200 Pounds Beauty

Most women today are very conscious of their weight and physical appearance. Well, not only the female population but men and members of the third sex as well. You probably have met someone who counts the calories they’ll get before eating their meal. Sometimes I get irritated when I meet paranoid people like them but most of the time I just ignore them. If they want to die starving, I don’t care. We all have different perspective of what’s healthy and not anyway.

200 Pounds Beauty is a Korean romantic comedy film based on a Japanese Manga, Kanna-San, Daiseikou Desu by Yumiro Suzuki.  It’s about a girl who only dreams of one thing—to be loved by the guy she secretly loves. There are just three problems. She’s fat. He’s her boss and she’s just a shadow singer.

200 Pounds Beauty

KM Culture Co., REALise, 120 Minutes
Released on December 24, 2006
Romance, Comedy, Music

Watched in October 2011

What is the epitome of beauty?
What is beautiful and what is not?
If I’m fat will that make me ugly?
Will that make me less beautiful?
Is there a basis of being beautiful?
Is beauty skin deep?
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Director: Kim Yong-Hwa
Writer: No Hye-yeong, Kim Yong-Hwa
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Stars: Kim Ah-jung, Ju Jin-mo & Kim Yong-geon

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Hanna (Kim Ah-jung) had been fat ever since she’s a kid. She never out grown it and was still over weight till her adult years. Because of her size and physical appearance, she has low self-confidence and low self-esteem So even if she has a great voice, she has to be a shadow singer for Ammy, a famous pop singer who actually lip syncs as she cannot sing and who happens to be sexier and physically appealing than Hanna. But despite of her being what she is, she’s still capable of falling in love. She fell in love with Sang-jun (Ju Jin-Mo), the director of the music company who produced the album of the fake singer she’s singing for. One day, Ammy ungratefully humiliates her in front of Sang-jun during his birthday party, knowing full well that Hanna has a crush on him. While crying in the bathroom, Hanna overhears Sang-jun telling Ammy that even though they are just using Hanna for her voice, they must be kind to her so she will not walk out on them. Heartbroken, Hanna attempts suicide but is interrupted by a phone call from one of her phone sex regulars (Hanna’s working as a phone sex employee as her side job) who happens to be a top plastic surgeon. She decides to get head-to-toe plastic surgery instead. Hanna puts herself in seclusion for a year as she recovers from the changes. When she came back there’s no trace of Hanna in her anymore. She’s now Jenny—a beautiful, alluring and sexy half Korean-half American lady.

Anyone can easily relate to Hanna. Admit it or not, we’ve once felt ugly, used and useless. I’m pretty sure you’ve been humiliated for once in your life and had felt really down because of it. Hanna had to endure that for as long she can remember—and she gets that treatment all because she’s fat.

The society’s basis of what’s beautiful in our present time is influenced by what people see in TV. I remember my history instructor once said that the society in the medieval times considers those on the plump side as sexy and attractive. But through the years, the basis of beauty gets thinner and slimmer—thanks to Barbie.

The plastic surgery topic delved in this movie has positive and negative feedback. A lot of conservative, religious individuals think that changing your physical appearance isn’t right since you are altering what the Creator had given you. While others who are more open to today’s innovations sees this as an opportunity for someone to enhance what he/she has. My side on the issue is neutral. I know that’s a safe answer but hear me out first. I agree that God created us like what he wants us to be and everything he gave us is a gift. However, I also believe that nothing is constant in this world but change. You can’t judge a person because she decided to undergo plastic surgery because she wants to be beautiful. Remember, they have their reason and most often than not, they resort to this because society judges them because they have this criteria of what’s pretty and ugly.

I myself had gained weight tremendously since I started working and it’s really hard to lose all the weight. At first, I’m insecure but then gaining weight is not a crime. Staying and feeling ugly is what I consider a crime. Ha-ha.  With all the beauty enhancements we have right now, there’s no reason for you to be ugly. And beauty is not only what you see outside, it should be inside and out. A person should be atoned with himself/herself. Love yourself before anything else.

Remember your physical appearance will not define you. It’s your character that makes you—YOU. Beauty will fade. But your legacy will not.

I love this line from the movie:

God is the only one who can do everything.  We humans do what we’re capable of.

Fantabulous: I can’t stop talking about it!

Worthy of my praise.

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(A Nutshell) Review
A Library Girl’s Familiar Diversions
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