"They want to look white"
Why double eyelid surgery is such a widely debated phenomenon
In my survey of students, an overwhelming
number responded that they believe people choose double eyelid
surgery in order to “look more white” or “assimilate to western
standards of beauty”.
In the study, “Medicalization of Racial Features: Asian American
Women and Cosmetic Surgery,” anthropologist Eugenia Kaw addresses
just why a “western” look might be so important or so widely
sought. Through interviews with 11 Asian American women and five
surgeons, Kaw is able to find common themes in language and
associations regarding single eyelids as they relate to
race.
[The women] all stated that an eyelid without a crease and a nose
that does not project indicate a certain ‘sleepiness,’ ‘dullness,’
and ‘passivity’ in a person's character. ‘Nellee,’ a 21-year-old
Chinese American, said she seriously considered surgery for double
eyelids in high school so that she could ‘avoid the stereotype of
the 'Oriental book-worm' ‘ who is ‘dull and doesn't know how to
have fun.’ (Kaw, 79)
Though the group of interviewees stated that they were proud to
be Asian American, denying that they wanted to “look white,” their
responses here reveal that physical traits considered
characteristic of their race have been associated with broader
undesirable qualities. (Kaw, 79)
Kaw cites that the
model minority stereotype promotes concepts of “dullness, passivity
and stoicism” in reference to people who are “hard-working and
technically skilled but desperately lacking in creativity and
sociability.” (80) These racial stereotypes are then internalized
and the facial features associated with these traits are felt to be
“defiling.”
For the women in my study, the decision to undergo cosmetic
surgery was never purely or mainly for aesthetic purposes, but
almost always for improving their social status as women who are
racial minorities. (Kaw, 78)
Kaw analyzes the words of the physicians she interviews,
finding that they use a vocabulary that places Asian
characteristics in an undesirable position.
[The doctors’] descriptions of Asian features verged on
ideological racism, as clearly seen in the following quote from
"Dr. Smith."
“The social reasons [for Asian Americans to want double eyelids and
nose bridges] are undoubtedly continued exposure to Western culture
and the realization that the upper eyelid without a fold tends to
give a sleepy appearance, and therefore a more dull look to the
patient. Likewise, the flat nasal bridge and lack of nasal
projection can signify weakness in one’s personality and by lack of
extension, a lack of force in one’s character.” [Emphasis
added]
By using words like "without," "lack of," "flat," "dull," and
"sleepy" in his description of Asian features, Dr. Smith
perpetuates the notion that Asian features are inadequate.
(Kaw, 81)
Medical texts, too, have been notorious for attributing negative
behavioral or intellectual characteristics with Asian physical
traits, and though those published since 1970 have been more
careful about making such associations, there is still a tendency
to “describe Asian features with metaphors of inadequacy or
excess.” (Kaw, 82)
Kaw concludes that the
cosmetic surgery Asian American women undergo (most commonly double
eyelid surgery and heightening of nosebridges) is heavily shaped by
gender and racial ideologies. Whether or not the women are aware,
they exist in an environment that validates the investment of money
and time in surgery, despite the inherent risks associated with the
procedures.
“Undergoing cosmetic surgery…becomes a means by
which the women can attempt to permanently acquire not only a
feminine look considered more attractive by society, but also a
certain set of racial features considered more prestigious. For
them, the daily task of beautification entails creating the
illusion of features they, as members of a racial minority, do not
have.” (Kaw, 80)
Kaw, Eugenia. “Medicalization of Racial Features: Asian American
Women and Cosmetic Surgery” Medical Anthropology Quarterly, New
Series, Vol. 7, No. 1, (Mar., 1993), pp. 74-89.
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