Why The Korean Wave Is Very Popular in South Africa

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The Korean Wave is a phrase from the mid 90s that refers to the spread of the Korean culture across the globe. Also called Hallyu, the phenomenon originally began with the tremendous success of South Korean television dramas but it has now spread onto other areas like fashion and tourism. Today, the Korean Wave is quite prominent in most countries across the world, including Africa. Whether you are a fashion designer or just an enthusiast, there is so much to learn from the influence of the Korean Wave in South Africa. With credible online resources from sites like Assignment Geek, you have a wealth of information to perfectly understand why the Korean Wave is such popular in South Africa.

Korean style is undoubtedly one of the hottest topics in the fashion world in South Africa today. In fact, there is a strong evidence of African designs, patterns and culture in various elements of Korean fashion and expression. Some of these are seen on dressing styles, hair styles, and cosmetics among others. While there are many reasons why the Korean Wave is so popular in South Africa, below are the main ones.

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Similarities in Dressing, Hair Styles and Cosmetics

There are lots of shared cultural practices between Korea and Africa, especially in terms of the dressing, hair styles and cosmetics. Today, there are more Korean clothing designs and accessories in the market that incorporate typical African fabrics like the Kitenge, shigan and Kanga. These fabrics are closely alike and mainly characterized by bright and shimmering colors. Although they are believed to have originated from the Great Lakes region, they are quite similar to the Indonesian batik. Some of the leading Korean clothing brands, Ethrica and Jerrybag are renowned users of these African fabrics on most of their products that have experienced huge global success.

The Afro hair style is one of the vastly shared hair styles in Korean and South African fashion. Korean fashion designers and artists like G-dragon, Rap Monster, and rapper Zico among others wear the Afro hairstyle. In Africa, the Afro hairstyle has greater cultural symbolism. It is mainly associated with the ‘Black and Beautiful’ movement that feature stars like James Brown. This curly, dense hair style with a round shape is seen as a cultural affirmation for the Black population.

The African braids are also among the most popular hair styles that are vividly evident in the Korean fashion. Considered an African ancestral art, braids have experienced huge success amongst most Korean fashion icons and artists. Although they were mainly brought to the international scene by African American pop, braids have been a significant part of the Korean history for a very long time.

With regards to cosmetics, most Korean cosmetics or K-Beauty products including Shea butter, Aloe Vera, Argan oil, and Black cumin among others have gained huge popularity across the world mainly because of their natural oil contents, which come from Africa.

Quick Growth and Adoption of Technology

It is right to say that the similarities in some cultural practices between Korea and Africa have contributed to the rapid spread of the Korean Wave. But, it would have not been that fast without technology. In fact, the adoption of technologies like the internet in South Africa has made significant contribution to the immense spread of the Korean Wave. Through the internet and social media platforms, South Africans and the rest of the world can now freely interact and share ideas on fashion, lifestyle and other aspects. South Africa is one of the most developed countries in the continent in terms of technology and this has led to the rapid success of the Korean Wave in its culture.

Besides the shared cultural practices and quick adoption of technology, the rapid developments in infrastructure across Asia and Africa have also increased the popularity of the Korean Wave in South Africa. If you are having trouble writing a research paper on the popularity of the Korean Wave in South Africa, consider engaging a professional research paper writer for assistance.

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