An Influx of Asians Are Having Plastic Surgery to Look More ‘Western’
- Posted on May 24, 2011 at 6:38pm by
Billy Hallowell
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If you thought plastic surgery couldn’t get any more bizarre, consider a new overseas trend: Surgical procedures that make Asian women look more like Americans. Why, you ask?
While one may assume that every culture has its own unique definition of “pretty,” at least one doctor tells CNN that the definition of beauty, even in South Korea, is illustrated most definitively by a Caucasian face. CNN has more:
Dr Kim Byung-gun is the head of Seoul, South Korea’s biggest plastic surgery clinic, BK DongYang…Dr Kim says his clinic, one of the most successful in a city dubbed the “plastic surgery capital of Asia,” performs 100 surgeries a day, ranging from eyelid surgery to nose reshaping to facial contouring.
“They always tell me they don’t like their faces,” says Dr Kim, explaining what his patients request prior to surgery. “They want to have some westernized, nice faces. They want to have big eyes like westernized people, high profile, nicer noses.
“The Chinese and Korean patients tell me that they want to have faces like Americans. The idea of beauty is more westernized recently. That means the Asian people want to have a little less Asian, more westernized appearance. They don’t like big cheekbones or small eyes. They want to have big, bright eyes with slender, nice facial bones.”
A before (left) and after (right) shot of 12-year-old Lee Min-kyong who "westernized" her eyes
The surgeries, already frequent among Koreans, are growing in popularity among the Chinese as well. For Dr. Kim, performing these re-constructive surgeries isn’t only about profit. He believes the procedures impact the individual “…through more confidence, a better job and obtaining a better marital partner.”
Below, CNN provides a video that explains this bizarre trend. The clip includes an interview with 12-year-old Lee Min-kyong, a young girl who was convinced she wouldn’t be pretty without undergoing the procedure. Watch here:
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Comments (152)
nosycophant
Posted on May 24, 2011 at 8:00pmI am getting surgery to look more obamy.
Report Post »adouglass1
Posted on May 24, 2011 at 8:18pmNOOOOOOO!!!! Dont!!! lol step back off the ledge my friend!!!
Report Post »Oil_Robb
Posted on May 24, 2011 at 8:56pmAfter the 2008 election I notice my dog looked kinda like Obama…. so I spent some money and had his ass shave and had him trained to walk backwards and now he’s not the ugliest dog on the block.
Report Post »13th Imam
Posted on May 24, 2011 at 9:38pmJust slap a couple of sattelite dishes to the sides of your head
Report Post »Lib Whisperer
Posted on May 24, 2011 at 7:58pmMaybe it will help ‘em drive better?
Report Post »13th Imam
Posted on May 24, 2011 at 9:36pmIf I said that, I would say I was Racist,
Report Post »But it is ssoooooooooooooooo true.
Oil_Robb
Posted on May 25, 2011 at 12:31amMaybe they can get an Injection in thier A$$ so they can see over the steering wheel, In Hong-Couver here its brutal
Report Post »ChiefGeorge
Posted on May 24, 2011 at 7:48pmThey plant the idea that this is what you want and its OK because others agree. Then they sit back and cash in because there will be no end to the steady stream of Asians who might prefer to look a lil less Asian. So how do I not look too Caucasion? Has anyone really wanted to not look like who they really are as far as changing the look of their race? Very interesting but I have heard this before and the Japanese really go for this stuff and dye their hair blonde all the time and try to look as Western as possible. Self loathing? I think we had that too it’s called “THE BABY BOOMERS”
Report Post »ThaBigPerm
Posted on May 24, 2011 at 8:49pmI think you ripped the plotline of your comment from this:
:0)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v3yJomUhs0g
Report Post »CrazyJ
Posted on May 24, 2011 at 7:45pmwho put that picture of a white girl next to an asian girl?
Report Post »ChiefGeorge
Posted on May 24, 2011 at 7:44pmCall it respect or call it lies! Your call!
Report Post »Desert Dog
Posted on May 24, 2011 at 7:44pmI was over there in the 70′s. The ladies there are beautiful they way they are!!!
Report Post »RN MOM
Posted on May 24, 2011 at 7:42pmThis is so sad. I think Asians are beautiful, graceful, and modest. I am sorry to see that they are being persuaded by the media whores to change their appearances instead of being proud of who they are. Too bad they don’t take a look down the road a few years of these people who get plastic surgery- they look so darn ridiculous when time has its way.
Report Post »FlamingFartSyndrome
Posted on May 24, 2011 at 7:38pmAsk for your money back! You still look exactly the same!
Report Post »dinadp
Posted on May 24, 2011 at 7:38pmOne of my best friends is Korean & she has been talking about getting this surgery for years. She doesn’t want to get it done to look Western but to fix what she calls “droopy” lids. I don‘t think it’s any different than older women getting plastic surgery to look younger.
Report Post »teddrunk
Posted on May 24, 2011 at 7:36pmWhat a waste of money. They look the same.
Report Post »FlamingFartSyndrome
Posted on May 24, 2011 at 7:36pmShe should ask for her money back because she still looks exactly the same
Report Post »AmericanLass
Posted on May 24, 2011 at 7:33pmI saw this trend starting a few years ago. I didn‘t get it then and still don’t understand why anyone would want to change what God has created. Amazing !
Report Post »MOTHERSMITH
Posted on May 24, 2011 at 7:29pmShe looks the same and what a waste of money. You can’t buy self esteem dear.
Report Post »Atlappraiser
Posted on May 24, 2011 at 9:24pmExactly! It all comes down to self esteem and confidence issues.
Report Post »ofallon
Posted on May 24, 2011 at 7:27pmAsians are beautiful and intelligent people. They should be proud of their God-given looks.
Report Post »nomercy63
Posted on May 24, 2011 at 7:22pmYeah you can be a middle American White woman with no self esteem , divorced and trying desperately to hold to your youth to the point of looking ridiculous. I agree with the other posters that said Asians are pretty enough the way they are.
Report Post »caprica
Posted on May 24, 2011 at 7:19pmeveyone want to look white ! asians and blacks and latinos ……
Report Post »we know that !
Oil_Robb
Posted on May 24, 2011 at 9:00pmAnd the whites want a tan ….and Rickey Martin wants to be a girl and that Bono thing doesnt know want IT wants.
Report Post »KnightWriter
Posted on May 24, 2011 at 7:19pmSome of the ugliest people in the world are asian……….Irish, Italian, German, etc. For me personally (Irish) I’ve always found Asian women to be the most beautiful and seductive and alot of that has to do with the eyes.
Report Post »This is a disgrace, especially for a child. That doctor talks about confidence, well what kind of confidence do you instill by telling a child there’s nothing really wrong with you but have this surgery so White people can stand to look at you??!!! What kind of values does that instill? Definitely not that you’ll be judged by the content of your character.
lketchum
Posted on May 24, 2011 at 7:19pmNo need for surgery at all. They are beautiful people exactly as they are. Come here (through the front dooor as you do), become Americans and embrace our country as your own and we’ll be the better for it.
Report Post »TheHardTruth
Posted on May 24, 2011 at 7:14pmDo not see any difference to those eyes!
What mother lets a 12-year old do cosmetic surgery, for crying out loud??
Report Post »Cold War Vet
Posted on May 24, 2011 at 7:11pmI’ve seen my share of stunningly beautiful Asian women. This seems unnecessary and wrong to me. Must be some kind of self-esteem issue.
Report Post »P4cooler
Posted on May 24, 2011 at 7:10pmWaste of time. Most guys don’t give a flying turkey about cosmetics. They are looking more for “performance in the bedroom” as well as a charming life partner.
Report Post »cmsmik
Posted on May 24, 2011 at 7:02pmI do not see that much of a difference, bewtween the two pictures.
Report Post »becauseitmatters
Posted on May 24, 2011 at 7:55pmI agree. She looked cute before, and cute after. I don’t see a difference. I thout it was just me. Thanks.
Report Post »poverty.sucks
Posted on May 24, 2011 at 6:53pmOld Rich Folk are having Plasitic Surgery and look almost Asian. When they talk, their lips don’t match the words coming out of their mouths.
Report Post »spirited
Posted on May 24, 2011 at 8:49pmTake Kenny Rogers for example, –he had ‘make me look younger’ surgery(ies), ?,
–and, not only does he NOT look like Kenny Rogers…., he looks like Wayne Newton!
>Now…., Wayne Newton doesn’t look like Wayne Newton; he looks kinda alien-Asian.
Report Post »13th Imam
Posted on May 24, 2011 at 9:32pmTake Nancy Peloulsy
Please
Report Post »spirited
Posted on May 24, 2011 at 10:09pmPal woozy takes the prize for the paid for
> stunned look
Report Post »LetUsReason
Posted on May 24, 2011 at 11:47pmYep…when plastic surgery recipients get old, they look straight up freaky!
Report Post »adouglass1
Posted on May 24, 2011 at 6:50pmWth is a Western face? lol I guess but I dont believe in altering what God gave you anyways especially for silly vain reasons.
Report Post »Meyvn
Posted on May 24, 2011 at 6:57pmA Western Face… Hmm… sounds kinda racist.
Report Post »Exrepublisheep
Posted on May 24, 2011 at 6:45pmStupid, they are beautiful the way they are.
Report Post »Eric_The_Red_State
Posted on May 24, 2011 at 6:50pmMadison Avenue Lies –
you’re too fat – diet
you’re too skinny – eat
you’re not pretty enough – change
you’re not tall enough – heels
God was not having a “bad day” when he made you and me.
Leave it alone.
Report Post »Meyvn
Posted on May 24, 2011 at 6:56pmAgreed. Pretty sad they think they need to do this.
Report Post »tomsinclairjr
Posted on May 24, 2011 at 7:00pmAsian people are have such soft and beautiful features. Such vanity. Besides, where do they get the money to do this. Plastic surgery is not cheap. It is the most expensive type of surgery you can have and it is not covered by most health insurances.
Report Post »Devil Dog 7175
Posted on May 24, 2011 at 7:03pmMy wife is asian, and thats what I love about her (and them) is the exotic look. However with our influence on the world,(mainly movies) these young women want to look like western women. They go as far as having their skin bleached either by chem.washes or pills, and have their eyes “defatted” to try to make them rounder. So very sad to see some of these beautiful young girls doing this to themselves. In the end the results are usually NOT what they thought they would be.
Report Post »Eric_The_Red_State
Posted on May 24, 2011 at 7:14pmThe MICHAEL JACKSON Syndrome –
Report Post »Look where it got him
militiaman
Posted on May 24, 2011 at 7:18pmYes, I agree. Some of the most beautiful women in the world are Orientals.
I was watching a video last night of Paul Potts’ tour of South Korea. The chorus to his songs…and the orchestra…. were sung and played by South Koreans, and I was suprised at how good-looking several of the North Korean Women were.
I don’t think they need cosmetic surgery to look more Western, quite frankly, but I can see if some….like Western women….want to change a feature to look a bit different.
Report Post »Cemoto78
Posted on May 24, 2011 at 7:23pm@Exrepublisheep,
I agree with you, Asians are absolutely beautiful the way they are. Why would you want to change a very good thing? Leave what God gave you alone.
Report Post »thebarbarian
Posted on May 24, 2011 at 7:30pmI would never change my Asian features! This is terrible.
Report Post »GONESURFING
Posted on May 24, 2011 at 7:35pmYes, what a shame.
Report Post »nzkiwi
Posted on May 24, 2011 at 7:47pm@ Devil Dog
My wife is asian too. Both she and our two daughters are beautiful and I am enourmously proud of them. If they came up with the idea of surgery I would probably have an apoplectic fit – and the surgeon’s well-being might also be at risk.
Who on earth puts these ideas into their heads? Because somebody must be.
Report Post »nzkiwi
Posted on May 24, 2011 at 7:50pmAs for the twelve-year-old in the story, she looked very pretty to me – and damn-all change in the “after” photo (thank goodness). This is bordering on child abuse.
Report Post »mill
Posted on May 24, 2011 at 8:28pmI don’t see a lot of difference.
Report Post »Mary M. Tebbe
Posted on May 24, 2011 at 8:34pmMy adopted Korean son is absolutely handsome and the apple of my eye. I love the Asian look and think it is a shame that someone of Asian descent thinks they are not beautiful. I also have the epicanthic fold of the eyes from my Finnish Mother from some distant Mongolian relative. I’ve always been proud of it, along with having her Finnish accent. I think we should just leave well enough alone. God chose…that’s good enough for me. I was made fun of for my oriental looking eyes and my Finnish accent, but I don’t give a rip.
Report Post »Oil_Robb
Posted on May 24, 2011 at 8:50pmLooks the same to me……Ive never found them ugly….now could I have a refill before you invent cold fusion please.
Report Post »Ari Ben TZion
Posted on May 24, 2011 at 9:00pmNothing strange about this…
Michael Jackson mutilated his face and lightened his skin to look white. Sammy Sosa lightened his skin to look white.
It’s called an inferiority complex.
Report Post »Atlappraiser
Posted on May 24, 2011 at 9:20pmMaybe now all Asian people won’t look the same. ;-)
Report Post »jzs
Posted on May 24, 2011 at 9:26pmAsian women are gorgeous. Of course I think women of every race or ethnicity are beautiful, although certainly within any group, some more than others. This is misguided.
Report Post »angelcat
Posted on May 24, 2011 at 9:27pmI immediately thought exactly the same thing. I have always admired the beauty of Asian women. It is sad that they think they have to look western to look beautiful.
Report Post »theteaishot
Posted on May 24, 2011 at 9:34pmI do not see any difference. She was gyped.
Report Post »Devil Dog 7175
Posted on May 24, 2011 at 9:43pm@nzkiwi
Report Post »I agree 100%… Our daughter is also a very beautiful young lady and I wish that they would just be proud of who they are and the way God made them. Too often the procedures they under go do not produce the results they expect and the long term after effects can be dangerous and disfigureing. So far our daughter is perfectly happy as she is.
TomFerrari
Posted on May 24, 2011 at 10:32pmGod made man in his image.
NOT JUST THE WESTERN ONES.
NOT JUST THE ONES WITH ANY PARTICULAR SKIN COLOR.
As my momma always said, GOD DON’T MAKE NO MISTAKES!
I can understand a corrective surgery after an accident or to correct a painful deformity.
But, come on, folks, this is just bizarre.
Why does the song THRILLER come to mind?
Report Post »TomFerrari
Posted on May 24, 2011 at 10:36pmWHOAH!
I missed the TWELVE YEAR OLD part of the story.
What in the ???????
Is botox injection any more objectionable than surgery???
STOP TRYING TO CHANGE YOUR CHILDREN’S LOOKS.
Vanity is just WRONG.
Report Post »DavidD
Posted on May 24, 2011 at 10:43pmAsian girls IMHO are the most beautiful on the planet. I cringe at them cutting up their face. But it’s their face after all…
Report Post »coladude
Posted on May 24, 2011 at 10:50pmDoesn’t look much different to me.
http://politicalbowl.com – Political Videos
Report Post »Rational Man
Posted on May 24, 2011 at 11:01pmI agree!!
Report Post »Tell them to stop it!!….They are beautiful the way God made them!
RealityCheck
Posted on May 24, 2011 at 11:12pm“ Satan laughing spreads his wings ”
Report Post »Dale
Posted on May 24, 2011 at 11:21pmI had to look closely and then read the caption to find which picture was the before – seems someone should have saved a few bucks.
Report Post »LetUsReason
Posted on May 24, 2011 at 11:46pmWhen I lived in China, I would routinely see mother‘s holding their babies and pinching the bridge of the baby’s nose. I asked why she was doing that, and the response was that it’s a more attractive feature to have a higher nose than a flat one. There is so much competition, especially in China, to be better, smarter, more attractive than the person next to you that they can get some pretty strange ideas of ways to “get ahead”.
Report Post »LetUsReason
Posted on May 24, 2011 at 11:48pmThe only difference in the pic that I can see is that she changed shirts and somehow lost the mole on her upper lip.
Report Post »Kiddle
Posted on May 25, 2011 at 12:18amThis surgery made little difference for this young girl. What a waiste! She was beautiful just the way she was to begin with.
Report Post »addie
Posted on May 25, 2011 at 1:52amYou are so correct! Asian women are already beautiful and I would love for them to share their secret of staying so young looking!
Report Post »drattastic
Posted on May 25, 2011 at 2:07amAsian chicks are hot in humble opinion,very feminine.
Report Post »Jediusetheforce
Posted on May 25, 2011 at 3:43amWhite Power!!!!
Report Post »NES
Posted on May 25, 2011 at 11:11amI lived in Korea twice for a total of over five years. The amount of plastic surgery is rather extreme and commonplace and seems to become worse with time. Women radically change their appearance and many are what are called “plastic surgery addicts.” There’s also this phenomenon where movie and TV actresses start to look like each other, and the Korean media will show pictures of the original appearances of two actresses starting on the far right and left and then show each successive change while moving towards the center until the two pictures of the two actresses side-by-side in the center look nearly identical.
My daughter is half Korean and has an Asian head with big eyes and a nose from me in addition to mid to dark brown instead of black hair, and we would hear a lot of comments from Korean girls about how she’s perfect and they want to look just like her. Speaking of which, there’s also a phenomenon over there where children don’t look like their mothers due to the surgical changes.
Report Post »thebaron512
Posted on May 25, 2011 at 12:22pmI wholeheartedly agree with that statement. Most plastic surgery and boob jobs are a waste.
Report Post »longhorn mama
Posted on May 25, 2011 at 12:39pmMy husband is Chinese and gorgeous. This is just sick.
Report Post »newrepublic7
Posted on May 26, 2011 at 10:58amI agree these people a fine the way they are. I can’t count the people on TV that have had surgery and look freakish afterwards. You will never be happy if you can’t look in the mirror and love yourself.
This coming from a short, fat, bald man… with a beautiful wife.
Report Post »dwell2
Posted on May 26, 2011 at 6:25pmIs this a joke? I see no difference between the two faces, including the eyes, except in the photo on the right is more of a close up.
Report Post »