Asians in america final presentation

Two FacedBy: Kandyce McGowan

Asian Americans &Plastic Surgery• There are 180,000 Asian

Americans age 55 and over who went under the knife last year out of 3 million ethnic patients.

• According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, 743,000 cosmetic surgery procedures were performed on Asians in 2009

Most Common Surgeries• nose reshaping, eyelid

surgery and breast augmentation as the most commonly requested enhancements

• Asian Americans placed third among minorities undergoing plastic surgeries with African Americans ranking second with 986,000 and Hispanics at the No. 1 spot at 1.5 million.

What To Do• Asian Americans have

become more accepting of plastic surgery in the last decade

• Plastic surgery among Asians/Asian American culture used to & sometimes still is frowned upon

• If Asians /Asian Americans got plastic surgery they were accused of trying to be white & denying their culture.

• Asian American women who get plastic surgery may be looked at as having low self-esteem

According to Carrie Ching• Carrie Ching is an

outspoken editor of the now-defunct Monolid magazine

• Ching is against double-eyelid surgery among Asian American women

• Ching said that “peer and parental pressures “to assimilate to white culture” have led many Asian American women to turn to plastic surgery”.

Quote from Carrie Ching: “I actually believe that plastic surgery for eyelids is an unfortunate thing, since Asian eyes are so inherently beautiful,” Ching said. “A little surgery here and there is fine, but such huge racial trends are disturbing and a sign of low esteem. I hope Asians can find it in themselves to love their eyes.”

Different Perspectives among Different Asians

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=H30dEX3tM3g

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OOcSJSJWD60&feature=player_detailpage

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=zrqc-VYaMTg

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OWOUyFOYR2E&feature=player_detailpage

Why? Asian American Women & Femininity

• Many Asian American women say that plastic surgery improves:

• Self-confidence• Appearance• Romantic

relationships• Helps social and

economic status

Why? Asian American Women & Femininity

• Much of cosmetic surgery is racialized. The media poisons minds with "anglo-phied" standards of beauty. Who are the beauties and heart-throbs on magazine covers? Which actors and actresses get glamorous roles on the silver screen? Until Hollywood starts casting more Asian Americans, or until other media sources that do cast Asian Americans become more prominent, whites will always be the standard of beauty, and "Asian eyes" will continue to be listed as a problem on cosmetic surgery websites.

http://worldcrunch.com/default/plastic-surgery-nation-chinese-man-sues-wife-for-being-ugly-wins/china-plastic-surgery-advertisement-verdict/c0s10072/. This link is a story about a woman who was sued by her husband for producing an ugly child, he did not know his wife had had $100,00 worth of plastic surgery before meeting him.

Asian American Men & Masculinity• Last year, Frank Chang spent

about $1,500 on non-surgical cosmetic procedures. Chang is one of an increasing number of Asian-American men defying a cultural stigma to engage in cosmetic surgery in order to improve their appearances.

• Experts say what’s motivating men to seek plastic surgery is the need to raise their chances of surviving a job market that is increasingly favorable of younger workers, & to be competitive in romantic relationships.

Asian Men & Plastic Surgery

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zpE_Fzg_hEE&feature=player_detailpage

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=BbKwyygoOv4

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rRC2DipE04I&feature=player_detailpage

Theory, Policy & Practice

• Theory: Plastic Surgery among Asians & Asian Americans are growing. The reasons can be debated, but what I think is the reason is the dire and growing need to assimilate to American (Western Anglo-Saxon) culture. Asian Americans may very well not be trying to change or migrate away from their ethnic identity, but they are consciously trying to appear more attractive which coincidently favors white culture. The standards of beauty Asian Americans are trying to achieve was created by the persons who is thought to have already achieved American beauty which is Caucasian Americans.

Theory, Policy, Practice Cont…• Policy: After doing my research many plastic surgeons deny that their patients

are undergoing surgery to look more American. However when watching videos of Asian American women and men undergoing surgery they do not provide a clear and concise explanation as to why they have undergone plastic surgery, besides the fact they want bigger/wider eyes. Tyra Banks explains it perfectly in a video I included. Tyra says that although it may not be a main factor; what society think is beautiful does play a role in deciding to undergo plastic surgery or making any other cosmetic changes. Although Asian American women & men goals may not be to look more American, when undergoing surgery that changes prominent features, the result is changing prominent ethnic features that set Asian Americans apart from other ethnic group. I personally think the way society, media, family e.c.t. has formed insecure people who do things to please not themselves, but change the view other people have of them. Asian Americans are not the only ones. Black women wear hair weave that resemble white, brazillian, peruvian or Indian hair. White people tan to achieve darker skin which resemble a minority of some sort.

Theory, Policy, Practice Cont…

• Practice: As long as society holds on to the same view as media and old Western American culture, we as Americans of any sort of ethnic background will continue to reach for unclear definitions of beauty. Plastic surgery, material aspirations and debt will continue to grow. Asian American kids will continue to grow up thinking they aren't pretty because they have small slanted eyes, flat noses, and square jaw lines. Things will not change until all ethnic groups can look at themselves without comparing themselves to actors and actresses in media.

Works Cited (outside resources)

• http://www.asian-nation.org/cosmetic-surgery.shtml

• http://www.asianweek.com/2009/08/17/asian-men-lead-in-cosmetic-surgery-increase/

• http://californiawatch.org/user/carrie-ching• http://www.hyphenmagazine.com/magazine/i

ssue-22-throwback/saving-face-more-asian-americans-opting-plastic-surgery

Work Cited (Class resources)

• Asian American Women in Hollywood and Beyond Pane

• Asian & Asian American Women's Media Stereotypes

• Hollywood's Racial Catch-22 - Frank Mastropolo

• The Words of Asian American Men, By Guest Contributor On June 26, 2007