Style as Status

The first Sunday I was in Korea, I visited my friend Jinju's church with her. She told me that everyone thought I was extremely polite because every time she greeted someone with a bow and and "Anyeong Ha Saeyo," I did the same.

During the school orientation, we were told that under no circumstances should we wear tank-tops, because they never do that, and it would be perceived as extremely immodest. I also noticed that no one wore flip flops - too casual I assume. My only thought was "I wish someone had told me these things *before* I got here with all my American clothes..." After that we all did our best to make our wardrobes fit both the weather and Koreans' expectations.

As it turns out, however, we may not have been quite on target.

When I told Jinju about how I had bought some new clothes and changed my style a bit so as to avoid giving offense, she responded in surprise, "Oh! You didn't have to do that! It's very respectful of you, but you are a foreigner, so you can wear tank-tops." Today I asked a couple of my friends here and their response was extremely similar, "Really? I think you can wear whatever you want - you are a foreigner." 

I have also seen the while normal college students and young women normally dress quite conservatively, models, actresses, singers, and other celebrities seem to be able to wear anything regardless of what it covers and what it shows.

So it's more of a status issue than one of modesty. I am a foreigner, I am expected to be different. 

I feel like if I were to walk around with semi-bear shoulders, I would be flaunting my status as an outsider. Which is not really something I want to do. On the other hand, my hair, skin, eyes, and speech clearly define me as a foreigner, so if I ever get the urge to underscore the difference, I can safely wear a strapless dress or flip flops.