The host company of the 68th annual Miss Korea competition issued an official apology Thursday, concerning a question for the finalists about videos using deepfake technology.
During this year’s event in Seoul on Tuesday, 15 finalists had to answer various pre-prepared questions. One of the questions was, “If the image of myself in a deepfake video looks more attractive (than myself), how could I reduce the gap (between the image) and my actual self?”
“It was wrong for us as the host to use the word deepfake, when the illegal videos using deepfake technology are inflicting severe damage (in the society) … We should have taken more care with the questions, considering that deepfake is currently being misused to create illegal sexual videos,” said the Global E&B, subsidiary of the Hankook Ilbo daily, offering an apology for all candidates of the event and anyone who felt discomfort from the question.
… Its a Korean beauty contest. The country with the highest rates of cosmetic plastic surgery in the world.
I… I get what you’re driving at, that people in general shouldn’t be so driven toward perfection in outward appearance.
But its a beauty contest, in a society where over 25% of women under 40 have had some kind of plastic surgery. and a huge cultural emphasis on perfection of physical appearance, where using AI enhanced filters is also hugely prevalent.
I’m not saying this is good, I personally don’t like beauty contests, I don’t like widespread unrealistic beauty standards… but I don’t see how this question, absent its fumbled lingo adding overt sexual connotations, is surprising at all.
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It’s like being a vegan who is confused and angered by someone asking contestants at a hot dog eating contest how they prep before the contest:
Why isn’t the issue of meat eating being addressed at this meat eating contest?
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Context should answer your question of ‘why do people at a beauty contest get asked how they would improve their beauty?’