Excited
[Editors note: Connie's post about her experiences as an attendee and a filmmaker have already been blogged about, but after finding the documentary on YouTube, I felt it appropriate to repost her experiences as a filmmaker, but this time with the documentary embedded. Thanks to Connie for her permission.]
To have my film Beautiful Sisters be part of The 32nd Annual Asian American Film Festival was an honor.
It was also extremely nerve wracking. I can’t help but have my heart beat uncontrollably fast each time I watch the short in front of people, nevertheless, think of all the things I would have done differently. But to see it amongst numerous talented, beautifully composed and moving films, is more than gratifying.
During my senior year in college, I took a film-making class because it sounded like fun and because I had just received the director position for my university’s production of The Vagina Monologues (I thought it’d enhance my “director” skills). Participating in the V-Day movement was phenomenal, and although I was part of such an empowering women’s community about overcoming violence and loving oneself, I still struggled with insecurities about my small eyes. I knew that eyelid surgery to create the look of bigger eyes was a possibility, yet something that I would never undergo myself. But how could I get over such annoying thoughts? At the same time, I learned that my youngest sister, Brittney, was starting to wear make-up to school every day. What was she thinking? And how could I serve to be a good role model for her?
Wanting to empower young women like myself, I created Beautiful Sisters. In the film, I follow Brittney during her morning routine, interview multiple women — a plastic surgeon, a college student who underwent eyelid surgery, a couple women who oppose the procedure and who feel OK about it. It was a journey for me to learn more about blepharoplasty, as it’s formally known, the varying viewpoints and an avenue to formulate my own opinions and conclusion.
By narrowing on eyelid surgery and personal narratives, I hoped to continue the conversation on how people perceive and construct ideas about beauty, race and gender identity, and ideally, feel beautiful in their own skin.
This was one story I felt compelled to share. There are much, much more.
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Beautiful film Connie! KUDOS!
Plastic Surgeons like to prey on insecure Asian women to have their eyes done.
No Asian women should have resort to eyelids surgery unless they themselves have severe deformities.
Other then that, change your racial esteem from the inside, not outside.
Ironically think about this, if you are a trend follower for double eyelids. Ask yourself what would happen if single eye lids become a trend tomorrow you won't have the troubles of hot ironing your eyes lids out haha
Stay confident!
I like your eyes too Connie! Don't change them, nothing EVER needs to be done about our gorgeous single-eyelid Asian eyes!
Great film!
Thanks for all the comments :)
Teresa, I made the film in fall of 2008; you most likeley saw "Never Perfect" by Regina Park--a full feature documentary about eyelid surgery. It's a great, compelling film.
tiennguyen, you're right, I think we all need to celebrate natural beauty much, much more.
I can agree that the double eyelids are an "improved" look, but there's something about knowing someone did it that is unattractive to me.
It's comparable to say getting bigger boobs..I think that universally men are going to be instinctively more attracted to them, but knowing there's a "fakeness" there and that that's not really who you are can be a turn off.
Either way great stuff.
When was your film made, Connie?
I believe I saw it in my Women and Pop Culture course in university back in 2004 or 2005...
short, but to-the-point. great job!
Huzzah, Connie!
Great job on the film, Connie!
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[...] That’s a lot of effort that Facebook is making to figure out the ethnicity of its users. What will it do this data? Some say that Facebook will use it for advertising and marketing purposes. If they do, I hope that keep it relatively tasteful. I’d rather not see ads for the “I love skin whiteners group” or for eyelid surgery. [...]