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Background
For many years across Asian countries, people have been pressured into unrealistic, societal beauty standards. Social media constantly makes “perfection” seem normal. The pressure of beauty standards is a large burden that many carry in silence.
The Beauty Standards:
Skin Whitening
Widely practiced across Asian countries, skin whitening — also known as skin bleaching — has been a common beauty regimen for years. Historically speaking, this beauty standard started during the Victorian era, when women adored pale, porcelain skin. Pale skin was a sign of wealth and privilege. Colonized by Europeans, countries in Asia adapted their beauty standards. Darker skin was considered “poor” and “unattractive” while white features were considered elite. This mindset was (and still is) engraved into the mindset of many Asian citizens today.
Slim Faces
In South Korea, a popular standard is having slim features, such as a slim face. People pay for surgeries in order to achieve this unrealistic beauty standard. Others use makeup or take pictures at a certain angle to make the proportions of their face smaller. These cosmetic beauty standards originated in the Ancient Chosun era. In this era, fair skin was also considered beautiful and was adored by most citizens. During those times, lard was used to protect their skin. During the reign of the Choson Dynasty, cosmetic beauty was considered extremely important. Ideal women living in this era had flowy hair, slim bodies, colored lips and cheeks, and pale skin.
Slim Body
Undeniably, our world is bitter and harsh. Social media plays a big role in the way we view each other. Models all over social media platforms give the idea that it is normal to be “perfect”. We see people with perfect skin, lovely hair, and flawless bodies. But in reality, many of these “perfect” people are photoshopped to fit the societal definition of beautiful. To obtain a picture-perfect body, many resort to harmful and unruly diets. Others even starve themselves in order to fit the beauty standard being pressed on them. All of this has a negative impact on our mental and physical health, and we become more judgemental, hating our bodies instead of befriending them.
Double Eye-lids
The craze for the ‘double eye-lid’ look has been on the rise for years. In East Asian countries, being born with/having monolids is common. Scientists believe that monolids were developed during the items of Ancient Mongolia and helped protect the eyes of citizens from harsh weather. The first double-eyelid surgery was performed by Dr. D. Ralph Millard during the Korean War. People who did not have double-eyelid surgery were called “slanted”. However, the citizens in Korea who did have this surgery performed on them were considered more trustworthy. Soldiers from America often married Korean women with double eyelids. Newer advertisements have stated that getting double-eyelid surgery would “brighten the soul”.
What Can We Do?
Though there isn’t an exact solution for solving harsh beauty standards, there are still ways we can help.
Advocating for Self - Confidence:
Speaking on unrealistic beauty standards can show the rest of the world (especially people who are facing the pressure of beauty standards), that they’re not alone.
Learning to appreciate yourself may be difficult and seem impossible at times. But do you want to know something very important? You’re beautifully you! There’s no one else like you in the world!
Don’t let anyone bring you down! Look, in our world, there are always people who seek to bring others down. That’s something you can’t control. What you can control, however, is how much they impact you. Don’t let them or their negative opinions affect you. You are perfect the way you are.
Know that you aren’t alone. Reach out to a friend or loved one that you can trust. You are never alone in this world.
References
Claire Lee. “Uncovering the history of double eyelid surgery” The Korea Herald, September 15, 2015, http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20150911000982
Tan Wei Lin. “We need to stop chasing unrealistic beauty standards in Asia and start feeling beautiful” CNA Lifestyle, March 20, 2020, https://cnalifestyle.channelnewsasia.com/style/unrealistic-beauty-standards-in-asia-12550800
C.N. Le. “The Homogenization of Asian Beauty” The Society Pages, June 4, 2014, https://thesocietypages.org/papers/homoegenization-of-asian-beauty/