Beauty And Westernization Essay
Effect of Westernization on Asian Standards of Beauty
The 1900s was a period of time that saw many changes to commercialized Eastern Asia, especially as westernization began to have a larger impact on their societies and culture. The influence of Western culture was so extensive that the phrase in Japanese termed ’Datsu-a Ron’, which roughly translates to ‘Good-bye Asia’, became a common expression, particularly favored by politicians and authors in the 1950s who were in support of westernization after Japan’s surrender during WWII. The phrase implies that Japan should undergo ‘De-Asianization’ and abandon the aspects of their culture taken from the Qing dynasty of China and Joseon Korea, and instead emulate the ways of their Western counterparts
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While many, including plastic surgeons themselves, have made it a point to state that many Asians who undergo cosmetic surgery choose to do so not because they wish to emulate the looks of a ‘Caucasian’, but rather to appear more ‘universally’ beautiful, the truth is that beauty is merely a social construct and has very little to no correlation to natural biology (Hua 83). The opinion stated by people with the most influence will always be the truth when it comes to a subjective matter such as ‘beauty’ (McKay 29). When taken into consideration how influential the west is compared to East regarding mass media and economic trade, a Western appearance will no doubt be closer to what the majority thinks of as ‘universal beauty,’ as Asians are exposed to countless people in power who have these looks every day. Even when Asians who seek plastic surgery seek out Asian celebrities to emulate, it is likely that these Asian celebrities possess a Western appearance themselves, which, in actuality, is still promoting Western beauty rather than traditional Asian ones. Such example can be seen with the famous Chinese actress, Fan Bing Bing, ranked second in Mode’s ‘World’s A Hundred Most Beautiful Women’ possesses a prominent double eyelid as well as thin and long nose bridge (Ferrari). While she is still ethnically Chinese, she certainly encompasses more Western ideals of beauty than Asian ones when one compares her rounded eyes to the traditionally beautiful phoenix shaped
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Modernization Affected Societies
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