Having a British friend move to South Korea for a year-long teaching placement has its educational benefits. Recapping her initial experience, I am told that p.d.a. (public displays of affection) is somewhat a cultural taboo. Instead of couples physically hugging, kissing or drunken groping to signify an intimate relationship, some Koreans opt for an aesthetic form of mimesis in their fashion decisions. This has manifestd in the 'couple look'. Two partners exerting such may endeavor in wearing the same material, pattern, accessory or item of clothing in an effort to visually match their loved one. The retail market has accomodated to this with companies such as gogobeach or stylestoker offering a selection of seasonal matching outfits.
Yet whilst pondering on it, I recollected that this practice is not alien to Western culture. How could we forget the double denim look Posh Spice and Becks sported in the spring of their relationship? Or those strange reliquaries of blood Angela Jolie and Billy Bob Thornton wore as a necklaces? What perhaps is more remarkable, is that despite the
gestural conservatism in Korea, my friend acknowledged a comparative difference in single-sex places like the showers of the gym where women strolled confidently naked and asked strangers (herself included) to scrub their backs. I can interpret this in three ways - Korean women may just be more comfortable with strangers, they're in denial on the existence of lesbians, or my friend is having a good old bubble bath at my expense. Expanding on the first of my interpretations (as this probably more likely), the reason why I found the instance so unusual is that perhaps the association of the naked body with sex is unconsciously ingrained in my peripheral psyche. It seems Koreans understand that the gestures of friendship and love have recognisable boundaries that can transcend nudity. Thats just great.
