Are you considered pretty in Japan?

I was born and raised in Japan. So I was told certain features of women’s face are the signs of beauty. For example, skin color. I am not sure if Japanese people came up with this concept that lighter skin complexion is more beauty based on western standard. Japan used to have its own beauty standard with Geisha, and now many Japanese women seek plastic surgeries to become beautiful.

It’s been reported that the most popular surgery is “double eyelid”. Beside White skin, it is very important for Japanese girls to have double eyelid. The number of woman undergoing the eyelid surgeries is increasing, and western media has featured this phenomena in Asia. Because this popularity of double eyelid isn’t just popular in Japan, they are popular in most of the East Asian societies.

But what I don’t understand is that America media bashes those women who just want to have a bigger eyelids..”They are trying to change their race.” “They are trying to become white.” Some of them may be, I don’t know but I feel that it is sort of a reverse racism. Because how would they know that we are trying to look white? By the way, it isn’t out intension.

There was this Korean woman who appeared in Tyra Banks show was bashed harshly for not embracing her race. She is one of million Asian girls out there who had a surgery to widen her eyelids. What is so wrong with that? Definitely there are western media influences, as they use western models more often and of course, we want to have the eyelids that will look great with those bold eyeshadows Maybeline is trying to advertise.

What America media needs to understand is that White is not the only race with double eyelid. Mexican and Black people usually have beautiful eyelids. And some Asian are born with beautiful eyelids even though the possibility is much lower for Asian kids.

So let’s recap what’s considered beautiful in Japan.

1) Light skin complexion: At one point, self tanning an darkening tan became very popular in Japan, but for the most part, light complexion is the standard of beauty in Japan. If you have been to Japanese drug stores, you will see hundreds of cosmetic products that promise to remove dark spot (aging spot, I should say). Japanese people are crazy about “Bihaku” (美白）It literally means beautiful white. And as a result, you see many white skinned Japanese people, especially girls. they will put the UV spray just to go outside to do grocery shopping, in fact many uses skin brighter and skin UV cream on a daily basis.

2) Big eyes