Time constraints and plethora of creative online content fuel drive to exercise at home

More people opt for at-home training videos and instructions via social media to stay in shape and build strength

Pilates gaining popularity among men amid higher demand sparked by growing posture issues

In the age of social media, workout routines and diet plans are easily coupled with the desire to share these efforts with friends and followers online.At the last count, more than 1 million posts each under hashtags “dietgram” and “dietmeal” in Korean have been shared on Instagram, a social platform that is quickly expanding its user base here. The word “diet” in Korean implies a wide range of activities that one does to lose weight or remain fit, from eating less to exercising regularly at the

For decades, beauty salons have aided Koreans staying in style

Hair designer Cha Hong stresses importance of service as much as style

Romantic relationships change with new technology, shifts in social norms

Lizz Warner, 26, senior manager of US-based online media company Buzzfeed, met Mexican Olympian skier Robert Franco, 24, through the popular dating app Tinder during their stay in South Korea for the PyeongChang Winter Olympics last month.To make their first date in PyeongChang, Gangwon Province, extra special, they agreed to film their meet-up on camera, and posted it on social media-- Snapchat, Facebook, Instragram, YouTube. The video instantly captured attention.The viewer count of the two vi

To begin a relationship, there are many things to consider about a potential partner, from age to personality, occupation and, for some, blood type.According to a survey conducted by Dooit Survey in January, the majority of 3,768 Koreans ranked personality as the priority when choosing a partner. Men ranked appearance and health as the second priority and occupation as third. Women put occupation and economic ability in the second spot, followed by appearance. The time-consuming process and limi

Korea’s modern and contemporary portrait photographs summon collective memory

Gazing at portraits created during the Joseon era, one is struck by the extreme delicacy with which the models’ facial features are depicted, from the fine wrinkle lines to tiny spots and faint scars.Lee Sung-nack, a board member at the Kansong Art and Culture Foundation, spotted such sophistication in the centuries-old portrait paintings and suggested that the portraits reflect signs of medical conditions that the subjects may have suffered. A dermatologist and professor who earned a doctoral d

A decade ago, the word “selfie” did not even exist, but almost everyone with a smartphone takes such photos these days. In Korea, there is even a word for a person who looks very different in selfies in a good way: “selgikkun.” For instance, Yura of Girls’ Day, who takes excellent photos of herself. “Taking a good selfie takes enormous effort,” Yura said multiple times while starring in the MBC show “We Got Married.” She explained how she takes more than a hundred snaps for one perfect photo. Yu

Anywhere you go either online or offline, it is easy to spot advertisements for diet supplements, spewing out enticing catchphrases that with their products, one can lose their weight in a short period time.They range from subway ads of oriental medicine clinics that prescribe weight-loss herbal medicines to diet supplement ads on social media.“I have tried just about every diet pill and slimming cream available while working as a model. When I first took my herbal medicine appetite suppressant,

Being a working mom is not easy for Lee Yeong-kyung, a mother of a 6-year-old boy. But what makes Lee lose her temper is when her son’s waistline becomes a topic of discussion.“Whenever my friends and family see my child, they say that I need to manage his weight and that friends will make fun of him,” Lee said. “I feel guilty as if I made him gain weight. I often have no time to make him balanced meals as I leave home early for work. After work, I often buy him junk food that he likes, such as

Lookism hinders efforts to tackle obesity, focusing on appearances rather than health