In January 2025, a hashtag became viral on Japanese social media, translated in English as "The real reason I quit my job". Under this hashtag, Japanese women narrated their stories of getting sexually harassed in the workplace, and tried to encourage others to come out and tell what happened to them. This is not the first time that a MeToo-like movement has begun in East Asia, and the discussions around these events often miss a certain cause behind these situations; a cause so pervasive that observers often fail to notice: how Western intervention in East Asia's cultural and economic frameworks has changed the lives of women in these regions for the worse.
The influence of Western imports on Chinese women: From fashion to objectification
It was in the mid19th century when a tide of Western influence swept over China due to the opening of treaty ports. The import of Western goods, including fashion and cosmetics, led to the adoption of Western fashion styles and beauty products. Chinese women were introduced to high heels, bobbed hair, and Western cosmetics. This was confronted by anti-consumerist and anti-foreign movements like the New Life Movement.
On the one hand, a desire for white skin can be witnessed throughout the history of China. On the other hand, Western cosmetic companies entering China capitalized on this ideal by providing the relevant products. Western-based beauty and fashion magazines studied the cultural differences in beauty ideals and tailored their products to promote accordingly. While this may have helped women make their desire attainable and gave them a tangible step towards it, it led to the worsening of social discrimination based on skin tone and the reinforcement of whiteness as a beauty standard. Furthermore, excessive advertising led to a heightened competition for beauty, and a shift of the Asian female focus to appearance—in other words, the objectification of women was unconsciously encouraged in society. Therefore, this reliance on the appearance seeped into the career dimension where women began utilizing their looks to increase their chances of getting a job in the competitive market or to go far in their career. As a result, the focus on women in the societal dimension, whether in occupation or social status, was increasingly on their appearance as opposed to the relevant value. In the work space, women were implicitly judged based on their looks instead of the intellectual value they can bring into the workspace, and both the women in question and others were victims of this shifted focus.
The impact of Western industrialization on Japanese women during the Meiji period
Traditional beauty standards in East Asia were profoundly rooted in culture. In Japan, for example, the concept of “bihaku” which literally translates to “beautiful white” focused on natural, luminous skin. However, once a foreign beauty standard rushes in, traditional beauty is gradually replaced with what is farther from the norm of that culture. This heightens the gap between normal features and the ideal, leading to lower self-satisfaction and self-esteem in women.
One of the most common cosmetic surgeries in East Asia is the double-eyelid procedure, which was first performed by the Japanese doctor Mikamo. US Commodore Matthew Perry arrived in the late 19th century, marking the end of Japan’s long period of isolation. This forced Japan to open its borders to Western trade and influence, and what ensued was a period of swift Westernization known as the Meiji Restoration. Trained in Western medicine, Mikamo performed his first double-eyelid surgery during this period. His work reflected Western aesthetic ideals; however, it also aimed to align with Japanese beauty standards, thereby adapting to the changing cultural landscape.
While the Meiji period is defined as a time of major transformation, the effects it had on Japanese women is not highlighted in intellectual discourse. Rapid industrialization necessitated a large labor force, often drawn from young and impoverished rural women. These women were recruited through financial incentives and government propaganda. Their working conditions were harsh as they had to endure long hours of work and low wages. They lived in company-owned dormitories under poor conditions with health risks like tuberculosis. Moreover, factory work involved strict supervision and physical punishment. Some escaped or committed suicide, while others began labor movements, often suppressed by a government that prioritized industrial progress over workers’ rights.
Another detrimental consequence was the rise of sex labor. Economic necessity and disrupted rural economies led many impoverished women to migrate overseas to work as sex laborers. They were often exploited by procurers who facilitated their migration for profit. The government’s land reforms and industrialization policies, therefore, pushed women into the global workforce, where sex work became a means of survival.
The cost of “Liberation”: Korean women’s exploitation and the failure of Western frameworks
The US framed its presence on Korean soil during the war as a fight against communism to bring freedom to South Korea. However, this supposed ‘freedom’ came at the devastating cost for many Korean women who became victims of sexual violence by American soldiers. The establishment of US military bases created an environment where women were often forced into sex work to survive. The so-called liberation was in fact a transition from one potential form of dependence on communism to another definite one on the United States. To this day, South Korea’s military remains under US control during wartime, raising questions about true independence.
South Korean women face significant challenges, including wage gaps, discrimination, domestic violence, and digital sex crime, which have fueled activism for women’s rights. For these reasons, the feminist movement plays a major role in Korean society. However, the real question is: Does it address the root causes of these issues, or does it focus instead on surface-level solutions? For example, while campaigns like #MeToo movement, which began in the United States and was also later adopted by South Korean women, have brought attention to sexual harassment, they do not solve the root of the problem. On the one hand, the feminist movements in the West never truly succeeded in addressing the root causes of gender discrimination and violence; on the other hand, the Western feminist model adopted by South Koreans not only does not take into consideration cultural differences, but also has witnessed extremism like the 4B movement. Some Korean women have opted for radical measures against misogyny, fostering animosity for the other gender rather than understanding the physical and psychological differences between men and women, and learning how to address these differences. Without doubt, it is essential for both men and women to engage in understanding these differences, as the responsibility for mutual comprehension does not fall solely on women. Otherwise, the result is a widened gap between the two genders and an exacerbated ‘gender war.’ Therefore, a correct and comprehensive framework was never introduced or adopted by Korean women with regard to this issue, and so the issue persists.
Furthermore, Western feminist frameworks do not fully align with the cultural and social context of Eastern countries. Western feminism has historically been tied to economic agendas, such as encouraging women to join the workforce under the guise of women empowerment to, in fact, meet labor demands during World War II, while often paying women less than men. Women, without doubt, must be encouraged to participate in all societal spheres, including economy, politics, academia etc. Their presence is both crucial and valuable to the development of society. However, in South Korea, this has translated into policies that push women into the labor market without properly addressing the dual burden of work and domestic responsibilities. For example, while the government promotes gender equality in employment, it has not enacted sufficient policies to improve work-life balance or reduce societal expectations that mainly women raise children and handle household chores. More importantly, the West has imported its own values for women, placing career success at the top while disregarding other values like the importance of becoming a parent and raising the next generation. For this reason, women may be more encouraged to ascend the career ladder than raise kids with the help of their spouses. One must emphasize that child-rearing is the responsibility of both parents and does not rest solely on women. It is also important to ensure that encouragement is balanced between both career and family. Thus, this gap between policy, current societal values, and reality has led to increased pressure on working women, rather than empowerment. It is not farfetched to attribute these factors, among others, to the country holding the lowest birth rate in the world and being at extreme risk of extinction.
A flag-bearer of gender equality, the West often interfered in non-Western societies with the excuse of well-intentioned efforts to “liberate” women. However, a closer analysis helps us see how these efforts are often tied to broader geopolitical and economic agendas. As the Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Imam Khamenei stated on the occasion of Women’s Day in Iran:
“...Their true goal is political and colonial intrusion. They intervene to lay the groundwork and provide cover for further encroachment, greater interference, and the expansion of their sphere of influence. This motive, which is actually a criminal, corrupt motive, is hidden behind a philosophical guise, a theoretical guise, and a humanitarian appearance…”
To conclude, Western interventions in various forms have often been self-serving and detrimental, disguising exploitative agendas as liberation and empowerment. From the sexual exploitation of Korean women by US soldiers, to the adoption of Western products by Chinese women leading to their further objectification, and the harsh labor conditions faced by Japanese women during the Meiji period, the consequences of Western influence have been devastating. True empowerment cannot be attained from dependence and exploitation imposed by the West.
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