The Mysteries of the Oriental Eye
By Ms. Wu October 31st, 2002
Greetings, World. I must apologize again for my tardiness in showering you with my words. I know I send shivers down your spine and ripples of wanton desire through your rippled loins. Yes, that is the way of the Wu.
The way of Moi has been terribly occupied in consulting for a major international cosmetics company. These poor souls with big, round eyes who want to tap into the Asian market have not a clue on the mysteries of the Oriental Eye.
The single eyelid.
Accursed to some and quite lovely to others such as Moi, the epicanthic fold has always been a point of contention and debate among Asian women. Defined in the dictionary as “a vertical fold of skin from the upper eyelid that covers the inner corner of the eye,” this piece of skin is more popularly known in Asian communities as the “single eyelid” as opposed to the “double eyelid” common in Caucasian features.
Blepharoplasty, a surgical procedure in which “single eyelid” women can have their eyes “fixed” to have a “double eyelid” look, is common in Asian countries along with other forms of tormenting rituals such as eyebrow and eyeliner tattooing. Many of my Shanghai flowers back in the days pinched and saved their earnings just to have the surgery. It would make my eyes look more beautiful, they’d say. My eyes will look bigger. I will look more like Hollywood movie star. And if one could not afford blepharoplasty, one can simply purchase little crescent-moon shaped “eye tapes” from the cosmetic store. This creates a temporary crease on one’s eyes but it is also known to cause blistering. Alternatively, one can emulate the ways of Connie Chung and apply an impressive amount of blue eyeshadow on one’s eyelids and hope ones eyes look doubly big.
Many a times I have lost my patience during conversations with Asian women who contemplate having their eyes fixed. On one level, I empathize with them. Applying eye makeup is much easier on double eyelids. Curling one’s eyelashes also creates a more dramatic flare on double eyelids. But on another level, the fake double eyelid makes one appear either terribly sad or extremely sleepy. And frankly, it’s simply unnecessary. I like to use Adobe Photoshop, the founder of imageering, as an example. The Oriental Eye is becoming quite fashionable and so intriguing that Adobe has changed their trademark non-Asian eye to a progressively more Asian-looking eye.
My single eyelids have never been a burden. They match my dark, shapely eyebrows. They match my jaunty cheekbones. They match my voluptuous nectar-filled lips. And many a man have fallen prey under their intense hooded lure (some ancient spells made from deer penis helps as well). All in all, Ms. Wu asks you, why tamper with perfection? Lastly, I leave you with these words. The mysteries of the Oriental Eye lies beneath its almondine shadows, and its beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder.
Until next time I bid you zai-jian,
Ms. Wu
Kathy says:
August 17th, 2007 at 12:07 amWow, I love your article about the Oriental Eye. To be quite honest, I think single eyelids are beautiful and look exotic for the most part. Why mess with what God gave you. I know I was contemplating double eyelid surgery for a while, but in the end a line over my eye would not make much difference. In fact it would not fit me because my eyes are naturally shaped small, so a double eyelid would make me look sleepy. I think it’s great that you support us single-eyelid people. Thanks.
kelly says:
September 21st, 2007 at 1:20 pmI personally love the look of asian eyes. I am white myself, but I think asian eyes are exotic and beautiful, and I also love the look of asian and white mixed individuals. I think they often have the best of both phenotypes. I think it’s funny because I’ve thought (though never seriously) about what it would be like to have surgery to get the “oriental eye”, intead of the other way around
K. Chong says:
November 13th, 2007 at 12:49 pmHowever, there’s a risk of double eyelid glue and tape.
By poking and pulling the delicate skin in the eyelid, it stretches and stays loose, that is to say, it sags like an old woman’s.
It behooves you not to sue a splint or other hard objects on the eyelid. Once the skin is over-stretched, it never recoils or returns to its original state.
I’ve found another way to form a crease without glue, tape, splint, fork, sutures or surgery; and written a book on the topic. If you write to a publisher, he’ll publish my book for every Oriental to learn my technique. He’ll do it if he gets enough letters requesting the book.
I’ve no competition in a 1 billion market. In other words, my technique is the only one of its kind in the world and as such it will benefit any publisher.
The name of my book is KISKEEDEE by K. Chong
Toronto ON Canada M5A 4N9
or 369 Sackville St, Toronto ON Canada M5A 3G5
yunhe says:
November 27th, 2007 at 4:59 pmwow i love your photoshop demonstration 😀
i have the single lid and i grew up under constant pressure to do something about it.
first my mom and my dad had surgery done to add a fold to their eyelids. they also asked me if i
wanted it done. then there’s all this outside pressure from media, trend, social concepts and blah blah blah…
but i’m proud to say that to this day, my eyes are still single lidded and i’m very happy with them 🙂
as for applying make-up and curling lashes, yes it can be a bit of a pain, but i do notice the secret is eyeliner. that’s pretty much all you need with eyes like mine 😀
Angeline says:
August 7th, 2008 at 10:03 pmI agree with you that Asian women’s “single eyelids” are beautiful.
Our idea of what constitutes the ideal beauty is so skewed by Western media and products that so many Asian women would resort to fake double eyelids. I think it is a shame that we cannot be proud of our own natural beauty.
Fred says:
August 23rd, 2008 at 2:21 pmI’m a white male. I find Asian almond sharp eyes to be absolutely gorgeous !! For the life of me, I can’t believe why some Asian women want to change their natural beautiful eye shape.
I love Asian women’s natural eye shape and high cheekbones, so unique, beautiful and hot.
No need to be influenced by the stupid media.
The Asian look is totally unique, special, hot and beautiful.
Mai Ling says:
August 25th, 2008 at 5:42 amDear Fred or shall I call you Rice Queen or Rice Man
I find your racist comments deeply offensive – I love my eyes but I love my surgeon even more and therefore I want eyes like you! Blue and big like cow!
Mai Ling
Fred says:
August 25th, 2008 at 8:31 pmDear Mai Ling,
Which part of my comment offended you ? I am deeply offended by your saying it was a racist comment. It was exactly the opposite.
I compliment Asian beauty, and you are offended by it ?
What’s wrong with appreciating Asian beauty ?
jong_walakuze says:
August 26th, 2008 at 8:37 pmnow there’s a stereotype…how do y’all define “asian” look?
or you’re precisely implying east-asian?
Asia is a big part of this world, and it doesn’t belong to just Chinese, Korean and their other such.
ok, I’m a taiwanese…but I just happen to not have one of those beautiful epicanthic folds, almond shaped eyes,
they got real obvious double eyelids on and with deep socket. too bad
Fred says:
August 27th, 2008 at 11:18 amThe article above specifically states ” the single eyelid “, and the picture examples that she shows of the Adobe Photoshop indicate clearly the ” look” that she is talking about.
So, because that is what the article is talking about, that is also what I am talking about. There is nothing wrong with other “looks”. There is nothing wrong with double eyelids, just as there is nothing wrong with monolid eyes. Everyone has different taste.
But I am tired of some people bashing the ” single eyelid” look, and hearing about kids teasing other kids because they have monolid, single eyelids. Because I find the monolid, single eyelids to be extremely attractive and beautiful. I know that not everyone does, but there are many that do. And I am tired to hear about criticism of the single eyelids. It’s just different taste. And everyone has different taste.
Sara says:
December 15th, 2008 at 2:11 pmIronically, as I read this article, at the bottom of my screen flashed an ad for eyelid surgery. I am of a Danish, Irish, English variety and have not only “double eyelids”, but deep-set eyes that are not all they are cracked up to be. Because they are so deep-set, my eyelashes touch my upper eyelid bone & smudge mascara on the tops of my lids, looking like little black dots. Sounds like beautiful makeup, right? Now, if I put eyeliner on, it slowly gravitates toward the inner part of my eye, leaving a big smear. My brother-in-law thinks I look like a racoon when gravity pulls the eyeliner & mascara… my husband thinks it’s smokey & hot. For me… it’s just another mess to scrub at the end of the day.
I do love my eyes because they are mine. It’s not about having double eyelids or not, it’s about being happy with and feeling comfortable with what we were born with. It’s acceptance of one’s self inside and out. Ms. Wu, you are correct, “why should we mess with perfection” and why should any woman feel compelled to conform to skewed views of beauty. Celebrate who you are.
tiger says:
December 16th, 2008 at 2:46 amasian is the founder of modern science and technology. read the book (1421 china discover the world with japanese ,korean and mongol and tatar.asian are genius and beacon of human civilization
tiger says:
December 16th, 2008 at 2:47 ami kindly
need reply from those who have different view of asian.
tiger says:
December 20th, 2008 at 10:18 amwho delete my blog
Liz says:
February 17th, 2009 at 7:50 amI don’t sympathize with women claiming that it is more difficult to apply eye makeup on single eyelids. If it was so difficult, how did I end up owning over 60 shades of eyeshadow as a female with single lids?
Koo says:
February 18th, 2009 at 4:24 ami don’t like the tampering with eyelids as i have friends who are from China and they do it.
it does look nicer on some….
and atleast eyeshadow can be seen better
but i myself can’t be bothered with fuss about eyelids…it’s like…such a tiny part of your body o.O
kiimberland says:
March 5th, 2009 at 6:51 amim an asian myself. but i dont necessarily want big blue eyes…
yes… i see some beautiful girls and those eyes… but i see
so many asians with hot eyes.
why would you change who you are?
are you ashamed of youself?
are you trying to put a mask on?
be happy with what you are given.
our almond shaped eyes defines us
and it looks exotic and unique.
which is why i love who i am
Drworm says:
March 26th, 2009 at 2:10 amI’m full Korean and I’ve been very interested on these topics. Perhaps being a male is the reason I never was hassled to change my monolid eyes. My oldest sister has smaller eyes than me, and my other sister has naturally big eyes with the crease. Most people generalize us east asians with the monolid and smaller eyes, when there are some with big eyes and the crease, and smaller eyes with the crease. My father has a strong protruding nose, big eyes without the crease, and a stronger browline. He was actually on the cover of a popular Teen magazine when he was a teenager. His siblings have similar features too. My mother has small eyes with the crease on the inside of her eyelids, while her brother and sister have bigger eyes with the crease. Her brother’s nose is sharp and downward hook shaped while her and her sister have the common softer nose that is a little upright at the tip. From my mother’s side I have curly hair. All of this is NATURAL and full Korean.
I was born in the US and have yet to go to my family’s country. When I was younger, some of the non-asians made fun of my eyes because of their size and shape, never the eyelid. The eyelid issue must only be talked within our community. Being twenty years old, I’m concerned about my looks. I wouldn’t want to change my eyes. My nose, on the otherhand, I wich it would be angled downward some. It’s similar to my father’s, but angled up at the tip. Every race of people has this feature, just like naturally small eyes and really big eyes. My reason would be because I’m self concious about having a snotball where everyone can easily see it. I don’t care that my nose isn’t thin and bony with a very sharp tip.
Is the US only concerned about this to take pressure off of their own issues? Just like this past Olympics. So what if they used another little Chinese girl to lip sync because she’s prettier than the actual singer? The US is nortorious for doing that. Breast implants, Lypo, Nose and EYE surgeries, and lip injections…Yep, we must remember that East Asia isn’t the only place where it’s common for girls, at a certain age, to get something done to them. Oh yeah, Caucasians sometimes naturally have very thin lips and go for the lip injections…Every one has their insecurities.
hellopeople says:
April 29th, 2009 at 6:27 pmThat’s kind of wierd…I am Korean and have a natural double eyelid. Maybe it’s that, but I’ve never understood why people wanted double eylids.
lily says:
June 24th, 2009 at 10:34 pmi’m a full blooded vietnamese girl with single eyelids while everyone of my family members have double eyelids . my mom never really cared but the elders always say i look weird or even ugly. my dark brown skin never really matched with my single eyelids but they do match my cheekbones . and doing makeup is a pain in the ass . but i love them b/c they are a part of who i am. ok that was super corny. aren’t there even tons of beautiful famous asian models with single eyelids like liu wen, shu pei, hye rim park, and han jin. 🙂
Johanna says:
July 20th, 2009 at 10:18 amHaha, I have oriental shaped eyes, even though I am not oriental! Strange huh! And my eyes are blue to boot! I used to hate it, but as you grow older and wiser you realise it’s nice to have something that’s special about you. Funnily my stepmother after my real mother died, is Japanese, but I am way too blonde to look like her real daughter despite my single eyelids. I am from Sweden and I think my eyes are heritage of some Greenland ancestors in the past. My sisters eyes are much rounder and bigger than mine though.
I totally agree with you that people should try to come to terms with their looks unless they are affected by some particularly awkward peculiarity. Being a certain ethnicity is not a handicap!
It’s sad when Asians try to look European, Europeans try to be dark like Africans, and Indian women want to be paler. People do crazy things to change their looks. We should promote beauty of all kinds, so that everybody can feel proud and pleased with their ethnicity.
Someone who knows says:
August 10th, 2009 at 8:41 amIm sorry but i think the double eylid surgery is the best example to show how sick and crazy the whole asian society is about being pretty.
first i got to say, i am not american, im german, european. of course we also got plastic surgeons in here in europe, but those few (and really just a few compared to the majority of people) who go and have a surgery of any kind are described and titled as “weak characters” “surface” and so on… by all other people. going to have a surgery isnt “cool” or “trendy” in europe…its something for people who better see a psychotherapist to fix their inferiority complexes.´I dont know how people think about that in the US, ive never been there…but ive been to asia often enough.
That surgery doesnt make people prettier…it makes you look ALL THE SAME. asian faces are so pretty and unique…but those surgeries destroy their uniqueness…and believe me…after a short while its easy to see who did a surgery and who not. a person in my life who is very close to me (i dont wanna say who to protect that persons privacy) did that surgery…and everytime i talk to that person i can see the thin, small scar. and no matter what a surgeon tells you…it will never look like a natural eyefold…it will always look like a scar….even if its just a little bit.
im not looking perfect…im sure there are way more people who look much better than me compared to what is called “sexy” in here…but im happy with my body, my beloved one is the same. so…accept yourself!
Are you sure completely sure says:
August 15th, 2009 at 3:23 pmSo in Germany, you get laughed at as a “weak character” for having surgery to correct some medical problem? (like removing tumors, brain surgery, etc.)
T says:
August 17th, 2009 at 8:29 pmThe interesting thing I have found about single eyelid surgery is that it’s not even mention in my area. I live on the west coast where there’s oddles of the Asian population. When my WHITE teacher mention the surgery, not one person in the class knew what she was talking about. (except for me of course) This is in a class of about 30 kids, where only three of the kids are not fully Asian. The kids didn’t even know what a double eyelid was.
When comes to this kind of plastic surgery I’m against it. I truly believe its about whitewashing yourself. Why take away the things that make you who you are?
someone who knows says:
August 23rd, 2009 at 7:23 pmby “surgery of any kind” i mean plastic surgery, refering to the topic! and single eyelids are definitely NOT a medical problem
if thats all of your criticism….i think we are done now 😉
kunni says:
October 9th, 2009 at 3:55 pmi really love asian looks and the fine almond shaped, shallow eyes. i’m naturally attracted to them. guys there’s nothing ‘de-ranged’ or wrong with any look god has given, but there are individual preferences and this applies to the onlookers as well as the bearer. i’d be rather interested in knowing if there are ways to transform double eyes into oriental ones!!!
N says:
December 28th, 2009 at 11:37 amthe “monolid” is actually a recessive gene (kinda like the blond gene?) that means it doesn’t represent most Asians at all, and if you would like to REALLY pay attention to Asians, you will see some “monolided” people actually have crease in there, they are just less obvious. and there are even less people have the Lucy Liu’s “slanted” eyes. I think it’s the American media to blame for putting that “squinty” and “slanted” impression on all east Asians. before anyone jumps to that quick conclusion, ask yourself, how many Asians have you met? the population of China is over 1.3 billion (the number was 1.3billion in 2007)! I’m Chinese. I’ve seen my countrymen with naturally pale skin (including me! but i get tanned easily and my skin got rough at the same time), tanned skin (family and friends), small eyes, big eyes, even blue eyes (albinism), blond hair (one of my friends had blond hair when she was a kid, it bothered her so much cause it was in the 80’s and Chinese didn’t dye their hair) and curly hair (two male friends and my friend’s baby niece have it)! i myself had monolid eyes when i was a baby, then i lost the baby fat and had crease on my eyelids, and then the crease gradually got deeper itself. i’ve got quite a bit compliment about my eyes since i was a kid. unless i stay up late or cry too much at night, then in the next morning i will have the squinty eyes again. in some case, people lose the crease when they gain weight. the crease might even play tricks on you cause sometimes one eye got it and the other doesn’t. it bothers the person cause it makes the eyes uneven.
some people are hypocritical. i think the natural is the best. but i also think choosing to go under surgery is also a personal choice. when it comes to change their looks, no one point a finger unless it’s Asians! but mostly, all they do is to look like other Asians! white people inject stuff to make their Caucasian lips thicker, black people do nose job to lose that African feature, like Tyra Banks. but on the Tyra Show she attacked the Korean American girl who had a surgery to have the crease like mine! and kunni here is critizing against surgery on Asians, but it’s toally okay when she wants to do it?! change small eyes to big, or big to small, there’s no difference! it’s all about covetousness. we want the things we don’t have. should some Asians change the eyelids to make themselves happy, or should they change their ideas to make non-Asians happy? grow up people, beauty is not skin-deep.
T says:
December 28th, 2009 at 5:40 pmTo N:
I have to disagree with the Tyra thing. I know for sure that Tyra didn’t have surgery. She does contouring on her nose. This is a make up technique people use to make their nose bridge look straighter and more obvious, and to make their nose look smaller. Pretty much all the celebrities use this technique, just like they use techniques to make their cheek bones look higher, and their lips larger.
I also have to disargree with people only attacking Asians. People get regularly attacked for plasitc surgery no matter what race they are. Whites don’t get attacked for race as much because they aiming for a WHITE ideal. Others races in this country get attacked more often because a lot do surgery out of racial self-hatred. Plenty of minorities in the US have been conditioned to aim for the white ideal instead of their own cultural one. To put it long story short, in the past, the color of your skin determined whether you went to a good college or not, or had a good paying job. As a result, many cultures assimilated into US society with white ideals. These ideals have been past on through many generations, and many minority cultures in the US have incorporated these ideals into their own culture w/o realizing this. I believe this is where the confusion comes from. Many people don’t understand that their habits and beauty ideals they aim for come from assimilation. An example of this is black hair. In the black culture it’s prefered for women to be light skinneded and have straight hair. Even though it’s pretty common for blacks to have light skin(thanks to slavery), it’s not common to have straight hair. That’s usually why you see black cleberites w/ weaves or straighten/permed hair. It’s extrmeley rare to find black cleberties with their natural hair or natural hair styles. Tyra has already realized this. She’s knows she uses weaves because that’s the ideal for mainstream media. She could see that the Korean girl was doing the same thing:aiming for the white ideal of beauty. Except it wasn’t with her hair, but her eyes. That’s why she “attacked” the Korean girl on the show. The Korean girl has a history of wanting to be white. She said this herself on the show. That’s the connection your missing.
Beauty is not always skin deep. From an appearance you can tell someone’s social and economic status, what they do for a living, their hobbies and what culture they’re from. The first thing the Nazis did to the captured Jews, was wipe out their identity. To do this they shaved their hair, took away their clothes and prevented them from participating in their religious rituals. They did this because they know identity is important. When you wipe a person’s appearance, you take a part of their identity.
copy4405 says:
March 31st, 2010 at 1:34 amT-
While you’ve made some good points in your post I have to point out something I disagree with. While some non-white minorities in the U.S. may feel pressure to look more “white” or mainstream, it’s not always the case for people in other countries who get these eye surgeries. The extra crease in the eye is actually found quite often in asia, and is naturally occurring in a large portion of the population. Most of these people who get the surgery are women, and many women just want to have the appearance of bigger eyes- a preference that exists both within and outside of white culture.
Also, often it’s very strange, and slightly offensive, for me to hear comments on people who are getting the surgery as if they are all ashamed of their own race or want to become white. It’s also odd when I read a comment praising a “slanty-” or “squinty-” eyed look because that is what makes asians unique and beautiful, when it’s a blatant furthering of the stereotypes applied, especially, to asian women. Whether a person is beautiful is not based on this one trait, but how their look is composed as a whole. And even if someone doesn’t have great looks, it makes no impact on them as a beautiful person. Just my thoughts… 🙂
Trizzy says:
April 20th, 2010 at 3:06 amYou must understand that only 50% of Asians have a single eyelid and 50% have a double eyelid.
T says:
April 20th, 2010 at 3:24 am“While you’ve made some good points in your post I have to point out something I disagree with. While some non-white minorities in the U.S. may feel pressure to look more “white” or mainstream, it’s not always the case for people in other countries who get these eye surgeries.”
I can agree to that.
“The extra crease in the eye is actually found quite often in asia, and is naturally occurring in a large portion of the population.”
I know. I’m asian myself, and live in an asian area. I actually rarely see the single eyelid.
“Most of these people who get the surgery are women, and many women just want to have the appearance of bigger eyes- a preference that exists both within and outside of white culture. ”
I think it truly depends on the situation. If it was a women Korea, then in this case you would be right. However, if a person lives in area where there are no other Asians but themselves and have been isolated because of that, I would be incline to assume they want to have the double eyelid to look more white.
“Also, often it’s very strange, and slightly offensive, for me to hear comments on people who are getting the surgery as if they are all ashamed of their own race or want to become white. It’s also odd when I read a comment praising a “slanty-” or “squinty-” eyed look because that is what makes asians unique and beautiful, when it’s a blatant furthering of the stereotypes applied, especially, to asian women.”
I also agree and disagree to this one. Its common for minorities in the US to be pressured to look white. If you ever look at statistics of plastic surgery between races, you’ll find that the a higher percentage in minority groups will correct distinct ethnic features. I do agree that the strange “squinty” eyed comments are offensive.
“Whether a person is beautiful is not based on this one trait, but how their look is composed as a whole. And even if someone doesn’t have great looks, it makes no impact on them as a beautiful person. Just my thoughts…” I’m glad you think this way. True beauty is from inside out.
hmmm says:
May 12th, 2010 at 8:15 pmThis article and its comments are interesting. I am triple-lidded and Chinese. This is interesting because I never knew people actually went to lengths to get double-eyelid surgery. I do agree that there is a trend of obsession over vanity in east Asian culture. It saddens me sometimes to see people barbarically rip apart their natural beauty. The way we look are the features that have been passed on to us from generations and generations of family members. They are our heritage. I thank Ms. Wu for giving me the perspective of being single lidded. I urge people to ignore conformity.
Tia says:
May 13th, 2010 at 12:08 pm@ HMMM what is a triple lid, may i ask?
i have a single fold eye also, and i can’t imagine having my eyes ” done” , is it really a burden to Asian women? i think they can be just as beautiful as any other eye type, i am not Asian but Black of Carribean descent and i love my features Ladies just embrace who you are, everyone does not need to look alike.
there is alot of diversity in the world and its wonderful
Deborah Feingle says:
July 1st, 2010 at 4:06 pmI like your writing style and appreciate your opinion on anything beauty-related, but I really love the honest and intimate, maybe even vulnerable tone You can hit in these posts.
miami says:
July 22nd, 2010 at 11:52 pmDear Ms. Wu I must inform you that your terminology is highly general and thus inaccurate. When you give statements like “the Oriental Eye” is this or that , you are generalizing issues. The word oriental does not only mean Korean, Japanese , Chinese or any other type of people under the same category. The word oriental might mean people in north Africa !! I am an Arab and thus an oriental BUT I do not have the eyes you described as being oriental eyes. We Arabs normally have big round black eyes. But we don’t say that all Orientals have the same eyes as we do. If any uneducated man or women, especially those who are unfamiliar with what your saying, read your article he or she might assume first of all that all Asians have the eyes you described and if they don’t they must have had surgery !! second of all they might assume that the word oriental means only the parts of the world that you were referring to. Also the matter of beauty is a relative thing, for example, I think that big eyes are beautiful and some other people think that they are not, but there is no one who can say that am completely right and they are not, or the other way around. Everyone is entitled to hold on to what he or she thinks is beautiful wither it was normal or not , but no one should impose what he thinks is beautiful on others. It is simply a matter of personal freedom, and it is a completely relative matter that can be discussed eternally with no correct or absolute answer .
Evelyg says:
August 9th, 2010 at 9:32 pmStrangely, ever since I was little I’ve always asked my mother and father, ‘mommy or daddy why do their eyes lid and why do yours do too?’ They’d always answer because they aren’t you. I always called myself the Asian child since I look nothing like the rest of my blood relative family. I have more Asian features and I too have the single lidded eye..
Sam says:
August 12th, 2010 at 11:15 amIs it possible for the reverse procedure to be done? To have a single-eyelid or to gain that epicanthic fold? I know there are a less vocal majority of people who would prefer to have the mongloid features. However all I seem to find are procedures for doing “bheroplasty”. I wonder what the other direction is and how it can be done?
Yong says:
August 24th, 2010 at 8:20 amI was born with double eyelids and I’m asian (korean). I do feel left out when my friends start talking about their eyes (about how small they are and how they want double eyelids). Now… my question is… should or should I not get a surgery? (one eyelid surgery)
Crystal says:
August 24th, 2010 at 9:28 amWell… double eyelid surgery is clearly the most popular plastic operation in Asia. Actually blepharoplasty (as this operation is called in medical terms) also tops the list of cosmetic surgeries in the West – only that there its purpose is to remove the sacs under eyes.
Anyway, regarding the main topic of this site – telling the difference between Japanese, Koreans and Chinese… a while ago I compiled a quiz (“Chinese or Not Chinese?”) in which readers had to tell if the Asian girls in the pictures are Chinese girls or not, and so far among almost 500 respondents there have been just 60% of correct answers.
But here is the catch – all the girls are celebrities in their respective countries, and since some of my readers come from China – they simply recognize the girls and score about 90%. So the TRUE average for my test is about 50%.
It’s not hard to conclude that for the test where there are only two possible answers (Chinese/Not Chinese) – the result of 50% is the same as if people would just randomly pick their answer. or in other words people were ABSOLUTELY not able to tell the difference.
Important note: my test included pictures of celebrities with heavy make-up (and possibly photo-shopped(?)), and it could be the source of confusion…
陈馨宇 says:
August 24th, 2010 at 11:49 pm我的长相还算标准，不必整容，大多数中国女孩子，都不会整容，因为我们对自己的外貌有自信^_^
Anisa says:
August 29th, 2010 at 5:50 amI’m an Asian that was born with natural double lids. I get the opposite effect, actually. Talk about ironic. If I talk about how happy I am with how my eyes will look, I think some of my Asian friends would just give me the evil eye.
How nuts. Sometimes I contemplate about getting single eyelid surgery. Nah.
Cheryl says:
September 12th, 2010 at 9:15 amI’m a grandmother of African, Spanish and Native American descent. I have a bi-racial granddaughter whom I recently took to the theater to see a Chinese acrobat troupe perform. My four year old granddaughter is very observant and well aware of differences and how we are all alike and just embraces it all, as that is the mindset my daughter has instilled in her. I raised my own children to understand and celebrate our differences but realize we are all God’s children. Since my grandaughter has never been exposed to anyone of East Asian descent, I pointed out how all the members of the company had beautiful almond shaped eyes. I later shared this with her mother and was informed by my daughter that someone of East Asian descent would find that offensive.
I’ve never considered myself to be racist and consider all of us to be of the Human Race, first and foremost. However, if my comment could be taken as racist in nature, I want to be educated, as I feel racism often occurs due to ignorance.
Dyske says:
September 12th, 2010 at 3:27 pmHi Cheryl,
One of our neighbors who is Puerto Rican sometimes chats with my wife who is white. She never remembers my name so she squints her eyes to talk about me to my wife. We find it rather funny.
The fact of the matter is that Asians do have thinner eyes. So, is pointing that out offensive? Only if you think thinner eyes are inferior. I don’t think it would be universally offensive.
It’s very much like the word “fat”. If someone is “fat”, pointing out the fact that he is fat could be offensive or not offensive; it would depend on how the word is used. It’s a tricky situation.
The fact that many Asians get surgeries to make their eyes appear larger would lead me to believe that they do consider their thinner eyes to be inferior. So, to them, your comment might be offensive, but is that really your fault. I would say no.
D
Cheryl says:
September 12th, 2010 at 4:52 pmHi Dyske,
Thank you so much for your response. I guess I am a bit naive…I did not know that many Asians have surgery to make their eyes appear larger.
One race/ethnic group does not have dominence over what is beautiful. I truly believe beauty comes in all sizes, shapes and colors. I do realize not everyone feels this way, so, given your response and the insight I now have on the topic, I should probably watch what I say. I certainly would not want to offend anyone. A compliment is only a compliment when it is perceived as such by the recipient.
Consider me enlightened…thanks, again.
Cheryl
brett favre injury says:
November 2nd, 2010 at 1:10 pmDear Ms. Wu I must inform you that your terminology is highly general and thus inaccurate. When you give statements like “the Oriental Eye” is this or that , you are generalizing issues. The word oriental does not only mean Korean, Japanese , Chinese or any other type of people under the same category. The word oriental might mean people in north Africa !! I am an Arab and thus an oriental BUT I do not have the eyes you described as being oriental eyes. We Arabs normally have big round black eyes. But we don’t say that all Orientals have the same eyes as we do. If any uneducated man or women, especially those who are unfamiliar with what your saying, read your article he or she might assume first of all that all Asians have the eyes you described and if they don’t they must have had surgery !! second of all they might assume that the word oriental means only the parts of the world that you were referring to. Also the matter of beauty is a relative thing, for example, I think that big eyes are beautiful and some other people think that they are not, but there is no one who can say that am completely right and they are not, or the other way around. Everyone is entitled to hold on to what he or she thinks is beautiful wither it was normal or not , but no one should impose what he thinks is beautiful on others. It is simply a matter of personal freedom, and it is a completely relative matter that can be discussed eternally with no correct or absolute answer .
Unknown says:
November 3rd, 2010 at 10:53 pmI’m pure Vietnamese and thank goodness I was born with natural big eyes. (breaks the stereotype,lol!)Both of my eyes suppose to have double eyelids but at the moment I only have one double eyelid due to lack of good sleep.So when i do get good sleep (8hrs+) then I have double eyelids.
BOTTOM LINE IS:Not all southeast Asians and east Asians have small eyes (although a minority of east Asians have big eyes.) and there are MANY DIFFERENT Asian types like
Filipino,SriLankan,Thai,Bangladeshi,Singaporean,etc… not just Chinese,Japanese,and Korean.The 3 main categories are East Asian,Southeast Asian,and South Asian.
Just getting tired of ignorance,lol. :l
college grants says:
December 28th, 2010 at 11:59 pmDo you people have a facebook fan page? I looked for one on twitter but could not discover one, I would really like to become a fan!
Jason D says:
February 10th, 2011 at 5:21 pmThe west is nothing to be envious about. They are a bunch of greedy, egocentric, vain, malicious entertainment junkies.
I should know, I am one of them but lead a much simpler, empathic and less materialistic way of life. I feel only pity for these self-obsessed mindless creatures.
Keep a simple way of life, and your looks exactly the same.
sf says:
February 18th, 2011 at 11:49 amI am Chinese and my mother actually had this surgery done on me and my sister when we were in our teens. So when you see a person you think already had the double lid surgery, I urged you not to be quick to judge. Don’t look at us like we are crazy, vain or someone to pity. Sometimes it wasn’t our choice. But I lived with it and I’m actually fine with it. When I was younger, I was conscious and was worried what others might think since it wasn’t that popular then. And more of a hush hush thing. But now that I’m older, I just take it as it is and go on with life. There’s so much going on to be obsessed with this. Just take it easy and accept what you have, everyone will be happier that way.
Mimi says:
February 19th, 2011 at 8:29 pmI am Bengali/Assamese of Mongolian descent and I find it funny that I’m the only one in my family that has double eyelids, however, I’m the only one with natural straight hair. I have many other Asian friends, (Burmese, Thai, Pinoy, Chinese, Veitnamese) and feel pretty left out with my odd eyes.
Almond shaped eyes are beautiful, and I would love to look more like my family and my ancestors.