Plastic Surgery: A quest for a more "western look"

  

(In case you cannot watch the video, click here).

            In some of the Far East Asian countries, such as Korea and China, having plastic surgery is something that has become more common throughout the years. These plastic surgeries are done with the objective of westernizing one’s physical appearance, and thus becoming “beautiful”. The most common plastic surgeries performed in Asia consist of cutting a fold into the eyelid to create a double fold to widen the eyes.

            The following information is based on an article on the CNN website from March of 2011 (click here to see the article). The article talks about a young 12-year-old Korean girl who is getting a cosmetic eye-lid surgery. The little girl did not ask for the surgery - her mother did. She says, "I'm having her do it, because I think it'll help her. This is a society where you have to be pretty to get ahead. She's my only daughter." The little girl lacks confidence and feels self-conscious about her appearance. She says that “everyone points out her small eyes,” which makes her feel that she is not pretty. This surgery gives the little girl and her mom hope that her problem will be solved and her confidence will increase after obtaining more “western” eyes.

"I'm excited. I think I'll look better than I do now."

            The biggest plastic surgery clinic in Korea is a dozen stories tall and all its operating rooms are full every day. The head of the clinic says, "They always tell me they don't like their faces… They want to have some westernized, nice faces… they want to have faces like Americans.” Korean and Chinese people tend to have smaller eyes compared to the Caucasian people they see in the movies, magazines, or advertisements. Having plastic surgeries has become more and more common in these countries. Most of the models and celebrities have had plastic surgeries to have big eyes like westernized people, and nicer noses. This influences the people to do the same thing because they get the idea that to be beautiful it is necessary to have a little less Asian, but more westernized appearance. For these people, the definition of pretty is not the standard Asian face, but closer to a Caucasian face. They do not feel confortable with their characteristic Asian features like the big cheekbones or the small eyes; they want to have big bright eyes with slender facial bones.

            The dislike for their characteristic Asian features and the obsession with becoming more Caucasian and less Asian by having plastic surgeries is an example of racial self-hatred. Racial self-hatred is also shown in The Bluest Eye with the examples of Geraldine, Pauline, and the little girl Pecola. Like the Chinese and Korean people who want to be less Asian and be pretty, the African American people from The Bluest Eye want to become less black. Geraldine, for example, corresponds to this stereotype of women who are light-skinned and have education. These women have nice and clean houses, and live in quiet neighborhoods. They like to be clean, straighten their hair and when they wear lipstick they never cover the whole mouth for fear of lips to thick. This women fight everyday to not let their basic black characteristics show and thus to get rid of their blackness. These women choose to become less black and attempt to be whiter because of the influence of the white people on them. The magazines, movies, models, celebrities are the symbol of beauty for them. Geraldine and this type of women are similar to the case happening to the women in Korea and China. For them, beauty is the white face with Caucasian features. In both cases there is a desire to become physically Caucasian with the only purpose of finding beauty in themselves, and to feel confortable with their own appearance.

            Another example from The Bluest Eye is Pauline. Pauline is the mother of the young black girl Pecola. Pauline is also influenced by the society that surrounds her that white is the symbol of beauty, and that black is not pretty. When Pauline has her baby Pecola, she does not think she is pretty, she says, “But I knowed she was ugly. Head full of pretty hair, but Lord she was ugly (126).” This idea that to be beautiful is necessary to have similar physical aspects as the Caucasian people affects both Pauline and the mother of the little Korean girl. The mother of the little Korean girl is the one who sends her to the plastic surgery clinic to get her cosmetic eye-lid surgery. She also says that this surgery will help her daughter to success in this society where you have to be pretty to get ahead. It can be implied from this statement that the mother of the Korean girl does not believe that her daughter’s Asian features are pretty on her. This attitude demonstrates a mentality that shows that it is necessary for an Asian to become less Asian and more Caucasian to have a better life. Pauline has a similar mentality. Due to the media and what surrounds her she is convinced that by being pretty the people will notice her and show affection to her: “The sad thing was that Pauline did not care for clothes and makeup. She merely wanted other women to cast favorable glances her way (118).” The relation between the mentality of the Korean mother and Pauline shows that, in these two different groups, beauty is the image of a western and/or Caucasian face, and it is beauty a requirement for success.

            Racial Self-hatred is also present in the young innocent black girl Pecola. Pecola wants to have blue eyes like all the white people she sees in the movies, magazines, candy wrappers, etc. She has several white idols like “Shirley Temple” or “Mary Jane”, which are white celebrities from that time. Again, this influence in the media persuades her to believe that white is beauty and white is good. The little Korean girl is also influenced by the media, and the models she sees in the movies, and magazines. There is a scene in the video from the article where the little Korean girl is told to choose between two Korean models the one that she thinks is prettier. One of the models had an eye-lid surgery, which made her eyes look rounder and bigger, and the other model had not had the surgery. The little girl chose the model with the bigger eyes.  This scene shows their low self-esteem and their racial self-hatred. This increases their desire to change their appearance, either having blue eyes, or bigger eyes.

            Pecola’s wish is to change the color of her eyes to a color that is considered pretty in the society. She believes that if her eyes where blue, then people will start noticing her, talking to her, respecting her and showing affection to her: “Long hours she sat looking in the mirror, trying to discover the secret of ugliness, the ugliness that made her ignored or despised… (45).” The Korean girl’s wish is also to change the shape of her eyes, to a size and shape that is considered beautiful in the society that surrounds her. She says that “everyone points out her small eyes”, and that is why she does not feel pretty. They both, Pecola and the Korean girl, feel a lack of confidence and low self-esteem, and they think that with a more Caucasian appearance they will obtain respect and love.

            At the end of the novel, Pecola “gets” blue eyes. Her imagination makes her believe that she finally got blue eyes and that now she is considered pretty by every body. This “blue eyes” changed her sight and the way she sees herself. She does not have dark eyes anymore like all the other African American people she knows. This change makes her confidence go up and makes her believe that now that she has blue eyes, the people will finally respect her more. The Korean girl also gets her surgery done. At the end of the article it is said that the Korean girl sent them pictures after the operation and that she feels so much more better with herself and more confident whenever she dances her ballet: “And when this 12-year-old stares at herself dancing in the studio, she no longer just sees her eyes. She sees a prettier girl.” Like Pecola, the Korean girl’s sight changed and now she sees a prettier girl; a girl who does not feel anymore that people point at her small eyes, but a girl that can now finally enjoy a better life.