The parasols carried by women in Ando tended to be large and functional

As evening approaches, the streets of Andong, a provincial city in South Korea, take on a sudden air of busyness. People returning from the market and others setting out to buy food for dinner fill both the alleys and the main roads with their presence. Most noticeable among them are the women, walking beneath parasols to shield themselves from the lingering rays of the setting sun. As in Japan, fair skin is considered a symbol of beauty, a standard that seems to have deep roots in aesthetic sensibilities once carried over from China. Still, the parasols carried by the women of Andong tend to be large and functional rather than decorative, and to the casual eye, they can look more like makeshift market umbrellas than elegant accessories.

One plump woman in particular stood out. She strolled calmly along, shopping bags dangling from her arm, until she noticed me raising my camera. In an instant, she tilted her parasol with remarkable speed, covering her face entirely. The gesture was as quick and deliberate as a ninja’s disappearing trick or an actor striking a dramatic pose on stage. Evidently, in Andong too, the feeling of “Better to vanish than be photographed” is alive and well. Still, glimpsing that unpolished honesty of a street corner—something no tourist brochure would ever reveal—I couldn’t help but let out a wry smile myself.