She died for beauty

South Korean pop star U-Nee hanged herself in her room on Sunday, following in the footsteps of actress Lee Eun Joo, who did the same two years ago. Both were major stars. Both committed suicide after coming under criticism for risque performances (U-Nee was apparently the target of a hate-campaign by so-called "anti-fans"), even though they were pressured to be risque. The English-language press in Korea said in both cases that the women suffered from depression, but considering the amount of pressure they were under, this doesn't seem to be the medical condition that we call "depression" in the West.

Why is Korea driving its pretty stars to suicide? Probably a combination of a corrupt and abusive pop-culture industry (I've read that female stars are routinely blackmailed by their agencies, via secretly-shot nude photos or videos), lingering traditional moralism that's always lashing back against liberal popular culture, and a society where women's status is probably lower than anywhere else in Asia, which is saying a lot.

But U-Nee's death also gives me pause as an avid consumer of pretty girls, or their images at least. I don't think there's anything inherently wrong with the marketing of sexiness. But because the industry is a made up of older men who market young kids, mainly girls, the risk of abuse of power is very high. And in countries where the balance of power between men and women is already skewed, and where speaking out against your superiors is frowned upon -- like, say, Asia -- it's even worse.

U-Nee's suicide will no doubt cause some soul-searching in South Korea, as it should. For me, it's a reminder to be a conscientious consumer.