Beauty Standards in East Asian Society

Introduction

In modern society people in different parts of the world create beauty standards and try to meet them. Sometimes people go crazy by doing difficult and dangerous plastic surgeries such as rib removal. Do you know what people in Asia do to pursue their society’s standard of beauty? Which plastic surgery is the most popular in Asian countries nowadays? And why do people do it?

East Asian Beauty Standards & Plastic Surgery

Among people of East Asian descent, about half share a crease (double eyelid) with most of the world's non-Asian people. The other half of Asian population has mono-lids (single eyelid). According to one survey by the International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, eyelid surgery was the third most popular cosmetic surgical procedure worldwide in 2015 after breast augmentation and liposuction, with more than 1.3 million operations reported. This operation first became popular in South Korea and Japan, and then in China. Asian people believe that beauty is in the double eyelid of the beholder, so they undergo a plastic surgery to meet the standard and get a better life.

Rise of Asian Blepharoplasty

The double eyelid operation, or Asian blepharoplasty, which adds a fold in the eyelid to make the eye seem larger, has turned from a controversial procedure to a common practice in Asia throughout last several years. Every year millions of young people in Asia undergo an operation to make their eyes appear more Western. Moreover, while about 7 years ago the majority of Asian parents were against plastic surgeries, nowadays a lot of people want to spend several hundreds of dollars to make their daughters or sons more attractive to become successful.

One of major group is high school graduates, since they have a long holiday for their scars to be recovered. After, high school students will attend a university and meet new people and their surrounding will depend on their look. They want to start a new life which will be better because they will look more pleasant with big eyes as they believe. Young generation tries to start their life successfully by looking like Western superstars.

The Impact of Beauty Standards on Asian Youth

Having big eyes is a long-existing beauty standard in East Asia. Doctors say that double eyelid surgery has increased its popularity thanks to rising incomes in many companies and growing social acceptance. Some people believe that big eyes will help them to become a “superstar” by improving their chances of it. Patients which have done a double eyelid surgery say that the procedure has increased their confidence, helped them to get a better job and they made it because it is fashionable as well. Besides, the amount of women that get this type of surgery just to make themselves happy with their look is growing fast.

In New York Times article “Chinese Go to Korea for a Change Face”, Alexandra Stevenson discusses popularity of plastic surgeries in Asian society. People do plastic surgeries because they believe that they will be more beautiful and nice. Dr. Kim Eung-sam says “They want to look like certain Korean celebrities”.

The Popularity of Plastic Surgery Among the Asian

Moreover, people can get a chance to make a lot of money because plastic surgeries is a way to enhance their personal and professional prospects. Plastic surgeries become more and more popular because Asian people believe that if they look like others it is good for them. And if your friend made a plastic surgery and became more beautiful, you should do the same and become nice as well. According to the article, a basic double eyelid surgery can cost more than $900.According to a research made by HSBC in 2016, more than 7 million Chinese had a double eyelid surgery in 2014, and the market will double to US $116 billion by 2019.In 2017 a newspaper South China Morning Post interviewed a plastic surgeon Beijing Anzben Hospital, Li Binbin. In the interview for the newspaper, Dr.Li said “In the East, we have our own beauty standards. The majority of Chinese don’t have very big eyes. That’s why people all want them.”

Big eyes became a beauty standard in Asia because there is a small amount of people which have them. Since the most part of the people in Asia don’t have it and believe that it is beautiful they want it, and as a result they undergo a plastic surgery.

Conclusion

In conclusion, I would say that having a beauty standard such as double eyelids makes East Asian people happy and brings them a better life. People sacrifice their money and time, they are scared and endure the pain just because they believe that they will look nicer even though they are beautiful the way they are. Someone created the standard of the double eyelid of the beholder being more beautiful, and now millions of people undergo plastic surgeries. In fact, people who have bigger eyes are getting all good jobs, and people with smaller eyes are less successful or not successful at all. After this type of plastic surgery people feel happier and more confident, they start to love their selves better. Just to look like other successful people, a lot of Asians undergo a plastic surgery. And most of the patients which have done such a procedure became richer, more effective, more valid in their society.