Excited
“Plastic surgery is on the rise in ethnic communities across the United States, and in Asia it is as routine as having one’s wisdom teeth pulled. Are these alterations an attempt to look more ‘white’?”
Of course it is.
I read that preface to Andrew Lam’s piece, Are Asians Increasingly Undergoing Plastic Surgery to Look More White? (March/April 2007), an article that has now been reprinted in nearly a dozen different publications, and wondered why people still bother to pose that question. In the end, Lam reaches the conclusion that the new generation of plastic-surgery-seekers are not interested in looking more “white,” but only want “to look natural but better.”
Under this assumption then, Asian women flock to get blepharoplasty, rhinoplasty, and breast augmentation because natural Asian beauty consists of double lids, a high nose, and big boobs. Right. Asian pop stars are shaving their jawbones, whittling away their moon-faces to look more like the modern day Xi Shi, the quintessential beauty of classical Chinese lore, who by the way, was described as having a perfectly round, oval face, not the well-defined features of a Greek goddess.
The “to look natural but better” justification really means “to look like I was simply born with Westernized features and therefore innately prettier than other Asians who still look like slanty-eyed puerile mongoloids.” Then toss in the fact women see all other similarly-situated women as arch-nemeses. “To look natural but better” spoken by an Asian woman who just got nipped and tucked comes off as a passive-aggressive euphemism for “Though I still want to look Asian, I want to look better than other Asian women, which to me means I should look as Euro-Western as possible, but I won’t say that out loud because it’s so un-PC.”
Like the near-universal desire by women everywhere to be diaphanously skinny, certain features represent beauty among all the races today: a pale complexion, large round luminous eyes, a petite and pointy nose, and some semblance of fleshy protuberance in the chest area. Globalization on a massive scale means it is now easy to forget where things came from. Why do feminist activists in the Black community scorn some Black women’s desire to bleach their skin, reduce the size of their nose, and buy hair extensions? Because it represents the internalization of the aspiration to be more acceptable by white standards, the very standard that had them exploited and subjugated for centuries. Likewise, Asian women who apply a white standard of beauty to themselves are cheapening the struggles of their ancestors who fought against Western Imperialism.
The worst part of it is the unconsciousness. Asian women refuse to even concede of the fact that they are rejecting their heritage. After spending three hours locked in a bathroom applying makeup and straight-ironing my hair, I don’t walk out, blink at you and smile to say, “Yeah, I just want to look good for myself.” Puh-lease. Of course I realize I receive a far more positive reception from people, especially heterosexual men, when I’ve been primping all morning just to look like it’s effortless. I then use that to get what I want: a free extra scoop of ice cream with sprinkles on top at Baskin Robbins; better service at the checkout line; a helping hand when I’m hit with difficulty; and of course, getting more job offers at the firms I want after the face-to-face interview. Am I a horrible person for all this? Maybe. Though that doesn’t change the fact I’m still getting ahead.
Asian women who are beautiful by white standards also get ahead farther in this lifetime than Asian women who are only beautiful by traditional Asian standards. If you want to get ahead by looking like you naturally look more “white” and betray your genetic legacy, then by all means go ahead; but do not ignore the giant panda in the room and pretend it has nothing to do with race-based insecurities.
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sannis
It's strange though, these "White standards of beauty" some Asian women conform to are actually more fitting for standards whites place on other whites. Actually, I find that Western people actually prefer Asians to have a more traditional Asian beauty (at least in their personal lives if not in the mass media) while they're not too fond of the massive round eyes, thin face, and high bridge noses you see in teen mags and on idols, unless they're really into Asian pop culture. And they love the yellow gold skin that's so different from the pink/red skin of the western Europeans. Look at the top Asian models of the western fashion world today: Du Juan, Hye Park, Liu Wen. And Westerners loves Zhang Ziyi and Lucy Liu. They are all beautiful, but also very undeniably Asian.
And yes, the "beautiful Asian woman" has a taller nose than average, a little bit bigger eyes than average, a more oval face than average, but doesn't the "beautiful European woman" have a more streamlined nose than average? Higher cheekbones than average? More almond-shaped eyes than average? Everyone wants to meet in the middle, it seems.
jjiang1989
that hit the nail right on the head.
one thing i think also contributes to wanting "pale skin, big eyes, tall nose, etc" is that there aren't many asians who have that naturally. people always want what they don't have.
why to caucasians love tanning so much (even though, SKIN CANCER much?) and why do black people like long straight hair? (okay, that's just the black girls I know)
i think people just want what is rare. the grass is greener and all that.
Ed
jjiang1989 But why isn't there the equivalent number of operations (or any that I've heard of) by caucasians to widen ones nose, or to make ones eyes more slanty or requests by younger people to get collagen injections to make their face appear rounder? Asians do not have those features naturally because, well we're asian. Tyra Banks has said in public that straightening and lightening her hair essentially made her more marketable as a black women to the white American public. It's something she felt she had to do to succeed.
Let's not discount Akrypti's message by using the whole exotic and rare argument. There is a clear and distinct, almost rampant rejection of natural Asian beauty and attractiveness by both asian females and males.
On another note, thank you for commenting on this post or I would have never found it.
sannis
Ed jjiang1989 Whites use makeup to make their eyes more almond-shaped. They get cheek implants to make their faces fuller and get high cheekbones. They shave their nose bridge to make them straighter and get the tip reduced to make it less pointed. They get injections to make their lips fuller. When you see this doesn't it look like Europeans are wanting to get closer to an Asian look while still being European? After all, Asians that get nose and eye surgery don't end up looking white. But it's become that Europeans get surgery to look more beautiful, but others who get surgery want to look more white. It's really all the same.
actuallu anime does look like japanese cuz they do not have big noses. n the eyes how many big eyed asians have you seen? becuz theres loads. like mine are round n big.
n pale skin actually asians do have pale skin maybe some don't but some countries mostly have it ones tht have the sameish tint like caucasian. (why do u use western not eoropean or caucasian??)
but i have seen stupid people with nice pretty single lids getting doubles n these can look disgusting like dierhia but some suit it n some already have it. it might not be big n stuff but hey asians have the most eye sizes in their race. but when mongolia went to make the biggest empire in the world spanning from all of eastern eorope n to korea obviously all races exept asians had double eyelids n stuff but tht didn't put off the mongols. becuz not only the eoros they went to conquer had it. well just saying. n it says most of the asian countries why they like pale ness was 9now am saying india n stuff the whole asia) was becuz of light skinned rulers like mongols or mughuls as they misprounced n then the eoropean one.
I was born and raised in the U.S.
I'm quite certain that my standards of beauty are heavily influenced by American culture, because that is the culture in which I was born. If you're surrounded by people of a certain look, I think it's natural to think of that as a standard, and to compare yourself to that standard.
Growing up in California means that I was around a mix of ethnicities, which is very different to the media and advertisement people I saw on television, who are almost always white/European American. I think because of my upbringing I got to pick and choose what I saw as beauty, or at least have a wider base to draw from. If I had grown up in a predominantly white area in addition to always seeing beauty portrayed as white/European American on television, maybe my perception of beauty would be much more European than it is.
People have made the arguement that these are not only traditional Asian stanards of beauty, but these physical traits are somewhat common among (northeastern) Asian peoples: pale skin, narrow nose and tall bridge, eyes with the double fold.... ok, I think that "common" may be pushing it, but they may have a point. There is some validity to those claims. These are very old traditional standards with some natural occurances as well... but think about it.... pale skin, narrow and tall nose, eyes with double fold.... Why is it that all of these desired traits are almost a given for Europeans, whereas it's less-than-common for Asians?
I mean, these are all "natural" physical traits of Europeans (most, anyway). As for Asians on the other hand, if you are blessed enough to be born with these attractive features, you'd better thank Jesus. Why? Because you're beautiful!!!
Anyway, regarding the people who get surgery then deny they want to Europeanize their face, I think that they're being somewhat honest with themselves... however I do think there's something going on here...
btw, has anybody noticed the small smiley at the bottom of the page?
It doesn't matter who you are and what you think you know, unless you yourself suffer from these "flaws" as characterized by westernization in the asian culture, you cannot understand the struggle.
MICHAEL JACKSON SYNDROME.
This addresses the race question directly: Why do non-white women flock to plastic surgeons in order to obtain white features and never black or Asian features?
No one seems to want the broad, flat nose of blacks and Asians.
No one seems to want the curly, woolly hair of blacks.
No one wants the epicanthic fold of Asians.
Anyone sensing racism here? White images certainly have a strong influence in shaping the minds of non-white people.
The Westernization of Asian women isn't a new phenomenon. Only the techniques for change have improved. During the Jazz Age of the 20's the Flapper look took hold among the elites of Chinese society, complete with bobbed hair and slinky skirts. After World War II ended, many Japanese women sought to surgically alter their eyes to look more "European." Conversely, among the older Japanese, women they judged as "ugly" were often said to be too European looking. Nothing's changed; everything's the same.
"certain features represent beauty among all the races today: a pale complexion"
If this is true, why is tanning such a big industry, and why do I hear so many girls of Scottish/Irish/etc descent apologizing for how "pasty" they look? As a white teenager in a mostly white & Asian high school, it was considered a fact that all Asian girls were pretty, double eyelid and all, and it sure seemed that way as we could find no exceptions. Those girls might've seen single eyelids and a round face when they looked in the mirror, but all we saw was flawless, always-tanned skin; a relative shortage of body hair; and deep brown eyes. My personal belief is that most women today are unsatisfied with their looks because of personal self-esteem issues, and if they are ugly, then logically someone beautiful must look different. Get a monoracial group A of said people together and they will therefore agree that some other group B is better-looking than they are, and decide that the less ugly amongst themselves are the ones that share more traits with group B. I don't doubt that imperialism and our racial histories come into play when deciding whom to idolize, though,
I am an Asian girl living Australia, born in Hong Kong. In Hong Kong, you get inundated with advertising of the ideal Western form of beauty. Even though the culture is highly westernized, the level of influence of white beauty which is in no way attainable by Asian women unless through drastic surgery is overwhelming. The majority of cosmetic and fashion advertising there feature caucasian people or asian women with caucasion features. Obviously there are a minority of Asian women who naturally are 6 feet tall, big-eyed, big boobed with high small noses. It is sad that Asian women aspire to this and cannot recognize the beauty that is inherently part of our race. It is also a sign that to be all forms of "westernness" is of higher quality, status, and thus more desirable. We are oppressing ourselves!
"Likewise, Asian women who apply a white standard of beauty to themselves are cheapening the struggles of their ancestors who fought against Western Imperialism."
Question: How do you bring this in line with Japan? Animes and mangas are chief carriers of the "Asians looking like Europeans" wave, but the imperialism that had to be kept in check was to no small degree Japan's.
Dear anynomous ... (btw: you mean Anonymous, right?),
I too had the one lid double fold, one lid mono up till the age of 23 - then miraculously I looked at myself in the mirror and lo and behold both eyes had double folds. My mom also had that same characteristic and I've read about numerous other people having it. What I'm trying to say is that you're not alone.
As an asian teenager living in the U.S., I find this article to be very true. What's weird is that my left eyelid is double-folded, while my right is just a single eyelid. I have no idea how this came to be, but I believe it is much more attractive when if both my eyelids were double-folded.
I just don't get people who want to spend money on surgery in order to look like someone else. To me European, Asian, Black are all uniquely beautiful in different ways and for different reasons. Yet some Europeans want dark skins (tanning) and some Blacks want light skins (nasty creams) and some Asians want surgery. As a man I find anyone with obviously dyed hair, plastic boobs or unnaturally puffy lips a complete turn-off!
What about the fact that straight hair is a recessive gene?
Why is adopting a White standard of beauty any worse than adopting Western dress, or becoming more proficient in Western than Asian tongues?
Why can't anyone on this site write a comment without all the "superfluous verbosity" that seems so prevalent amongst bloggers? (Yes, I did steal that from one of your other longtime readers)
I'm with buddhista on this one. I've seen a documentary where they analyze the traits that human beings find attractive universally, it is those that bear symmetry, remind of us youth, and health. Large eyes and full lips naturally fit into the above categories, so it would seem to make sense.
Really, I would blame white imperialism for much. But Asian vanity is something we should take responsibility for. We're a very superficial culture. Perhaps more than most.
This is such an interesting conversation. We discussed "sang ka pul", as analyzed by Olyvia Chung's 2001 article, in a class last semester. Though I'd heard about the procedure before, I never really explored the subject of beauty in that context very deeply.
I think the extent to which Asian women who have chosen to look more western through surgical means is much more invasive and extensive than any other culture's attempt to appear more White--as far as my experience dictates.
As a Black male, I've grown up around female family members who have straightened their hair to the point of falling out. However, I've never really known of any surgical procedures that any went through to appear more White--with the exception of one person who I don't need to mention.
Although my cousin's and family's attempts didn't specifically signify any intentions to appear more White, specifically, it did evidence a desire for acceptance by a socially dominant culture because kinky stiff hair wasn't considered as beautiful as "flowing" straight hair.
It's great to see some live conversation! Thanks for the article! Looking forward to more.
Statistically, 50% of Asians possess the double eyelids, and 50% don't. Scientifically, it is viewed as more "attractive" to have bigger eyes, since a big forehead, large eyes and small nose pluse small mouth remind one of a baby's face, which would induce certain feelings of attachment plus aesthetic pleasure...And double eyelids give the illusion of bigger eyes. That is all. Socially, having a tan is a very recent trend, mostly because being tanned is a sign of one's affluence, in the "oh, look at me, I'm so rich I can afford to go vacation at tropical locations and stay in the sun and get burned". It is purely a sign of social status, how it became attached to being "healthy", I have no idea. Excessive sunlight is harmful to the skin, ie, cancer.
Not all standards of beauty are a result of iimperialsm. Some certainly are, but not all. My personal belief is that what we find aesthetically pleasing is primarily based on nature's wiring in our brains.
Statistically, 50% of Asians possess the double eyelids, and 50% don't. Scientifically, it is viewed as more "attractive" to have bigger eyes, since a big forehead, large eyes and small nose pluse small mouth remind one of a baby's face, which would induce certain feelings of attachment plus aesthetic pleasure...And double eyelids give the illusion of bigger eyes. That is all. Socially, having a tan is a very recent trend, mostly because being tanned is a sign of one's affluence, in the "oh, look at me, I'm so rich I can afford to go vacation at tropical locations and stay in the sun and get burned". It is purely a sign of social status, how it became attached to being "healthy", I have no idea. Excessive sunlight is harmful to the skin, ie, cancer.
Not all standards of beauty are a result of iimperialsm. Some certainly are, but not all. My personal belief is that what we find aesthetically pleasing is primarily based on nature's wiring in our brains.
Fair skin has always been glorified in Asian culture, true; but not at all so for the double-fold eyelid. Double-fold eyelids did not become the ubiquitous mark of beauty among Asians until around the T'ang Dynasty, which also happens to be around when white missionaries entered China in notable numbers. It's when whites came to Asia that things really changed. That is why I said "Globalization on a massive scale means it is now easy to forget where things came from." We've come to believe the glorification of the double-fold eyelid is a purely Asian conception. It's not. Imperialism and globalization introduced the notion to Asia, my friend.
I never said it was an oddity for the double-fold eyelid or pale skin to be commonly found in Asians naturally. I share both of these trais naturally as well. However, who decided this particular look would be beautiful and the single lid or dark skin would not? What forces influenced this perception? White imperialism.
The tanned skin look in America isn't really the mark of beauty. It's just a fad, like how in Japan for a while, it was a fad to tan your skin real dark, bleach your hair and eyebrows white, and wear all white wherever you went. When you watch those Top 50 most beautiful women yada yada lists, the majority of them are still really pale women.
Finally, I never asserted the feeling that we should all be committed to "genetic bondage." If you want to be proactive and change how you look to get ahead in life, I'm your biggest supporter. I do it all the time. Why else would I change out of my jammies into a suit when I head to work? At the same time, I simply challenge people to know themselves. Know why you do it. Don't delude yourself into believing the misrepresentative euphemisms we tell.
In response to:
"If you want to get ahead by looking ... more u00e2u0080u009cwhiteu00e2u0080u009d and betray your genetic legacy"
You cannot betray that which you have not sworn loyalty to. Our genetic should have no claim on how we decide to live our lives. Is a gypsy boy who purchases a home mortgage a bad person for going against his genetic heritage of remaining a nomad? We are not given a choice on what heritage that we are born into, therefore is it fair for that heritage to hold us bondage to its values.
You target specifically the fact that people change the way they look in order to appear more beautiful. Would a person with a family history of obesity be betraying his genetic heritage if he went to the gym 4 times a week to fight his genetic tendency to be obese?
But you could say that breast implants and the folded eye lid are purely for aesthetics, while working out for good health is not a comparable analogy. Ok -- so what if a guy who has a family history of being plump (not obese), chooses to work out to get those arms of steel and washboard abs? He's buying into the physical beauty fads of the times. So is he betraying his genes or working against them?
Of course he is, but those genes should not have a hold over him, otherwise, it's a kind of genetic bondage.
It's easy to stand on the moral pulpit and denounce Asians who are choosing to modify their looks, when from your profile picture, you seem to be quite attractive. Not everybody is born with features that they like, and remaining loyal to those genetic features is like remaining loyal to a mole or blemish that you were born with.
You can live with these things or you can do something about it. I think we should admire those who are willing to be proactive. We should admire those who do not resign themselves to the genetic bondage that you would have us be faithful to.
I don't think you could be farther from the truth. I think this whole 'wanting to look western' thing is a construct of overzealous activism. Double eye-lids and fair skin are not something that only exist with plastic surgery. I have both from birth, as do many others.
It is not something that exists exclusively outside the Asian gene pool. People talk as if these features did not exist or were not desired until contact with the west, but this is untrue. Many of these features have been desired in Asia since ancient times.
And the standard IS different. If you go to Taiwan, or Korea today, all the women are wanting to look pale and frail. In the states, it is a big thing to be tan and fit.
It is subjective, cultural, and there are way too many factors involved to call it a symptom of an entire race having an identity crisis.
Interesting read ... eventhough I've got features that would, I guess, constitute as acceptable 'white' beauty (ie: double eye lids - which by the way doesn't make my eyes look any bigger when I smile, fair skin, pink undertone thanks to some genetic mixing down the line) I've always wanted to be darker like my Filipino cousins. To me, they always seemed to look more healthy.
I will say though when it comes to fashion and style, we can't argue that a good portion of 'mainstream' trends do come from Europe - and really what girl doesn't want to look fantastic. It's just hard for me to find a size that fits my Asian frame.
Interesting read ... eventhough I've got features that would, I guess, constitute as acceptable 'white' beauty (ie: double eye lids - which by the way doesn't make my eyes look any bigger when I smile, fair skin, pink undertone thanks to some genetic mixing down the line) I've always wanted to be darker like my Filipino cousins. To me, they always seemed to look more healthy.
I will say though when it comes to fashion and style, we can't argue that a good portion of 'mainstream' trends do come from Europe - and really what girl doesn't want to look fantastic. It's just hard for me to find a size that fits my Asian frame.
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