Chinese Plastic Surgery

Being born in Britain, our parents wanted the best start in life for us. Indeed, many British Born Chinese excel beyond their parents’ expectations. Whilst British Born Chinese females get on with life, few feel a need to alter their looks to fit in with the western ideal of beauty. I know no-one that feels compelled to try out the outlets in South Korea or Hong Kong that perform the “double eye-lid” surgery, none that want to buy skin whitening cream, nor spend precious earned cash on calf reduction.

Opening a Chinese gossip magazine or seeing the hordes of fresh faced East Asian female students entering the UK, it’s apparent that many East Asians take their appearance very seriously, their skin is often lightened, their eyes widened, their eyelashes extended and their breasts don’t sit naturally on a slight frame - in many ways they look like a celebration of the western identikit.

In Britain, whilst many of our role models are white, British Born Chinese women do not feel a need to go under the knife to look white. FOBs on the other hand have been marketed to look up to white culture, its not uncommon for East Asian female stars to get by on their looks alone. The way the media markets beauty to East Asian women seems to be about the superficial things in life, especially in Hong Kong and China, this transforms into a copied culture often seen on the internet.

Statistics from The Asian Plastic Surgery Guide showed that in 2009, an estimated 74 out of 10,000 people from South Korea had gone under the knife. Typical Korean plastic surgery procedures include the classic double eyelid surgery (blepharoplasty) and jaw re-alignment surgery. Other popular procedures include shaving cheek-bones to create a more smoother silhouette and calf reduction. Surprisingly, breast enlargement was not among the top procedures. Many believe a core is made up of Chinese nationals favouring top rated surgeons in Korea. 

The running theme is altering our natural Asian looks and replacing them with western ideals of beauty. Magazines are filled with western products designed mainly for the western market, but are pushed in magazines for Oriental women and modelled by Caucasian or Asian white mixed Eurasian models. This is the norm.

I believe that for many East Asian women, the competitive nature that has been well documented with the pushy Tiger mother/father upbringing has led to many seeking much more than academic achievement. Those lacking in that department, should at the very least have a presentable and enviable physique. Insecurity occurs when there is no real pride in our natural form. Our parents are ashamed, so we might as well be too. If parents spend more time criticising instead of encouraging us, how can we feel comfortable in our own skin?

As a British Born Chinese female, criticising and belittling was part of my upbringing. Being tall and pale was a measure of success. This can often lead to rebellion, or caving in to seek what our parents expect of us. Further from that, imagine being self-conscious and then being fed the idea that western beauty is the pinnacle of beauty. Yet, despite that, on closer scrutiny, there is a silver lining, our parents have inadvertently created a more robust British Born Chinese ready to rebel against all this superficial nonsense.

Here in Britain, you are living at close quarters, seeing things with warts and all, it soon hits you, aspiring to look like a white person is delusional. Perhaps in China, society is more competitive, looking like a white person may get you a better job, but here in Britain, you can’t fool the people here. Looks are not the answer, aspiring to look white will not earn you respect.

(By Guest Blogger- BBCNewAgenda is a British Born Chinese Female living in the UK)