TheKoreanGuide is a reader-supported site. Purchases made through links may earn a commission.

Why Do Korean Guys Have Bangs?

Jason Park
Published by: Jason Park
Last updated:

Koreans have similar hairstyles, and the reason is that it looks good. The beauty standards are different in Korea, where bangs are very popular amongst teens.

It’s called a two-block haircut, the hairstyle that many people have.

If you ever have the chance to visit Korea, make sure to try one of these haircuts. It’s very fashionable, and you’ll fit right into the city. Studies have shown that Kpop idols and celebrities have a huge impact on the general public.

Celebrities and Kpop idols often have bangs, and many people find this very attractive, and this is where you see a pattern where everyone is following the same hairstyle.

Even for girls having bangs is normal. However, if you look at some other countries, not many people have bangs, especially guys who don’t have them.

As you can see, these beauty standards differ a lot. Let’s dive more into the Korean culture and find out exactly why Koreans have bangs.

Korean Culture

korean flag

Korean culture is very different from the western one, and that’s logical. However, the biggest difference that makes guys want to have bangs is really the perception of looking handsome. The majority of guys in Korea don’t always find the same women beautiful, whereas guys in the USA or Europe actually do.

Other Korean cultural differences like skincare, beauty, and hairstyles also play a huge factor in this. For men to wear makeup in Korea is very normal, if you’ve never seen this before I would highly recommend you to visit Korea once.

Everywhere you look, you can find any guy that has makeup on, it might not be visible, but they really do wear makeup. In addition to other countries, if you’d wear makeup, people would probably look weird at you, especially if you’re a guy.

Hairstyles like two-block haircuts are getting a bit more popular in other countries, and you see people following the Kpop trends outside Korea more and more often.

Koreans Hate Big Foreheads

Koreans Hate Big Foreheads

A fun fact that many Koreans are ashamed of is their forehead. This is why Korean people have bangs to hide their foreheads. It’s one of the most well-known problems Koreans face every day. Having long hair makes you fit into the Korean beauty standard.

However, in other countries like the USA, Europe, or Canada, people would call it a bowl cut. This is where many foreigners think all Asians look like each other. It’s kind of a stereotype that many people still are clinging to because of the early years.

If you ever have the opportunity to visit Korea, make sure you do so because it’s really fun and beautiful. Try visiting a Korean hairstylist and ask what the most popular hairstyles are over there. You’ll see very similar haircuts.

It’s not only Koreans that don’t like foreheads, but many other people that live overseas also don’t like foreheads. Sadly, it’s not something that you can just remove, and this is where Koreans have been smart enough to cover most of it with their hairstyle, whereas foreigners often don’t really care.

Korean Male Beauty

Korean beauty

The male beauty industry in Korea is huge, and it’s almost as big as the women’s beauty industry which is a billion-dollar market. If you’ve ever been to Korea, you probably already know that male beauty is a huge industry. Today we’re going to explain three of the many factors that have a huge impact on the standards of Korean male beauty.

Korean Skincare

Skincare is huge in Korea. As you might know already, this industry has grown into billions. People are spending thousands each year on skin care products which is understandable. Having smooth skin makes you more attractive and approachable.

Especially in Korea, having smooth skin is important. Some television programs and Korean dramas promote these types of products very actively. Everyone that appears on Korean television seems to have perfectly smooth skin.

Don’t get it twisted since many people in Korea don’t have perfect skin. It would be nearly impossible for everyone to have perfect skin. If you go outside, you’ll see plenty of people having acne or pimples. It’s something that humans are born with and can’t be avoided.

Plastic Surgery in South Korea

Plastic Surgery in South Korea is getting more popular among men because it’s easy to get. Every day the surgeries are getting more affordable. Some studies have shown that teens get double eyelid surgery as a graduation gift.

In foreign countries, you would never think about getting surgery as a graduation gift. As you can see, the beauty industry has been grown immensely, that even teenagers want to get plastic surgery done at a very young age.

It’s pretty weird that the parents allow this, but that’s how Korea has been for the last couple of years. Many male Kpop idols also get plastic surgery done if the company asks for it. It’s normalized progress that often won’t be denied anymore.

Kpop

Kpop stands for Korean Pop music and has been slowly taking over the world. If you’ve never heard about it, you’re really missing out. Kpop is a huge market, and the music is awesome to listen to. This is also where many idols get their hairstyles styled by a professional stylist.

To come back to why Koreans have bangs, this is often styled by the stylist. It looks good on the male idols, and that’s where the snowball effect starts. People at home see their favorite idols look good in these hairstyles with bangs.

They want to look like their favorite idols, and that’s where to go to the hair salon to get a similar haircut. As you can see, the Kpop industry has a huge effect on the general beauty industry, and it will probably be like this for many years to come.

Why Do Kpop Idols Have Bowl Cuts?

Many Kpop idols have bowl cuts because it looks good on them. It’s not like they get haircuts that wouldn’t look good. If that was the case, many fans would have called out their hairstylists for giving them bad hairstyles.

This had happened before where fans didn’t like the idols’ hairstyles and called the stylists for treating the idol wrong. As you can see, stylists are the main reason why Kpop idols have bowl cuts. For the hairstylists, they get a concept from the company to fit into.

Another reason could be that the hairstylists are allowed to style the idol the way they want. This isn’t always the case since there’s almost always a concept ready for the idols. Many idols need to grow their hair out pretty long to achieve these types of hairstyles.

Conclusion

Good job, you’ve come to a conclusion, so why exactly do Koreans have bangs? Well, most Koreans have bangs because hairstylists style them this way. Another reason could be that the company the idols have signed with already created a concept for them to fit into.

The idols that have bangs are the ones that can pull off any hairstyle they want. This gives the hairstylists a lot of room to work with. They are asked to make the idols as good-looking as possible for their performance or shoots.

If you’ve ever had the opportunity to visit Korea, make sure you do so. Everywhere you look, you’ll see guys with similar hairstyles. It might be a great hairstyle for you to try out, especially if you’ve never tried it before.

Enjoy the article?

You'll love my daily email! Learn something new about South Korea every single day. It's completely free. <3

    About The Author

    Photo of author

    Jason Park

    Jason has been living in Seoul for over 4 years, and during that time, he has experienced many of the city's hidden stores. He loves to write about his experiences and share them with others. Jason has been quoted and referenced by different major media companies like Mashed, Distractify, ThePrint and TastingTable. In his free time, he likes to watch Korean dramas and learn more about Korean culture.

    You May Also Like