ulzzang

plural ulzzangs

1. attributiveoftenuncountableA South Korean subculture emphasizing idealized beauty, in particular large, round eyes and softened features.

   The ulzzang look often takes work to achieve.

   2012, Margo DeMello, Faces Around the World: A Cultural Encyclopedia of the Human Face, page 199

   2 more examples

   In other words, an ulzzang girl strives to have behemoth, circular eyes, a tiny nose and mouth, flawless pale skin and a tiny body dressed up in coordinated outfits.

   2015, Woodrow Barfield, Cyber-Humans: Our Future with Machines, pages 233–234

   Although ulzzang subculture is about fashion that includes hair and clothing, its emphasis on facial features helped to popularize circle contact lenses.

   2016, Linda Trinh Võ, “Transnational Beauty Circuits: Asian American Women, Technology, and Circle Contact Lenses”, in LeiLani Nishime, Shilpa Dave, Tasha Oren, editors, Global Asian American Popular Cultures, page 310

2. countableSouth Korean idol fandomA good-looking person.

   "Hey, she's the ulzzang (pretty face) from Geuman Girls' High School."

   2015, Ko Jung-Wook, Jaysek, Reborn, unnumbered page

   2 more examples

   These lenses are also made popular by ulzzangs (얼짱), which means “best face.”

   2010, "Momokun", "Beauty is PAIN", Asian Outlook (Binghamton University), Volume 23, Issue 4, Spring 2010, page 17

   […] We met on a language exchange app, me the English teacher who'd swooped into Hongdae like a sudden wind, her the ulzzang who dreamed of opening a BBQ restaurant in America.

   2020, Millie Ho, "Hungry Ghost", in Uncanny Magazine, Issue 33, March/April 2020, page 140