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What are beautiful eyes? For some
women of East Asian descent the answer is having a crease
in their eyelids. And it's not uncommon to hear friends
and family call those born with natural folds "lucky."
Many who aren't so "lucky" fake the fold with precut
surgical tape-packaged specifically for lid duty and
as readily available as toilet paper and cotton swabs
at the nearest convenience store in Japan, Korea, Taiwan,
or Singapore.
In some circles, using precut eyelid
tape is just the first step. Next comes blepharoplasty.
This cosmetic eyelid surgery is often meant to reduce
signs of aging, but increasing numbers of young women
in East Asia, as well as many Asian Americans, are going
under the knife to have creases created. It's all part
of the beauty standard being set throughout the world,
which calls for women to be thin (to the point of fragility),
pale, long-haired, slim-nosed, and wide-eyed. Sure,
that sounds suspiciously like Courteney Cox, but some
Asian women who tape claim they're not trying to look
white-just prettier and "more awake." But to critics
it's all about the influence of Western culture.
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