Unique Korean Beauty Standards — Are Head Shapes A Thing?

BTS‘s V, Jimin, Jungkook, and RM recently left for the military. To give fans one last treat, the four remaining civilian members of BTS filmed their entrance ceremony. They uploaded the bittersweet footage on December 13, 2023.

The boys had all cropped their hair short for their national service. In particular, fans noticed that V’s head shape was the prettiest out of all the boys. He had the ideal head shape that many Koreans crave — slightly elongated, peaking towards the back, and round.

Another such idol who has been highly praised for their head shape is APINK‘s Bomi. Many girls also use buns to create the illusion of a prettier head shape.

This type of head shape is called the dolichocephalic head shape. In Western journals, this is considered due to the development of the antero-posterior dimension. It is said that less than 5% of Koreans have this head shape. It is defined by the highest peak of the skull being towards the back, and a wider width of the face. This type of head shape and skull is commonly found in Westerners.

Other head shapes include brachycephalic and mesaticephalic. The brachycephalic head shape is characterized by a shorter width of the skull from the side profile. An example would be IU. Her skull is short in width from the side. This shape is common amongst Asians.

As for mesaticephalic head shapes, it is a good middle ground, the the width being between the other two head shapes. An example would be WJSN‘s Bona.

In South Korea, the dolichocephalic shape has been the beauty standard for a long time. Other artists that have been praised include BLACKPINK‘s Jennie. This is why she suits literally every hairstyle available!

What is your head shape?