Mochi Survey: Attitudes Toward Asian American Cosmetic Surgery
by Mandy Yeh for MochiMag.com
If you were to ask me five years ago whether I would ever consider cosmetic surgery, my answer would have been something along the lines of “Hell, no.” Ask me now and I say, “Not now, but who knows?”
My change in attitude has nothing to do with a heightened insecurity toward my looks—rather, it has to do with my newfound exposure to the cultural phenomenon of cosmetic surgery in East Asia, especially in the countries of South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand and Japan.
The prevalence of cosmetic surgery in Asia has reached a point where getting double eyelid (blepharoplasty) and nose (rhinoplasty) surgeries has become akin to getting braces. While cosmetic enhancement is common in the U.S., the social stigma surrounding the issue is much greater than that of Asia. Young Asian American women are in a unique position, as they’re influenced by both Asian and American cultural aesthetics. While many are against getting cosmetic surgery, others have jumped on the bandwagon.
Dr. Haowen Liu, M.D., a plastic surgeon in Taiwan, says that most of his Asian American patients are college girls or high school teenagers who come in with their moms or other family members during summer or winter vacation. Twenty percent of his patients ask for combined eyelid and nose surgeries, and the female to male ratio is about 5 to 1.
Despite rising acceptance of cosmetic surgery in the U.S., reactions still vary widely. After interviewing several Asian American young women and men, mainly between the ages of 18 to 25, I observed that while some girls simply accepted the nature of cosmetic surgery as a popular trend, others strongly repelled the entire culture of cosmetic surgery.
Hazel, a 16-year-old Korean American from California, falls under the former. “It would be an exaggeration to say that I completely support the practice, but I’m not against it either. It’s just a part of modern life,” she said. Jinee, a 22-year-old Korean American from New York, has also come in terms with the prevalence of this procedure. “I used to be very against it, but now that so many people seem to get plastic surgery, I think I’ve made myself think that it’s okay or acceptable.”
For girls who strongly view cosmetic surgery in a negative light, their main issue is with the fixation Asians have with one particular look as their standard for beauty: big eyes, oval face, pointy nose, pale, white skin and stick-skinny body.
Sandra, a 20-year-old Korean American from New Jersey, finds the obsession with this standard, especially in South Korea, absurd. “I think the biggest gripe I have is that all Korean women don’t just want to look beautiful by enhancing their own natural-born beauty, but they want to look like the Korean standard of beauty…for some reason, all Korean women think they must get their eyes and nose done,” she said. “God or nature or fate no longer produces Korean beauty. Dr. Lee in Apgujeong does, for $10,000.”
When thinking about the psychology behind the Asian standard of beauty, a frequent argument that comes up is whether Asians are getting double eyelid and nose surgeries in order to look more like Westerners. Some of the girls I spoke with admit that there’s logic in this assertion. “Euro-centricism has always played an important role in our modern cultural society, and I think plastic surgery is an inevitable result of our world’s history, given that Caucasians have been the world’s most powerful racial group for centuries,” said Hazel.
Others, however, believe that it’s a poor assumption to make. “Of course bigger eyes and pointier noses are more associated with Caucasian attributes because facial features are prevalent with the race. However, I don’t think Asians are trying to look Caucasian by getting these surgical procedures done.”
Though it’s easy to make quick judgments and generalizations about standards of beauty, cosmetic surgery is very much a complicated, personal topic, as there are varying opinions about exactly which plastic surgery procedures are more acceptable than others.
For some girls, such as Tammy, a 24-year-old Chinese American who underwent jaw surgery for a serious under bite, getting plastic surgery was a decision made mainly for functional purposes. Then there’s Korean American Stephanie, who underwent double eyelid surgery because her ophthalmologist noticed her eyelashes were scratching her cornea and could cause problems later on. “If I didn’t have a medical reason for the surgery, I don’t think I would have gone through with the procedure,” she said.
Debates about the necessity of cosmetic surgery is therefore one of the biggest differences between Asian and American culture.
In America, cosmetic surgery is mostly associated with the culture of Beverly Hills and Hollywood, rather than the average middle class American family. In Asia, the cost for getting cosmetic surgery is seen as an acceptable amount for middle class families, not just for high-income households or celebrities. According to Dr. Liu, a rhinoplasty costs around $1000-2000 USD, while double eyelid surgery costs around $800 – $1200 USD. Just as Americans are willing to dish out a couple thousand dollars for braces, middle class families in Asia also see cosmetic surgery as a necessary investment, where some mothers even pay for the surgery costs as a “graduation gift” for their daughters.
Stephanie’s parents offered to pay for the surgery twice. “Double eyelid surgery is something I’ve heard about my whole life,” she said. “I can even recall being four years old and my parents compared me to my brother who had double eyelids.” (Stephanie’s mom has natural double eyelids, and though her dad did not, he ended up getting the double eyelid surgery when he went back to Korea as well).
Though pressures from parents and pop culture play a large role in influencing girls into thinking they need cosmetic surgery, the overall consensus I got from speaking with these Asian American girls is that in the end, personality counts the most. It sounds cliché, but a major part of American culture is that yes, you have the choice to do whatever you’d like to your body, while it’s equally stressed that confidence and self-contentment comes from within.
As Dr. Liu blatantly puts it, “Plastic surgery can improve one’s appearance or image, but is poor in saving a marriage or getting a promotion. Lists of operations can help you look younger or prettier, but none can promise you a better life.”
After speaking to a few Asian American guys to get their take, it seems they’re on the same boat about stressing the importance of personality over looks.
“I think plastic surgery in itself is perfectly fine—it’s the motive that taint[s] it,” said Korean American Minnow. “I think the prettiest women are those who don’t need make up on or a flattering dress. But more than what’s appealing to my eyes, the deeper reasons that make up their personality and character [make] them more or less attractive to me.”
When asked if plastic surgery would affect his decision to date a girl, Corey, a Chinese American from New York, says, “It doesn’t bother me, but it shows no originality and I feel these women have insecurity issues…I’d rather have her personality traits change for the better than her nose, eyelids and boobs going for surgery. Have some confidence in yourself, woman! A woman that is confident is a plus.”
So there you go. At the end of the day, the main issue comes down to the motives behind getting cosmetic surgery, not the actual procedure itself. If you’re impelled to get cosmetic surgery, the best advice is to have realistic goals about the outcome.
For more, check out our plastic surgery Q & A with Dr. Liu.
One of my best friends is fully Korean. When she first met me, her initial thought regarding my appearance was about my eyes. They were the biggest pair of eyes that she had ever seen on an Asian face; she almost wasn’t sure that I was Asian because of it. When we reached the topic of ethnicity, I told her that I am half-Japanese and she confessed that my large eyes made her doubt that I was even Asian at all. When I told her that I had always wanted more “almond-shaped and Asian-looking eyes” she stared at me in confusion and told me that her Korean friends would do just about anything for larger eyes. Her eyes, by contrast, are much smaller and distinctly Asian-looking. A part of me has always wished for smaller eyes so I could better identify with my Asian ethnicity. This debate over physical appearance and its ethnic connotations has led me to think about the possibility of cosmetic surgery. Due to my friend’s insisting, I have put that possibility to rest. By leaving nature’s work alone, I feel like I’m being true to my multiracial background. I wish that my other Asian friends could find the confidence I eventually found and opt out of cosmetic surgery.
Quote: “Others, however, believe that it’s a poor assumption to make. “Of course bigger eyes and pointier noses are more associated with Caucasian attributes because facial features are prevalent with the race. However, I don’t think Asians are trying to look Caucasian by getting these surgical procedures done.”
Though it’s easy to make quick judgments and generalizations about standards of beauty, cosmetic surgery is very much a complicated, personal topic, as there are varying opinions about exactly which plastic surgery procedures are more acceptable than others.”
It’s odd to make a statement like that and not back it up with something. If a more Eurocentric appearance isn’t the reasoning behind getting surgery to change natural features to “Caucasian attributes”, then why IS it being done? I recognize that there were some medical reasons stated, but those are not the majority reasons why these surgeries are being done. What are these other reasons and why is it becoming so common-place and prevalent?
I’m really asking, not making a covert accusation. It was a very interesting article (I’m Black and I think about these types of things a lot), but I’d really like to hear some more follow-up on that statement.
I agree, I am concerned that the beauty standard is based on Caucasian features. On the other hand, why can’t an Asian girl change her appearance if she wants just like the many Caucasian girl would? I had a Caucasian girl at school say she thought Asians shouldn’t dye there hair because it wasn’t authentic. This from a girl who colors her own hair, go figure. It’s like Europeans determine what’s beautiful, which is the first problem. Second problem, we can’t strive to be that so called beautiful without people saying we aren’t a real enough Asian, or asking why aren’t we confident with ourselves? It’s so easy for others to see it so simply.
@ tania. I think 70% of Asians get it because they honestly think that big eyes are prettier. When people talk to one another, they look at each other’s eyes. it’s the most noticeable feature on one’s face. why do people put more makeup on their eyes than anything else? that is the facial feature that girls want to look pretty.
this is entirely in general.
i think 20% is because of medical reasons stated above. asian lids tend to droop, which results in the eyelashes getting stuck in our eyes or scratching it. it causes a lot of irritation.
then maybe like 10% get it done for trying to look like another race. I really do not like when people think that Asians who get the surgery just want to look more Caucasian because African Americans have double lids, lots of Japanese, Chinese, Taiwanese, Vietnamese, Koreans, -name them all- have natural doubles. So why do people assume that they want to be Caucasian?
Most people who think that they’re trying to be Caucasian are Caucasians themselves.
Because they want to bring Asians down?
Because it makes them look superior?
(I’m not attacking you personally btw.
I don’t think the problem is only with Asians. I think the problem is with all women. No one seems to ever be satisfied with the way they look nowadays. It’s not because Asian women want to completely look Westernized that they undergo cosmetic surgery (although I’m sure that Caucasian is the basis of beauty for some Asian women; I mean, who doesn’t want to look more like Nicole Richie or Lauren Conrad?). They just want to look different than what they usually do, as most women seem to want. Women have a problem about that. We all look in the mirror and feel insecure about something; maybe our thighs are a little too big, our noses a little too small. I’ve met tons of Caucasian and Black women who say they wish they had my almond eyes or even my ridiculously short height. I think that because the option of change is so readily available now, women don’t think twice about whether it’s a necessity or a desire. If the option is available, why not take it? And the fact that societies worldwide have become more open to the idea of cosmetic surgery just leaves women with nothing to stop them.
It’s not such a horrible thing. Cosmetic surgery has helped many people. But the thing that bothers me is: Aren’t we sending the wrong messages to young girls by accepting plastic surgery so casually? Shouldn’t little girls know they’re beautiful regardless of what they look like? If we agree that casual plastic surgery is okay, aren’t we basically telling them that they should just change what they don’t like about themselves when they grow up? And that their outwards appearance is a bigger deal than what’s on the inside? (As cliche as that sounds.) I don’t think we should ban cosmetic surgery or anything; I just think we should be a little more wary of it.
This quote from Nike’s campaign also holds true for the beauty standards of current Asian American women too.
I don’t think Asian want bigger eyes and smaller noses because they are the Western standard of beauty. It’s a more general standard of feminine attractiveness. Studies show there are some universal standards, including large eyes, “baby face” features, symmetric faces, and specific waist-hip ratios in men versus women.
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