The eyes are undoubtedly the most noticeable feature on a person’s face. Generally when two people meet or come into contact with each other, it is considered polite to make eye contact as a means of acknowledgement. The eyes can also be an indicator of the attractiveness of an individual, since the standard of having “beautiful eyes” is defined as having large and round eyes, which just so happens to be a feature that most Caucasian men and women have and most Asian men and women do not. Many Asians are dissatisfied with the shape of their natural eyes because of the lack of double-lids, which would have made the eyes appear bigger and more “beautiful”. As a result, these men and women often opt for a minor surgery called Asian Blepharoplasty, a procedure that is done surgically to make a single upper eyelid have a fold, which accentuates the eyes and makes them appear bigger and rounder. However, when Asians get this procedure, many people accuse them of trying to make themselves look more Caucasian and of betraying their race. There are a number of ways that shows the procedure is not copying the Caucasian eyelid, such as the fact that the requested crease is not even the same as the Caucasian eyelid, and also since the first published idea of a double eyelid crease developed way before there was a European influence in Asia.
There are many Asian people who may get the surgery after being bullied for having small eyes so they can blend with the people around them and avoid being bullied furthermore. Other people will see this situation as if the person is trying to look more Caucasian when in reality the person really just wants larger eyes. It can be considered moreover as a big misunderstanding because of a difference in cultures. Asian men and women do not walk into the surgeon’s office asking the surgeon to make them look white. Rather, they walk into the surgeon’s office asking to
Cited: “Focus On Race: Beauty Across All Cultures.” By Tyra Banks. The Tyra Banks Show. CBS. New York City, 28 July 2008. Television. Marilyn, Nguyen. “Asian Blepharoplasty.” Seminars in Plastic Surgery 23.3 (2009): 185-197. Academic Search Complete. Web. 1 Nov. 2011. Ouellette, Alicia. “Eyes Wide Open: Surgery To Westernize The Eyes Of An Asian Child.” Hastings Center Report 39.1 (2009): 15-18. Academic Search Complete. Web. 1 Nov. 2011. Subramanian, Nirmala. “Blepharoplasty.” Indian Journal of Plastic Surgery 41. (2008): S88- S92. Academic Search Complete. Web. 1 Nov. 2011.