It's so true that the reason some Asians want and/or have surgery for double eyelids is for other reasons and Not to look white. By the way, they (those who say it's done or desired to look white are whites) are so blinded by their racist views that they are too stupid to realize that it's not only whites who have double lids, but that EVERY race (blacks, hispanics, etc.) besides Asians, and some Asians too, have double lids! Anyway, double lids on Asians look different than those of other races (less like whites, and more like other races with double lids, but yet still not the same), and when someone has surgery to get them, their eyes appear even more slanted even though they have a crease which is evident more or only towards the outer corner of the eye. Also, many whites have surgery to make their eyes slanted and have full lips which is Asian rather than white. To say it's to look white doesn't make sense, to say it enhances Asian beauty does, and anyway, it depends on the shape also. The single lids of many Asians looks better than some double lids, especially when the crease of a double lid is way too high. I wrote this before elsewhere too, why don't you? :) Anyway, if pale white skin is most attractive, then why are there so many tanning salons and products? (rhetorical) Some light skin colors are attractive, but it depends more on the tone, etc. than the intensity of color for any race.
So happy to have found others like me speaking up for other Asians. It's very different when Asians state their views on double lids than when non-Asians do. It's because we know how it truly is and the real reason why- just so we can play with makeup! :D There are more reasons, but isn't that one of the main ones? Not to look white, but more to have fun. Anyway, slanted eyes have been considered beautiful by many people in many different countries including America and among whites who get their eyes slanted surgically.
About skin color, the idea that only light skin is attractive just doesn't make sense. Beautiful skin is skin which is smooth, even, healthy, and an attractive color no matter how light or dark. Black skin is one of the most beautiful colors of skin and it's like velvet- sophisticated and smooth.
If only people would accept and see things for how they truly are, they'd see all the beauty in the world, but instead, they blind themselves and only see lies which hurts others, but more so, themselves.

Hi, Carmen. I see you saw that show too.

And then in my opinion, the no. 2 issue would be skintone. No surprises here: fair is good, tanned and darker skintones are undesirable.

Eyelids do come up, but in my experience it trails far behind weight and skintone. But of course, that's just my experience.

Since obviously I'm not Asian, I don't know what a deep sting creaseless eyelids may be to some Asian women; however, ABC did a story a while back on the issue as well as other changes people make to alter what they consider too ethnic looks, and I wrote about it then in a post called "Change your race through plastic surgery?"

I also wrote again about "colorism" following Oprah's show in the post Oprah touches on colorism. That post includes links to other posts I've written about skin color issues, body issues, and self esteem problems.

In my experience, the no. 1 beauty/looks-ism issue by far among Asians and Asian-Americans is weight. The standards of thinness among Asian women are far more punishing than those among white women. Growing up in Hong Kong, it seemed as if pretty much anyone over 105 lbs was considered a fat-ass.

Interestingly, I made a similar observation in my post when I discussed an encounter I had with Maya Angelou. Your observation lets me know that despite weight being something people believe you can change, being ostracized for one's weight probably wounds more people than some other perceived "problems" related to looks.

I like the phrase you have here of "omnipresent Western beauty ideal." I think people who come closer to that standard don't know how negatively not being near that ideal effects some people of other ethnic backgrounds.

"Love is liquid. Brew and be drunkards!" ~~Nordette And here's a link to the blog.

Now I have another reason to say thank you for posting on this subject. I went back to look at one of my posts that I linked above and realized I must've not proofed parts of it. Oy! Glad your post prompted a comment that sent me back to my own door. :-) My eyes are so tired, however, I hope I caught my typos.

"Love is liquid. Brew and be drunkards!" ~~Nordette. And here's a link to the blog.

My neighbor lived in Korea for the first 25 years of her life and she and I have talked about the difference in beauty standards here and there. (I am a Western European white chick-type mutt, by the way.) She was the first person I heard about the eyelid thing from and eyelid surgeries, and she was very blunt about it. It was her opinion that Korean women "want to look more Western."

She also told me she was teased as a child because her face is too round and wide, which surprised me, because I think she's very beautiful, and I like her face shape when I see it on women.

I'm glad to hear another opinion on this issue. I think the particulars of other cultures are fascinating.

Talking with my neighbor and seeing posts like this makes me think, but it also makes me sad. It seems like in every culture women have different ways of not feeling good enough.

I think it's also helpful to distinguish between asian and asian-american standards. I live in California with a big Asian American population, and I have to say I don't really think of skin tone as an issue at all -- though my mom does. There are plenty of Asian American women here who like being a lil tanned, etc.

The weight thing though -- That seems to be THE big concern for the majority women living in SoCal, Asian American or not --

greenlagirl.com

Hello. I am new to this community. I also wrote about that show.(Link TextSee blackwomb) I was angry after watching it because Oprah refuses to look at history. She would rather criticize individuals, proclaiming it is just self-hatred. Where does it come from? That is what we have to get to.

And wanting lighter skin doesn't make it so either. I don't really understand where the "light skin=colonization brainwashing" comes from because the ideal Chinese (and other (east) Asian) beauty has had light skin for centuries (if you ask me, the long, black-black hair and white, white skin makes her sound a little goth!). Probably goes back some 5,000 years...as old as the culture itself. Somehow, people don't get that.

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