A little over a year has passed since the international superhit by KARA, “Pretty Girl,” garnered international attention. During the course of the song, the Korean quintet posed that age-old question: “do you wanna pretty?”

Wanting to pretty is not something that is easy to answer. It is, indeed, one of the most common questions that haunts our collective consciousness as a post-industrial society. Is there a God? What is the purpose of humanity? Does life fundamentally have meaning, or is it up to us to impose our own meaning upon our existence? And why do we need to want to pretty?

KARA took the question of wanting to pretty and explored it thoroughly in their song “Pretty Girl”, reaching the conclusion that “every wanna pretty.” The answer shocked a number of philosophers and psychologists of our age. We had always assumed that prettying was a choice that one made based upon a number of factors –where they saw themselves on the Mavlovian hierarchy of needs, their personal preferences, and a reflection of the “looking-glass self”—but the conclusion that “every wanna pretty” is revolutionary, albeit straight-forward. Deep down, all of us wanna pretty, and there is no getting around it.

The popular and critical response that KARA received for their song bordered on the heretical. Ringo Starr went on to say, “we have now truly seen a message that is bigger than Jesus.” In response to the song’s radio play, the Dali Lama cancelled his tour to the United States and instead went into seclusion to reflect about how wanting to pretty related to Zen Buddhism. Pope Benedict XVI issued a proclamation about “Prettying and our Walk with Christ” during a Christmas Mass in 2008. And the Church of Scientology released a new audio tape, “L. Ron Hubbard and Wanna Pretty.”

But the toll of its philosophical revolution soon took its toll upon KARA. Following a two-day interview with MENSA, lead band member Park Gyuri fell into exhaustion. The Korean and US tabloids speculated on her collapse, guessing everything from “exhaustion” to “too much pretty.” When Park was asked why she could have “too much pretty” when “every wanna pretty,” she simply cried before cramming bread into her ears. Her lawyer then terminated the interview.

Tensions entered the band following Park’s collapse. The band broke apart and the members pursued solo projects, but each of them were haunted with the specters of their former success and with the innate knowledge that their prettying was now over. Han Seungyon immediately released a solo album entitled, “Gotta beauty.” However, the album was universal panned for being derivative. Han went on a weekend bender and was found unconscious and unresponsive, floating face-down in Dave Mustain’s swimming pool; only the timely intervention of the EMTs saved her life.

And Goo Hara . . .

Let’s not talk about Goo Hara.

But all is not lost for Kara. Nicole moved back to her California home and settled into a quiet life as a housewife and mother. She enjoys gardening. When asked about her days in KARA and the international scene she caused with “wanna pretty,” she simply rolls her eyes. “Those days are behind me now,” she remarks, “listen, there were some things that were pretty crazy then. I mean, hell, I was wearing my bra outside my shirt, for Christ’s sakes!”

Kang Jiyoung, the youngest member of the band, is likewise doing well. She has returned to school and his finishing her high school education, and hopes to go on to university afterwards. She wants to major in interior decorating and home design.

The people may have changed, but the message remains steadfast. Wanting to pretty is forever. Every wanna pretty. Indeed, KARA. Indeed.