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The Pony Effect

In perusing the landscape of Korean influencer culture, one finds that there are few who can claim to be more celebrated than the makeup beauty vlogger Pony.

Park Hye-Min, who goes by the username Pony, is one of the most prominent Korean YouTube makeup artists on the internet now. With over 2 million subscribers on her personal YouTube channel alone, Pony is popularly known for her makeup tutorials both in Korea as well as internationally. But the YouTuber’s influence extends far beyond just her 6 minute YouTube videos; the vlogger has had the opportunity to play a number of coveted roles, including that of spokesperson for Korean makeup boutique Etude House, makeup giant shu uemura, and even luxury name Dior. She has also written a number of books about makeup, and is also very well-known for being 2NE1’s CL’s makeup artist and personal stylist.

Additionally, she has also released her own makeup line in collaboration with Seoul-based ecommerce cosmetic start-up Memebox, under the label Pony x Memebox, as well as her own line of makeup products, called Pony Effect.

And one finds that the extent of Pony’s popularity is definitely unprecedented when placed against the history of Korean beauty vloggers. Not only does the YouTuber have an additional reach of 3.3 million followers on Instagram and almost 13 million views on her most popular video, which depicted her transformation into pop-culture icon Taylor Swift using makeup (and had looked so uncannily like the star that the video had immediately gone viral), but the vlogger has also managed to catch the attention of popular American social media and entertainment website BuzzFeed, British tabloid The Daily Mail, and even Filipino-based online news site Rappler, all of whom snapped up her amazing transformation into American celebrity Kylie Jenner and featured the Korean makeup artist on their websites. With such widespread global attention, one finds that there are evidently many reasons for Pony’s ability to so vividly capture her audience and rise to prominence.

1.    Personable Professionalism

In considering the influencer culture that the new century is currently enraptured with, one finds that there are a variety of factors that have contributed to Pony’s indisputable dominance in her field, and the first of these are her ability to harness a calculated balance of relatability and sophistication online.

Our new media culture has bred new standards of attainability. The nature of social media is such that barriers to content creation are inextricably removed; no longer are our celebrities inaccessible and far away – they are people just like us, who put things on the internet in the same way we do, only they are a few thousand times more popular on cyberspace. To audiences, the appeal of social media influencers is thus: that they are ‘Like Me But Better’. Online personalities like Pony are the new faces of home remedies; affordable makeup products and videos filmed in bedrooms are coupled with easy-to-follow instructions and fool-proof tips and tricks, making for a fan-base that can say, “That looks easy, I could do that at home too.”

Additionally, social media has blurred the lines that used to exist between producers and consumers (Humphreys & Greyson, 2008). Content creation is no longer restricted to that of large companies with big budgets — home videos can just as easily go viral and garner millions of viewers and fans. And it is this phenomenon that has managed to narrow the gap between the content producer and their audiences. Influencers like Pony use sites like YouTube and Instagram that allow for and encourage fans to reach out directly to their content producers, making for a much greater level of engagement. In this way, Pony not only has a massive fan-base that is intensely supportive of all her endeavours, but she has also managed to reach out seamlessly to fans from all over the world, and gained an immense international following.

Pony with fans at the opening of an Etude House in Bugis, Singapore

One will also find that all of Pony’s videos have been carefully curated to look effortless yet perfect, and this, in essence, is reflexive of Korean culture itself. The vlogger mentions that she rehearses all her looks 5 times before demonstrating it for the camera, which is a commitment that is reminiscent of a community that celebrates perfection, diligence, and hard work. This pursuit of perfection similarly manifests itself in the country’s K-pop idols, wherein everything is practiced and professional. These seamless performances appeal to ocularly stimulated audiences, and are one of the factors that make the many aspects of Korean culture so appealing to so many. 

2.    Cultural Currency & International Engagement

And yet, Pony’s international acclaim cannot be solely attributed to the advent of new media. The vlogger responds with cultural sensitivity to her international audiences, and constantly looks to create inclusivity for both domestic and foreign viewers.

Undeniably, language is a major barrier that often prevents content from largely non-English speaking, monolingual countries like Korea, Japan, and even China, from moving to other parts of the world. One factor that has aided Pony in making her content known internationally are the English subtitles that she includes in her videos. Additionally, the vlogger is also constantly looking for ways to incorporate elements from other cultures and religions to allow her videos to have an even wider appeal.

For instance, many were amazed when Pony donned a hijab to show her Muslim viewers how they could use makeup to enhance their facial features while wearing a hijab. Many Muslim fans left their admiration and thanks to the makeup artist for her initiative, as well as praised her for being respectful in her portrayal of the dress style of the Muslim religion. In this regard, one finds that Pony’s international appeal is not merely the product of prolific media content production or makeup expertise, but it is also the result of a careful, perceptive and discerning response to the evolving global landscape.

Another notable thing about the beauty guru is that she makes an effort to use a variety of products from both Korean and international makeup brands, so that viewers who are not from Korea or do not have access to purchasing Korean makeup can still try out some of her looks and relate to her videos. The YouTuber also creates looks from non-Korean pop culture to increase engagement with her non-Korean audiences. For instance, besides her viral Taylor Swift transformation video, Pony has also replicated the look of American beauty icon Kylie Jenner, as well as that of the Marvel character Black Widow from the blockbuster movie The Avengers. In referencing pop culture icons outside of the Korean sphere, Pony displays an awareness of the sociocultural environments and interests of her international fans, and by making an effort to engage them in their own space, has established for herself a reputation of openness and currency.

3.    Beauty Without Borders

“Beauty transgresses language. You can watch an amazing tutorial in Korean and, you may not be able to understand the language, but you can get the general gist of the application and the content is still transformative for you,” says Moj Mahdara, chief executive officer of fashion company Beautycon.

With the advent of globalisation, the world has become very flat. Makeup products from across the world can be made available at the department store two blocks down from you within weeks of being released, and social media is lending influencers a reach that was unprecedented just a decade ago.

Additionally, Korea’s domestic cosmetics market is quickly becoming oversaturated. Currently, there are about 1,800 to 2,000 beauty brands in South Korea, which is a staggering figure for a city so small. This means that influencers like Pony are looking toward international markets to gain even more traction in the global arena. Social media is becoming a driving force that is propelling digital talents to a fame that is not limited to their geographical boundaries or time zones. It is no longer unusual for online personalities to have a large international following, regardless of limitations like language, culture, or socioeconomic status.

And with influencer culture quickly becoming normative, young people are now looking more and more toward influencers than they are to beauticians or salespeople for beauty advice. 66% of young people surveyed say they are more likely to buy a product if it is recommended by an online personality, simply because if it goes through an influencer first, it’s tried-and-tested by a trustworthy secondary source.

 In this regard, one finds that the scene is increasingly changing to accommodate the fluidity of information transfer nowadays, and multiple factors will mould and shape the way that influencers are received on cyberspace. However, one finds that there is no doubt that Pony is definitely one cyber-personality who has made it big.

References

McAulay, Krista. "Survey: how millennials purchase makeup in the digital age: the power of influencers, the enduring appeal of brick-and-mortar shopping and the importance of tutorials." Global Cosmetic Industry, 2017., 38, Business Insights: Essentials, EBSCOhost (accessed March 8, 2017).

Woo-young, Lee. "Hallyu power: Meet Pony, the trendsetter of K-beauty." AsiaOne Women. N.p., 28 Mar. 2016. Web. 08 Mar. 2017.

Humphreys, Ashlee, and Kent Grayson. "The Intersecting Roles of Consumer and Producer: A Critical Perspective on Co-production, Co-creation and Prosumption." Sociology Compass 2.3 (2008): 963-80. Web.

Jung, Sun. "K-Pop Idol Boy Bands and Manufactured Versatile Masculinity: Making Chogukjeok Boys." Korean Masculinities and Transcultural Consumption (2010): 163-70. Web.

Brown, Rachel. "Social Media Stars See Global Influence in Beauty." WWD. N.p., 18 Oct. 2016. Web. 08 Mar. 2017.

SeongJoon Cho/Bloomberg via Getty. "What You Don't Know About the Rise of Korean Beauty." The Cut. N.p., 9 Sept. 2015. Web.