SHAPING THE SUN: A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF BEAUTY STANDARDS AND SKIN CANCER PREVENTION AMONG KOREANS AND KOREAN AMERICANS

Abstract

How do cultural and economic determinants of beauty shape attitudes toward sun exposure and skin cancer prevention? This thesis argues that beauty standards function as informal regulatory systems that shape health-related behavior, often independently of biomedical knowledge or public health messaging. I test this hypothesis in the context of the South Korean population – including both South Korean citizens and Korean Americans – to examine how aesthetic hierarchies surrounding skin tone influence perceptions of attractiveness, health, and sun exposure. Analyzing original survey-experimental data on 642 individuals – 483 Koreans residing in South Korea and 159 Korean Americans residing in the United States – collected in both Korean and English, the thesis finds that, among Koreans in South Korea, a lighter skin tone significantly increases perceived attractiveness and perceived health of a focal individual. At the same time, among Korean Americans, this treatment effect essentially disappears, with skin tone producing no meaningful difference in evaluations. Despite divergent experimental responses, both populations express similar stated preferences for lighter skin. However, Korean Americans are less likely to translate these preferences into behavioral practices, such as using lightening products. The analysis demonstrates that beauty norms significantly shape how individuals interpret sun-related risks, but as social norms that vary in strength across cultural contexts. The findings suggest that effective skin cancer prevention efforts must recognize that beauty ideals are not merely personal preferences but socially embedded constructs shaped by cultural and economic forces, and that campaigns framed around aesthetic motivations may prove more effective than those relying solely on biomedical messaging.