Another Mary in Hanbok, A Different Experience

Another image of Mary in a hanbok (Korean dress).

Unlike the image I shared last week, for me this one causes dissonance.

Yes, Mary and Jesus are represented in Korean clothing, and the colors are vibrant and beautiful. But to me, Mary doesn’t look Korean. On first glance she appears white, but when I look closer, I might say that she looks ethnically ambiguous. Maybe she’s biracial?

Whatever the case, any typical Korean features like eyes that kiss in the corners or the nose or cheekbones, are rounded. The facial features are made more European.

This reminds of when the special edition Lunar New Year Barbie came out last year. Barbie is wearing a chipao (Chinese dress), but she doesn’t look Chinese. She has dark hair but huge eyes.

This makes me wonder, why was Mary painted this way? Who was this supposed to make more comfortable? This is where the dissonance lies, I spend so much energy wondering this and feeling confused internally that I can’t connect with the image.

Representation is important, but another level is own faces and own voices.

I’d love to hear from the Asian community, what are your thoughts and feelings when you see this image of Mary?