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The Brian Lehrer Show
Eyeing a Western Aesthetic
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
Dr. Edmund Kwan, a plastic surgeon from New York, looks at whether Asian women get eyelid surgery so they can look more "Western."
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Comments
"Why so many Asian-American girls get eyelid surgery"? I personally don't know one Asian-American girl who has gotten it, and I think the practice is repellent. There are already enough stereotypes of Asian-Americans. We certainly don't need another one.
We as women seem to be geniuses at finding new ways to hate ourselves. We hate our skin, our chests, backsides, and now our eyes. Ladies, you're beautiful the way you are.
We as women seem to be geniuses at finding new ways to hate ourselves. We hate our skin, our chests, backsides, and now our eyes. Ladies, you're beautiful the way you are.
30 yrs. ago much of my high school classmates in Hawaii opted for the eyelid surgery, but I cannot recall a single one of them wanting to look caucasian, they all believed they would look better, not so much as all my caucasian friends now in the 40's going monthly for their botox shots. I doubt any of my caucasians long to look Asian, although they do constantly praise the lack of wrinkles on us Asian mid-age women. It's purely a vanity thing, which I do not care to opt for myself.
I don't know why anyone has plastic surgeries except for purposes of correcting distortions due to an accident or some sort of birth defect. Cosmetic surgery is usually a failure in the long run. Very often these surgeries go too far and eventually distort the face as in the case of certain comedians and WNBC in NYC channel 4 local news anchors and meteorologists and past gossip reporters.
I personally know so many girls who have gotten the surgery including myself. (although my surgery was a failure. it disappeared after couple months. it happens.) I think it is fine to do it as long as you are satisfied. why not? so many Americans get nose jobs and breast implants!
So many Jewish young women are stil getting their noses broken to make them look more anglo. Nobody thingks this is wrong [ - after all, who wants an "ugly nose" Why are *our* noses ugly? Same reasons.
Do white people tan to look African? Do Jewish women get nose jobs to look Caucasian? I think there are just some features considered universally appealing. It's not a race-wish thing.
in eastern europe, there are "western" eyes and "asian" eyes due to the many invasions and mix of blood (just as there are very high and wide "asian" cheekbones on many of those blond, blue-eyed russian tennis players recently seen at the u.s. open). in my polish-ukranian family, the "western" eyes predominate. in my husband's family, from southern poland, however, the "asian" eyes are prevalent. among these white people (my family and my husband's), the "western" eyes are far preferred because they tend to show off the pupil and enable women to put more interesting make-up on their eyelids. i think people should stop confusing the longing to look "better" with the longing to look "white."
I don't have it and would not consider it. I did have issues with my appearance when I was very young but I think many young asians make the eyes a symbol of the difference. I really like the way my eyes (that do not naturally have the fold) look and my mother's female Korean employees jokingly call me "The Original Korean" because of this. When I told them of my dislike of the surgery, they were shocked.
I take issue with Dr. Kwan's comments at the end of the broadcast, that Asian women get eyelid surgery not to look western, but simply to look "better". If most Asian women have single-fold eyelids or a slight double-fold, does that mean they necessarily look "worse"? Implicit in his comment was that non-Asian standards of beauty govern globally, and that he subscribes to those standards. He effectively negated his own premise and sadly, all those patients he supposedly tried to talk out of the surgery will continue to want it, for all the wrong reasons -- low self-esteem and the belief that non-Asian standards of beauty are the only ones that matter.
Shame on this "doctor". He makes a living off of other's insecurities. Instead of helping people to be comfortable with their natural features "doctors" like this one tell people that it is "normal" to want to cut pieces off of their face.
As well, any surgery is dangerous, and should be avoided unless necessary.
It seems ridiculous to dismiss the notion that Asians who partake in this surgery are unaffected by Western ideals of beauty. Just because one is not conscious of it, doesn’t mean it’s not internalized.
As a guest, Dr. Kwan seemed rather ignorant of the Asian American identity politics and concerns. He kept saying that the surgery made eyes “better”. It seems that even Kwan was unaware of his own internalized racism.
Also, he repeated that Asian Americans were more mainstream. How exactly have Asians become “mainstreamed” in America? Asian Americans are still stereotyped, exoticized, and eroticized with still very few more realistic depictions. These forms have only been updated and revised for the times.
Besides that, isn’t it a conflict of interest to have a plastic surgeon on to discuss these politics as he makes a living from the procedure.
The issues of this segment could have been handled more deeply with tougher questions and with more sophisticated guests. It seems unfortunate that when Asian American issues are discussed in the American media, there’s always this feeling of “Identity Politics Lite”.
I love the show, but I think Brian dropped the ball on this one…
First, not all Asian have the same eyes. Most Asians I know already have innately the double lid. More common with Chinese than with Koreans.
Secondly, I agree, at least in Asia, they get the surgery to look "better" in the Asian ideal, not the Western ideal. Asia has it's own ideal of beauty.
Third, "race" is not scientific. It's a man-made concept. The National Geographic THE JOURNEY OF MAN was an "eye-opening" documentary about race that should be mandatory viewing for all. It will change your notions of "race".
it would be great if everyone loved how they looked (dr. pangloss in the house?). if you love yourself (and why not?), why knock people who want to try to look better? i had my nose broken three times as a kid and had not only a severely deviated septum but also a noticeable bump on the bridge of my nose, which my mother said "gave me character." when i had the deviated septum operated on (how great it was to be able to breathe again), i had the option of also removing the bone deposits growing on my nose. i disregarded my mother's argument for "character" and chose to get as close to the nose i would normally have had without the nose breaks. all i can say is: hear, hear for advancements in plastic surgery that actually help people look and feel better. i'm not for people maiming themselves to approximate some artificial form of beauty they'll never achieve. (and it is so sad to meet so many people who hate how they look -- partly due to their inability to parse fantasy and reality in the media -- maybe better media education is needed in our media-saturated world?). i'm just for choice in this area of life. ease up, you guys who love/accept the way you look. no one's chasing you with a scalpel.
plastic surgery is very popular in korea, and celebrities from japan and korea get all sorts of work done there. there are natural double folds among asians, but i don't think you will find a single female celebrity in northeast asia who doesn't have this double fold. asians (as in those in asia) are obsessed with the west, and that's why plastic surgery is so popular over there. as for here, asian americans lack people in the public eye who look like them. no one will say they want to look "white," but it's a mistake to think girls just want to look better. what makes the double fold better? it's because it's different, as in not usually an asian feature. we can't deny that we have certain ideals of beauty pushed upon us, no matter what race we are. i certainly can't tell anyone what to do and don't intend to, but i don't think we can chalk up the popularity of this surgery to simply wanting to look better.
i'd just like to go back to my comment about those high, wide "asian" cheekbones. "asian" cheekbones are an "ideal" in many segments of societies around the world. i know white people who have had cheek implants to get those type of cheekbones in order to look better, not asian! let's not forget the shiny, straight type of "asian" hair which happens to be an "ideal" in many circles, not because it's asian, but many because people around the globe, no matter what their genetic origins, try to get that kind of hair. people who want jennifer lopez's butt or thick lips aren't trying to look more hispanic or more african, they're trying to look "better," by whatever their personal standards are. if one argues that asians want to look more "white" when they change their eyelids, then one would also argue that people want to look asian when they get their hair straightened, hispanic when they get their butts enlarged, and black when they get injections in their lips. one more thing about the "double fold": in older whites, the double fold often disappears and the eyelid sits on top of the eyelashes, which usually signals aging. white people often get their double fold restored to look "better" (less tired, younger) not to look more "white" or "less asian." can't we say that we've come to the point where people want to pick and choose from among the many possibilities for good looks? i don't think we can take one example of plastic surgery and generalize too much.
Why do white guys shave? How come no US president in nearly a century's had a full beard and mustache? Do American men deny their natural hairiness and want to look like Asians?
White Americans getting nose jobs, do they deny their natural caucasian portruding nose bridges?
White folks getting tan, are they denying their natural pale skinned heritage?
Howabout those punk kids dying their hair black, thats 'cause they wanna be Asians, yeah?
I think most asian women just want the benefits of having an eyelid fold: to look more awake, alert, and friendly, not mean or sleepy-eyed. I don't think Dr. Kwan was the best choice for this interview. He does not treat as many asian women as other docs do.
This thread is closed.
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