Source: SBS[/caption]
After watching the documentary Change My Race, I found that it brought up an interesting issue that a lot of people are unaware of or at some points even ignore.
Change My Race touches on the plastic surgery industry in which many Asian women are utilising nowadays to gain more of a western appearance. It may not seem as common in Australia but it really is happening. Myself, as an Australian born Vietnamese, watched this whilst feeling very uneasy. What is it about our own ethnic features that are deemed so unappealing? Do they come off as that unattractive for girls to treat their own bodies as plastic models, readily going under the knife for more of a "white" look. I suppose in a society predominately occupied by caucasian appearances, the norm has come to that of higher nose bridges, bigger noses and pale skin. Yet, even in societies such as Korea (a place the documentary covers) the female population have also turned to westernising their appearance. The trend nowadays is that of a baby face look - the V line as they call it, which consists of big eyes, high nose and pointed chin. In fact the ideal face is displayed almost everywhere in Korea. Billboards, subway stations and the usual ads - the people are being bombarded with an option that seems almost like a compulsory step into being considered beautiful.
That is how beauty is defined according to the documentary, and the girls who undergo plastic surgery. You have to look like an Anglo-Saxon to look beautiful. I find that absolutely absurd. I've always been told to be myself, be confident in who I am and comfortable with my own skin. I'm sure many other girls also have been told that. However, that becomes a major conflict with the standard of beauty this society carries. How can I feel comfortable with who I am when I'm constantly being told by the media and peers around me that have double eyelids is better or a slimmer jaw is what makes me beautiful. Because that's what the plastic surgeon who the host interviewed told her. He actually suggested the host reduce her jawline because then she'll look beautiful. I can tell you now she looked gorgeous already.
Source: SBS[/caption]
What's becoming increasingly frustrating is that this ideal is being pushed not only by the media but also by those closest to these girls. The documentary covered the story of a 17 year old girl who was made to undergo double eyelid surgery, nose filler and chin surgery. All because her parents think all "chinese and vietnamese" girls should do it. What was sadder was that they couldn't see the beauty in their daughter, "a 5 out of 10" beforehand and afterwards looking much "better". It really infuriated me that they felt that every girl of Asian descent had to undergo that type of surgery, and also push their daughter into it. The girl was clearly confident with her own self and didn't even want it but to please her parents she did it. I mean she is carrying their genes, so they're basically dissing themselves.