At the Musée Guimet, an exhibition examines K-beauty as a cultural phenomenon rather than a purely industrial one. The project spans roughly three centuries, connecting traditional practices, visual representations and the contemporary development of an aesthetic now circulating on a global scale. The exhibition begins with the Joseon Dynasty, where ideals of beauty are shaped within a social system influenced by Neo-Confucian values. The female ideal is associated with restraint, bodily care and disciplined gestures. Objects, tools and manuals document a culture of care that combines hygiene, medicine and daily ritual. Beauty is not separate from health, but an extension of it. A second section traces the transformations of the twentieth century. Western influence, Japanese occupation and the presence of American culture introduce new visual models. Photography and cinema reveal a gradual shift toward hybrid forms, where traditional and modern codes coexist. Beauty becomes a site of negotiation between identity and modernity. The final section addresses contemporary K-beauty. From the 1990s and especially after 2010, the Korean cosmetics industry expands within the broader Korean Wave, alongside music, film and television. The term K-beauty refers not only to products but to a visual language disseminated through media and celebrity culture, reshaping aesthetic standards and everyday practices. The exhibition does not simply document this expansion. It also highlights its tensions: social pressure related to appearance, the standardisation of faces, and the relationship between care and control of the body. Alongside historical objects and contemporary products, works by artists and photographers introduce a critical perspective on these dynamics. The result is a layered reading. K-beauty emerges as a cultural construction, rooted in Korean history yet transformed by globalisation. Less a recent trend than a system linking aesthetics, economy and representation.
