Like fake breasts in Orange County and butt implants in L.A., a new cosmetic crazy is sweeping Asian countries. This craze involves mainly young, fashionable or business driven, Asian women. These women are choosing to cosmetically alter their eyes to make them appear larger, more “anime” or “Western” like.
They accomplish this look by changing the traditional Asian monolid into a double eyelid. This procedure can be done with thin strips of tape, glue, or plastic surgery. This surgery is relatively inexpensive and can be done in just over an hour. However, it is impossible to reverse and can lead to many complications. So why would these beautiful Asian women choose to alter their eyes in such a way? Susan Bordo's article helps us understand this question through the theory of the "docile body".
Many young Asian women are being influenced by Western culture and Japanese animation or "anime". The main character's in these anime movies and TV shows have extremely large and disproportional eyes for their faces. The irises are normally bright colors and the pupils of the eyes are extremely large. So, because these characters have such enormous beautiful eyes, Asian girls have been convinced by social constructions that they should also have large eyes to be beautiful too.
Pop culture super stars also enforce this social construction. Ayumi Hamasaki, is a Japanese singer and dancer, was one of the first women to really support the monolid surgery and to wear iris enlarging contact. When these women give into pop culture, the media and socities views of what is beautiful, they are giving in and letting themselves become "docile bodies".
I believe that all women are beautiful, they should not have to feel the need to alter their bodies in such drastic ways so they can meet the fickle standards of society. The women who have the mono-eyelid surgery are chasing an idea of beauty that only exists the in world of animated characters.
I agree with everything that you said in this! My best friend is Japanese, and her mom is from Japan. When we went to go visit her family, the girls in the high school told us about how it's their big birthday present from their parents and friends for when they turn either 16 or 18 to get their eyes surgically changed into what you were describing here.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your statement of saying that all women are beautiful and should embrace their differences or culture because that is what makes us who we are.
I agree as well my post was about docile bodies as well and I think that this surgery is kind of outrageous. I mean I am all for plastic surgery, because it is their body they can do what ever they want to it. But altering yourself to look like a cartoon, or more western is sad. I think that people doing this are potentially just upset with their culture? Or something of the sort, damn those disproportionate anime characters being Asians' movie stars, because it is even harder to look like an anime character than it is a regular Hollywood actress.
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