Mylinh Pham

Professor Broadbent

Writing 39C

April 24, 2018

Eurocentric Beauty Standards: The increasing effect it has on Asian women

The picture shown above is an advertisement for skin brightening products in China. As shown,
the model is of tanner skin tone with a freckled complexion, but once the cream is used, the skin
begins to “zip away” to reveal the new whiter and brighter skin tone and even complexion.
Many products like this one, whose promise is to deliver a “new face”, is common throughout
Asia. Although this ad is in Chinese, there are advertisements similar to this one spread
throughout the different countries of Asia.
 I. History

Find the most recently released beauty and lifestyle magazin in today’s entertainment

news and flip through the pages. What some might not catch the attention of the reader is the fact

that almost all of the women models in the magazine share the same characteristics- tall, blonde,

pale, and slim. Now think about how this make women, specifically women of color, feel when

pictures like this are all that they see in a magazine that supposedly depicts and explains to its

audience what beauty is?

Beauty standards go back to hundreds of years ago and are implemented everywhere.

And whether people notice it or not, the negative effect that it has continues on to today. But

what specifically is this concept of

eurocentric beauty standards and why does

it have such an influential effect on how

society perceive other people's appearance?

Eurocentric beauty standards are a social,

cultural, and economic issue that traces

back to the pre-colonial time period where

the definition of race was not yet

introduced. During this time period, the

In Vietnam, while working in a rice field, a farm Europeans did not have a definite method to
laborer is wearing a hat
to protect himself from the sun. distinguish themselves amongst each other;

so they came up with the idea of class and privilege; characterized by the ones who had a lighter

skin tone, big eyes, slim face, and slim physique. The members of society who had all these

characteristics would be considered more desirable than others.

 The concept of distinguishing who is and who is not beautiful is based on their skin tone

had a significant influence in Asia. In ancient China, India, and other Asian countries, members

of society that had fair skin implied wealth and honor while those who labored in the fields

outside in the sun were peasants and less desirable. Because working outside gave you a darker

skin tone, it was easy to distinguish who met the standard and who didn’t. Connecting the

statement of how Asian beauty standards were influenced by European standards are Li, Min,

and Belk in Skin Lightening and Beauty in Four Asian Cultures. They state that “The beauty

ideal of white skin in Asia predates colonialism and the introduction of Western notions of

beauty (p.444)” stating that Asian beauty standards, specifically the idea of having white skin,

comes from the European ideas of beauty. The idea that having big eyes, a slim face, and most

importantly white skin, became the norm and even the “goal” to attain in beauty. As result Asian

women have gone to extreme measures to achieve this; from undergoing cosmetic procedures to

make their eyes seem bigger to the skyrocketing sales of skin whitening products. With the

driving forces of societal norms, lack of representation, and technological advances, the negative

advances of eurocentric beauty standards increase everyday.

II. The Victims

Everyone is a victim to the eurocentric beauty standards whether they know it or not. And

if the issue isn’t directly affecting them in a certain way, it does not mean that it is not happening

to others. Though Asian men are also victims to eurocentric beauty standards, Asian women are

hit the hardest. Asian women are constantly being upheld to the eurocentric beauty standards,

and are told from this, that their appearance and beauty is their only defining factor. Women who

do not meet this standard, being born with naturally tanner skin, monolids, or plump bodies, are
looked down upon in society and are encouraged to pursue alternatives to “fix” themselves.

Women of all age groups are victims to this, but the group that is most vulnerable to these

standards are young Asian girls. Growing up, they are constantly surrounded with people who

tell them what they are and what they aren’t; pressuring them to conform and attain these

standards that aren’t naturally themselves. And as a result, Asian women reject their appearance

and reshape themselves to fit in; going to great lengths to change their appearance, capturing the

attention of many medical professionals and researchers from all over the world about this trend

in Asian culture.

“Research abroad and in the United States demonstrates that women

of Asian descent are becoming increasingly susceptible with their

bodies... Asian women are delved with the image of the perfect image-

tall, blonde, buxom, thin, with European facial features.”

-Christine Hall (1995) Asian Eyes: Body Image and Eating Disorders of Asian and Asian American Women

III. The Problem

The issue with Eurocentric beauty standards is exactly how it negatively affects Asian

women. In the quote above by Christine Hall, many Asian women struggle with the insecurity of

how they look like which results in altering their bodies in different ways. Because of the lack of

representation of Asian women in the beauty and lifestyle category, being constantly being

surrounded with images of what they aren’t translates into who they aren’t; thus encouraging the

susceptibility in themselves and others who look like them. Of the eurocentric beauty standards,
the one that is most popular among Asian women is having white skin. Having white skin isn’t

just about the color difference in skin tone, but more on how one is deemed more socially

acceptable than others. Those with the whiter skin are often affiliated with the thought of purity,

power, and beauty- while darker skin tones are thought of as dirty, poor, or less worthy than

those of white skin. One of the most popular examples of this idea of socially acceptable white

skin is a recent Chinese laundry advertisement. The advertisement was a short video of a Chinese

woman luring in a Black man into a laundry room and when he came close enough to her,

pushed him into a washing machine, and the Black man came out as a Chinese man with white

skin. The entire commercial revolved around a the strength of a new laundry detergent that was

released in China, but sparked responses and outrage from all over the world, criticizing the

video of racist behavior and message that “white is right.” This is just one example of many, and

resulting from this concept of “white is right” are skin whitening products. One of oldest and

most popular way to alter physical appearance is the process of skin whitening using “skin

bleaching” products. The purpose of these items is to chemically lighten the pigment of skin and

it comes in various forms- from oils and soaps to lotions or cream- all with the same promise of

whiter skin. In an article Buying Racial Capital: Skin Bleaching and Cosmetic Surgery in a

Globalized World (2005) by Margaret Hunter, the author states that “European colonial

ideologies still have an effect on people, the rise of skin-bleaching around the globe can also be

attributed to the constant, current mass-marketing of contemporary images of white beauty.

(p.143)” analyzing and explaining that the reason behind the popularity of skin bleaching and

whitening products relates back to the European beauty ideologies and that the encouragement of

white beauty continues to perpetuate it. In fact, a recent study done at the University of Putra

Malaysia interviewed female undergraduate students between the ages of 22-26 if they have ever
used skin whitening products and if they did how easily accessible the item was. Over 50% of

the interviewees admitted to using skin brightening products and over 30% said it was easily

accessible. The statistics about female college students in Malaysia offers an idea of how

common skin bleaching is and how easily accessible it can be.

Another way Asian women fix their physical appearance to fit the ideal beauty standard

is through plastic surgery. There has been an exponential increase in Asian women getting

professional medical procedures done within the most recent years and it has not stagnated. An

article written by Peggy Evans and Allen McConnell in Do Racial Minorities Respond in the

Same Way to Mainstream Beauty Standards? Social Comparison Processes in Asian, Black, and

White Women, they state that “Asians

are more likely than any other ethnic

group to pursue cosmetic plastic

surgery” (Evans and McConnell 155)

and if Asians do decide to get plastic

surgery, “over 40% of the patients

ask for eyelid surgery” (Evans and

McConnell 155) The eyelid surgery

In 2016, China released a controversial laundry
commercial that caused backlash because of its racist
acting.
concept is a fairly new idea that has gained
Datamoniter, an
popularity over the years that the procedure is
international data analyst
called the “Asian Crease.” In order to achieve the company, recently did
research on “Trends to
“open eyes” look that my Westerners have, many Watch in Skin Whitening” in
the U.S., Asia, and Western
Asian women have their eyelid skin reconstructed Europe to see which
country prioritizes skin
whitening products benefis
with skin care products. As
a result, Asia voted the
highest out of the three
countries, with 50% voting
to fix their monolid into a double eyelid. The fact that almost half of Asian women request eyelid

surgery, is astounding to see how much of the Asian women population “respond to mainstream

standards of beauty” (Evans and McConnell 154)

IV. Why It Continues

The issue of eurocentric beauty standards and the effect it has on Asian women from the

past up until now, continues to to grow because of the recent advancement in technology and the

lack of representation of Asian women in the beauty and lifestyle categories. Living in a world

where marketing and media is everywhere, it is hard to escape the reality that Asian women are

constantly faced with-the fact that they don’t look like the ideal model or perfect woman in

society’s views. Being in this kind of environment can be toxic to the mental, emotional, and

physical health of those affected; often leading these women to fall under the pressure of

cosmetic reconstruction or body dysmorphia. In fact, “Asian and Asian American women are

more vulnerable to body image distortions and eating disorders” (Hall 10) because of the

standard perpetuated on them. One of the biggest driving factor of this standard is the advanced

With the growing popularity of plastic surgery, many Asian women change their feature of
monolids to have their eyes appear larger with an eye crease- also known as the “Asian
technology that is available today, specifically the use of social media platforms. Big platforms

such as Facebook or Instagram, where users can share images with others, create this virtual

world where other people can get a sense of what another person’s life is like- oftentimes with

pictures of themselves or what is going on in their life. And when Asian women see this, it

generates a feeling of dissatisfaction with themselves and who they are- but what is oftentimes

forgotten about is that people only post on social media the positive aspects of their life that they

want other people to see. So they only see what’s there and what isn’t.

Lack of representation of and for Asian women in the beauty and lifestyle category is

another driving factor. Asian women have a wide range of skin tones depending on the country

that they come from; for example: Chinese and Koreans most of the time have a lighter skin tone

while Filipinos tend to have a deeper skin tone. With this variety of skin tones and complexions,

it is hard to find items in the beauty and lifestyle category that is catered to them. For example,

when walking into a department beauty store such as Sephora, Ulta, or Nordstrom, it is apparent

that most cosmetic companies cater to one skin tone group- “fair”. Because of the lack of

representation of women of color, Asian women oftentimes have a hard time finding products

that suit them. There was recent situation with one of the big name cosmetic companies, Tarte,

revolving around the issue of inclusion and representation within their makeup brand. Tarte

cosmetics received backlash after releasing a highly anticipated foundation line only for its

consumers to find out that it caters to pale skinned consumers, leaving only 3 “dark” shades for

the ones with a deeper skin tone. This might have been seen as a small issue that could’ve been

fixed by releasing more shades, but the issue remains. Why couldn’t there have been a larger

range of shades to begin with? And why were there multiple shades of the same color? The fact

is, is that cosmetic companies cater to a lighter skin tone group and women of color, specifically
 Asian women, feel like because they’re surrounded by products perpetuating the eurocentric

beauty standard of pale skin, that they have to believe that this is the definition of beauty.

V. What It’s Like Now

Although many deem that eurocentric beauty standards aren’t an issue because they’re

not being directly affected by it, the problem remains

to this day. The impact it has on Asian women have

a monumental effect on how they perceive

themselves and others. Between double eyelid

surgery and body dysmorphia, the beauty standard

continues to perpetuate itself. Though there are now

self empowerment movements, advocating that

beauty comes in all different shapes, styles, and

forms, societal standards remain the same. Hopefully

with time, Asian women can see themselves as

beautiful and as enough.

This picture was released by Tarte
cosmetics, swatching the shades of their
newly-released foundation for their
consumers to see.
 Works Cited

CHIN EVANS, PEGGY and ALLEN R. McCONNELL. "Do Racial Minorities Respond in the

Same Way to Mainstream Beauty Standards? Social Comparison Processes in Asian, Black, and

White Women." Self & Identity, vol. 2, no. 2, Apr. 2003, p. 153. EBSCOhost,

search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=9473402&site=ehost-

live&scope=site.

Christine C. Iijima Hall (1995) Asian Eyes: Body Image and Eating

Disorders of Asian and Asian American Women, Eating Disorders, 3:1, 8-19, DOI:

10.1080/10640269508249141

Eric P.H. Li, Hyun Jeong Min, Russell W. Belk, and Junko Kimura, Shalini Bahl (2008) ,
"Skin Lightening and Beauty in Four Asian Cultures", in NA - Advances in Consumer Research Volume 35,

eds. Angela Y. Lee and Dilip Soman, Duluth, MN : Association for Consumer Research, Pages: 444-449.

Frith, Katherine Toland, et al. "Race and Beauty: A Comparison of Asian and Western Models in

Women's Magazine Advertisements." Sex Roles, vol. 50, no. 1-2, Jan. 2004, pp. 53-61.

EBSCOhost,

search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=12357159&site=ehost-

live&scope=site.

Hunter, Margaret L. "Buying Racial Capital:Skin-Bleaching and Cosmetic Surgery in a

Globalized World." Journal of Pan African Studies, vol. 4, no. 4, June 2011, pp. 142-164.

EBSCOhost,

search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=65721066&site=ehost-

live&scope=site.

Peltzer, Karl, et al. "The Globalization of Whitening: Prevalence of Skin Lighteners (Or

Bleachers) Use and Its Social Correlates among University Students in 26 Countries."

International Journal of Dermatology, vol. 55, no. 2, Feb. 2016, pp. 165-172. EBSCOhost,

doi:10.1111/ijd.12860.

Qian, Juliana. “From Eyelids to Skin Tone, Beauty Isn't Always about 'Looking White' | Juliana

Qian.” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 19 Aug. 2014,

www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/aug/19/from-eyelids-to-skin-tone-beauty-isnt-

always-about-looking-white.

Rusmadi, Siti Zulaikha, et al. Journal of Environmental and Public Health, Hindawi Publishing

Corporation, 2015, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4674599/.