Thousand Dollar EyelidsA procedure to obtain a double lidded eye is currently the most popular surgery on the Asian continent.
If beauty is in the eye of the beholder, in Asia, the beholder would have a double lidded eye.
Asian double eye lid surgery, or Asian blepharoplasty, is currently the most popular cosmetic surgery on the Asian continent.
The coveted “double lid”, almost ubiquitous among Westerners and occurring naturally among about half of Asians, is a physical feature sought after by many Asian men and women alike, and is available for $1000 and a week off of work.
The popular surgery is, of course, controversial. It has been described as an “offensive alteration of ethnic identity” (2) and by some, is seen as a sad result of Hollywood beauty ideals rubbing off on the rest of the world.
The surgery is more popular on the Asian continent that it is among the overseas Asian crowd. Asian American Ann Wong, who elected not to have the surgery when her parents offered to get it for her at the age of 14, said, “It's heartbreaking that these young girls don't have cultural pride; that they're ashamed of who they are and how they look." (1)
One doctor who performs the surgery in the United States gives a different perspective, claiming that "In Asia, people don't see it as ethnically altering the same way they do here . . . But we believe we are just trying to make them look prettier. Just a prettier Asian eye, not a Western eye." (1) Scientific research has shown that humans do find large eyes appealing, and one need only look at babies and Disney movies for evidence.
Whatever the reason for it, there is no denying the trend. Already enjoying a long standing popularity in Korea and Japan, since a 2001 lift on a Chinese ban on cosmetic surgery, Asian double eyelid surgery is picking up speed in the Chinese demographic, both in the motherland and abroad.
Many A-list celebrities, including Jackie Chan, have had the procedure, and in some cases, it has even led to scandal. Famous Taiwanese singer and writer Yi Nengjing, who just published her third book titled Life After Life, used to claim she was born double lidded. However, after recently giving birth to a single lidded child, she underwent a barrage of negative media attention until she admitted she had lied to the public, and had in fact undergone eye surgery years ago.
The procedure is nothing new, as it was first mentioned in Japanese literature in the 1800s, and is occasionally helpful in increasing vision in older patients.
Before and after pictures of an Asian blepharoplasty patient: http://www.makemeheal.com/news/category/ethnic-plastic-surgery/asian/
References:
1. Asian-Americans Criticize Eyelid Surgery Craze: Sandy Kobrin. 15 August 2004. Womens ENews. http://www.womensenews.org/article.cfm/dyn/aid/1950/context/cover/
2. Is Asian Plastic Surgury Erasing Ethnic Identity? http://www.makemeheal.com/news/category/ethnic-plastic-surgery/asian/
3. http://www.drmeronk.com/asian-eyelid.html
4. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asian_blepharoplasty
