was that they will get fat.
A 2004 study of bullying behaviors in 5,749 boys and girls (11-16 years old) showed that overweight school-aged children were more likely to be the victims and perpetrators of bullying behaviors than their normal-weight peers.
Lookism shows us that this is true with the power of anime, as around the world anime grows in popularity. As of 2022, between 90 and 100 million people from all over the world watch anime.
In America alone, 30% of adults have a favorable impression of anime.
The anime series attempts to tackle a touchy subject by showing the contrast in those who are not bullied for their looks and how bullying affects the psyche of the victims.
One of the most heartwarming bits of the anime series is Park Hyeong-seo’s kindness, and his relationship with his mother. Armed with a positive attitude and a kind heart, the protagonist tries to figure out his life, amidst many dangerous challenges.
The original webtoon tackles some heavy-duty subjects and evolves into something darker in the later stages. But for now, Lookism is worth a watch, if you haven’t made plans already.
