Julie Chen’s recent admission that she once had cosmetic eye surgery done to advance her career has renewed a long simmering debate in the Asian American community about the procedure.
According to the SF Chronicle, few admit having the surgery because of the controversy surrounding it.
Many disapprove of rounding out the eyes and accuse those who do of disavowing their heritage.
Others point out the surgery has long been popular in Asia, especially Korea and say many in the US do it.
“Nobody ever talks about it when they have it,” said Lisa Wang. “This still seems really weird to me. It seems a little bit racially self-hating, to be honest, and the fact that people are reluctant to talk about it compounds that.”
In a national survey, 44 percent of plastic surgeons list the eyelid surgery as the most popular procedure among their Asian American patients. That’s down from 61 percent in 2008.
Where do you stand on the issue? Do you know someone who’s done it? Leave your comments below.
