Plastic Surgery Boom As Asians Seek 'Western' Look

[dunkin2012]

(CNN) -- Lee Min kyong stretches on the ballet bar in the dance studio. The 12-year old is a little awkward and nervous in front of strangers, until the music begins.

Min-kyong moves to the classical tune, springing easily onto her toes, the very picture of childhood grace and poise. But when the music stops, she falls back into an awkward stance.

She lacks confidence, explains Min-kyong's mother, a problem she hopes will be solved when her pre-teen undergoes plastic surgery, to westernize her eyes.

"If I get the surgery, my eyes will look bigger," explains Min-kyong. Everyone, she says, points out her small eyes. It's why she doesn't think she's a pretty girl. A surgery which cuts a fold into her eyelid to create a double fold will widen her eyes. The effect will also be to give her a slightly more western look.

What does plastic surgery mean to you?

Gallery: Teen's quest for 'prettier' face "I'm excited. I think I'll look better than I do now," she says shyly, breaking into a small smile.

Her mother, Jang Hyu-hee, says her daughter didn't ask for the surgery.

"I'm having her do it," says Jang, "because I think it'll help her. This is a society where you have to be pretty to get ahead. She's my only daughter."

The definition of pretty, explains their plastic surgeon, is not the standard Asian face, but closer to a Caucasian face. Dr Kim Byung-gun is the head of Seoul, South Korea's biggest plastic surgery clinic, BK DongYang. The clinic is a dozen stories tall, with all of its operating rooms full on the day of Min kyong's surgery.

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.

The Chinese and Korean patients tell me they want to have faces like Americans

--Dr Kim Byung-gun "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."

The surgeries, already popular among Koreans, are booming among newly rich, globally competitive, mainland Chinese, explains Dr Kim. About 30% of his patients are international and of that group, 90% are Chinese. It's why he speaks Mandarin and is partnering with two clinics in China.

"We can see potential huge growth, with the number of patients from China. The Chinese people want to have the westernized face. They don't like their faces. They have big cheekbones, big mandible angle without double fold, and a low profile nose. They are seeking to have westernized face, high profile nose, slender nice cheekbone, and mandible bone."

Dr Kim believes in the global economy, investing in plastic surgery to slightly westernize the face will bring a return on the investment of 100 times, through more confidence, a better job and obtaining a better marital partner.

A global ideal doesn't stop at the face, says dental surgeon Jung Hak. Dr Jung says he's been fighting a trend. Korean mothers who have been bringing in their toddlers to have the muscle under the tongue that connects it to the bottom of the mouth surgically snipped.

The belief, explains Dr Jung, is that it will help a Korean speak English more clearly. People from the Asia Pacific region have difficulty in pronouncing the "L" sound, says Dr Jung. But he calls the surgery, if it's only for pronunciation, misguided, and caused by the hyper-competitive drive in Korea.

"For 10 years, there's been this crazy drive for early English education. Mothers long for their kids to have better English pronunciation," says Dr Jung.

Editor of Giant Robot magazine and Asian American commentator Martin Wong, sees these westernization surgeries as far more insidious than just simple procedures. He sees it as a form of "cultural imperialism."

"They're making a statement about their own race, about where they come from, who they are," says Wong. "They're not doing it on purpose. They're not saying that they think they're inferior looking. They're not saying they're ugly, but that's the message that they're giving nonetheless."

Message or not, for Min-kyong, the 20-minute surgery has been well worth the cost and post-surgical discomfort. A few weeks later, she and her mother email to say she's happy with her new look. And when this 12-year-old stares at herself dancing in the studio, she no longer just sees her eyes. She sees a prettier girl.

[daoyai]

Really sad and pathetic situation. Asian features are beautiful (as are African, and Euro) Brainwashing and profiteering by these "doctors" is just wrong.

[Latindancer]

I've always wondered something : Didn't the members of the 70s rock band Kiss have the muscle under the tongue that connects it to the bottom of the mouth surgically snipped....?

It certainly appeared that way in photos.....

[daoyai]

That a "doctor" would cut a tongue to better pronounce English words is the craziest part of the story, how do Asian- americans or Euro- asians manage to flawlessly pronounce words ?

[luckizuchinni]

I had plastic surgery to correct a droopy eyelid quite some years ago. It was my choice to do so, and I hardly blame some "profiteering" doctor for that. Doctors provide a service. It is up to the patients if that service is desirable.

People should be able to do what they want as far as plastic surgery, and I think for foreigners to look down upon Koreans or other Asians for wanting plastic surgery is elitism. It is not up to us.

I know two Thai women who went to Korea for plastic surgery. I will admit that for one of them, I had no idea why she went. I think she was gorgeous as she was. But that was her decision, not mine, not anyone else's.

The concept of Korean racial self-hate has been written about over and over. But while that may or may not be a real issue, how does that impact and individual's choice on whether to get plastic surgery? Who is anyone else to say that person's choice is wrong?

[daoyai]

Luckizuccini, Did you read the whole article? "they don't like their faces" etc. There is some very insidious brainwashing going on there (and here).

I just find it sad that people will mutilate themselves for a percieved defect when one does not exist. I have nothing against a bit of nip and tuck for mature folks, the procedures described in the article are performed on the very young to change their ethnic appearence. Funny you find my views "elitest" quite the opposite actually as it is the "elite" that can afford to indulge their obsurd fetishes.

[GreenSnapper]

Korean girls used to be ugly 20 years ago. Nowadays they look much better.

Thai women follow the Korean style. While Thais always looked better than Koreans, they do similar surgery nowadays.

Have a visit on a Saturday night at RCA: 80% of the stylish girls there have fake noses.

[BobMarleyWannabe]

Before I met my Thai wife here in the States see had a couple cosmetic surgeries to have more Western facial features. Upon first meeting her I never really noticed the surgery until she told me, then I saw pictures of her a few years before having the surgery and honestly I said to her that she looked as good before the surgery as she does with the surgery.

[meatboy]

there is a big demand for penis exstensions that will give durex a big headache in los.

[Kilgore Trout]

I had plastic surgery to correct a droopy eyelid quite some years ago. It was my choice to do so, and I hardly blame some "profiteering" doctor for that. Doctors provide a service. It is up to the patients if that service is desirable.

People should be able to do what they want as far as plastic surgery, and I think for foreigners to look down upon Koreans or other Asians for wanting plastic surgery is elitism. It is not up to us.

I know two Thai women who went to Korea for plastic surgery. I will admit that for one of them, I had no idea why she went. I think she was gorgeous as she was. But that was her decision, not mine, not anyone else's.

The concept of Korean racial self-hate has been written about over and over. But while that may or may not be a real issue, how does that impact and individual's choice on whether to get plastic surgery? Who is anyone else to say that person's choice is wrong?

As you said "up to the patient" however in this case the patient has stated she doesn't want it, the mother said "I'm having her do it" which is in my opinion child abuse.

[Richb2004v2]

I think that some of the whitening lotions are more of a problem, as they are available to the more poor and often more ignorant.

[OZEMADE]

I think that some of the whitening lotions are more of a problem, as they are available to the more poor and often more ignorant.

I think the kid looks Ok now, the mother is a fruit loop and should be told to leave the kids features alone until she grows up and can make her own mind up.

My wife was born to a Thai mother and her father is Vietnamese, the only difference between her and a Thai is she has a western nose, born that way and happy.

[Semper]

I think that some of the whitening lotions are more of a problem, as they are available to the more poor and often more ignorant.

[Thongkorn]

my wife wants some western tits that point north .But most Thai ladys want biger boobs,

[jackinbkk]

Surgery on a kid is just nuts. As a westerner I find it nice to see different faces when I travel. How can a doctor be sure that surgery now, will be ok when she grows? Seems a mad risk to take.

I wonder how much of this wanting to look like a westerner comes down to class and money? A lot i'd guess. Like the whitening creams mentioned already. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

Maybe in this case the mother is living her life through her daughter, givng her what she wished she could have had. I know myself that there are many things I wanted to do as a child and luckily my parents said no. It made me angry at the time but now that I am older and wiser (certainly older, I hope wiser too) I can be thankful. Children are so naive without realising it. Parents need to stand firm. It's not easy and it can feel bad at the time but it's usually for the better.

Also lets remember there are ugly people in all societies and I think everyone would like to change something about themselves. That's life.

[happyrobert]

There are many in Pattaya with "western" eyes.

Vacant.

[SomchaiWirote]

Korean girls used to be ugly 20 years ago.

Source?

[jackr]

Korean girls used to be ugly 20 years ago. Nowadays they look much better.

What a load of crap.

Really sad and pathetic situation. Asian features are beautiful ...

Exactly. While some Asians need blepharoplasty to see fully, this is nuts. The mother has her own agenda and is a disgrace.

[meatboy]

my wife wants some western tits that point north .But most Thai ladys want biger boobs,

thai ladys you missed out boys.

[luckizuchinni]

Luckizuccini, Did you read the whole article? "they don't like their faces" etc. There is some very insidious brainwashing going on there (and here).

I just find it sad that people will mutilate themselves for a percieved defect when one does not exist. I have nothing against a bit of nip and tuck for mature folks, the procedures described in the article are performed on the very young to change their ethnic appearence. Funny you find my views "elitest" quite the opposite actually as it is the "elite" that can afford to indulge their obsurd fetishes.

yes I read the article, and I have personal experience with a Korean g/f who had that racial self-hate thing going on. But I still contend that it is up to the individual to decide if he or she wants plastic surgery. Not you, not me, not another Korean in this case (Martin Wong).

And no, plastic surgery is hardly the realm of the elite. People of all walks of life and income levels get plastic surgery.

As an American and knowing only one plastic surgeon on a social level (an old military chum now civilian doc) I am wary of plastic surgery on children as I am not sure they are old enough to make mature choices and their bodies have not completely grown into their final base structure. In the US, except for things like cleft palates and such, most plastic surgeons will not perform elective plastic surgery on youngsters.

On the other hand, who am I to say that a child cannot have minor surgery if the result would be to make him or her feel better about his or herself and be better able to face the world?

[luckizuchinni]

I had plastic surgery to correct a droopy eyelid quite some years ago. It was my choice to do so, and I hardly blame some "profiteering" doctor for that. Doctors provide a service. It is up to the patients if that service is desirable.

People should be able to do what they want as far as plastic surgery, and I think for foreigners to look down upon Koreans or other Asians for wanting plastic surgery is elitism. It is not up to us.

I know two Thai women who went to Korea for plastic surgery. I will admit that for one of them, I had no idea why she went. I think she was gorgeous as she was. But that was her decision, not mine, not anyone else's.

The concept of Korean racial self-hate has been written about over and over. But while that may or may not be a real issue, how does that impact and individual's choice on whether to get plastic surgery? Who is anyone else to say that person's choice is wrong?

As you said "up to the patient" however in this case the patient has stated she doesn't want it, the mother said "I'm having her do it" which is in my opinion child abuse.

And where did you get the idea that she stated she didn't want it? She clearly stated that she was excited about her upcoming surgery.

[Thongkorn]

my wife wants some western tits that point north .But most Thai ladys want biger boobs,

thai ladys you missed out boys.

I can only speak for m yself,

[mrtoad]

I've always wondered something : Didn't the members of the 70s rock band Kiss have the muscle under the tongue that connects it to the bottom of the mouth surgically snipped....?

It certainly appeared that way in photos.....

You should be PM the resident Thai Visa expert on KISS todd daniels, for that question

[Moonrakers]

I thought this thread was going to be about big ass implants

[Millard]

This type of surgery and the self-loathing motivation behind it is simply terrible on all levels, especially when it involves children. And that mother is disgusting. Instead of reassuring her daughter, she chooses to put her under the knife. What kind of message does that send to a child? Also, 12-year old's face hasn't even completed development yet. Not that she needs corrective surgery. She's a pretty girl and her mom should be telling her that.

Edited May 26, 2011 by Millard

[HaruHaru]

Korean girls used to be ugly 20 years ago. Nowadays they look much better.

Thai women follow the Korean style. While Thais always looked better than Koreans, they do similar surgery nowadays.

The standard of beauty is subjective.

Obviously, expats to Thailand favor Thai women. That's at least part of the reason that they are there.

However, if you ask expats in Korea or/and local people in other parts of Asia, the result will be much different whether it was 20 years ago or now.

The 12-year-old who goes through plastic surgery is extremely rare in Korea. You won't see many of them in real life.

It's amazing that CNN makes a big fuss about plastic surgery in Korea. When white women with gigantic hawk nose like Barbara Streisand get a nose reduction, they do it

to improve their self esteem, not because they want to be Asian wannabes.

It's only natural for every women to desire to have a harmoniously balanced face. Nothing more or less.

[Thongkorn]

I thought this thread was going to be about big ass implants

No but there are some big arse comments,

[luckizuchinni]

It's amazing that CNN makes a big fuss about plastic surgery in Korea. When white women with gigantic hawk nose like Barbara Streisand get a nose reduction, they do it

to improve their self esteem, not because they want to be Asian wannabes.

Ha! Good point!

[Travel2003]

What about the nose obsession in this country.

Even my own wife had a "nose job" done at the hospital.

Never understood it, because I always thought she looked wonderful with the nose she had.

Back home, big noses are normally noticed and commented about.

Small noses are looked upon as cute.

Here we have the opposite.

Just before my wife went into surgery, the Doctor approached me, to tell me about the procedure.

I told him I did not want to see any Michael Jackson look alike when he was finished.

The Doctor replied, "No Sir, no Michael jackson Sir".

Never forget that one.

Good times at a hospital.

;-)

;-)