The CREEPIEST way to learn the alphabet in Korea

Last winter, I caught a nasty flu.

People told me I looked tired, weak, terrible.

Around Day 5, I started getting compliments.

"You have a V-line!" one usually timid coworker told me, pressing down her own cheeks with either palm.

V-line, dontcha know, is the Ideal Face Shape: a pointed chin and sleek, non-chubby cheeks.

I had never heard the term before then, but it seems that Korea loves using alphabetspeak when describing, of all things, body types. If you look around, you'll notice that those health drinks hawked by foxy Korean starlets are always pushed for their "S 라인" properties. That is, they will help your body achieve the coveted S-line, a curvy womanly body.

I had to look these up online. It's a weird system, but I was really hoping there would be more.

And there are! The good, the bad, and the shamefully flabby.

B-line: big rack, big belly

D-line: pregnant, or pregnant-looking

M-line: on men, taut six-pack abs

O-line: round like Chris Farley. Shame on you.

S-line: a buxom, curvy body, when viewed from the side.   

V-line: a slim face with a narrow chin

W-line: sizeable breasts

X-line: long legs and arms with a narrow waist