The “foxy eyes” are best described as a makeup style where the eyebrows and eye makeup is slanted upward, elongating the eyes. Tape or tying a tight ponytail helps lift the eyes upward to polish the look. This trending look was originally inspired by celebrities like Bella Hadid and Kendall Jenner. After this challenge went viral, it received an increasing amount of criticism, especially from the Asian American community. Some claim the makeup isn’t racist, but in reality, it is. Asian kids used to be bullied for their looks, particularly because of their small eyes, and now, it’s okay because it’s a beauty trend?
Brenda Her (@oooitsbrenda), a Hmong American makeup YouTuber, made a post on her Facebook page in July, giving her take on the situation:
“Out of nowhere, slanted and ‘chinky’ eyes are in style. As a child, so many of us Asians wanted ‘big’ eyes because society always picked on us and made us feel ugly. I remember confiding in my mom about how I wanted eyelid surgery because I hated my eyes. My eyes are not your trend.”
The “foxy eyes” mirrors several physical Asian features that many Asians find disturbing and culturally inappropriate. It disregards the history of racism and discrimination toward the Asian community. Kim Hee-Jae, a student at UC Davis, told the South China Morning Post, “Is being Asian a trend now? It kind of feels like it is… The fox eye thing itself is probably just an aesthetic, like a beauty trend, not racism. But it doesn’t mean that we [the Asian community] don’t feel slighted. They used to insult us for that.”
Another disturbing fact is that some of the make-up techniques used for the “foxy eyes” look were the same ones used in the 1930s by makeup artist, Cecil Holland, on white actors who played Asian roles.
It’s really sad how some members of the Asian community actually view this “trend” in a positive light. John Son, a high school student, told the South China Morning Post that he feels like “we’ve become the cool kids” and believes that this is the youth’s way of becoming more accepting. This reminds me of that time when my co-worker once said to me, “At least they like us.” At least? This is no way to feel respected. All of this makes me uncomfortable. I am not flattered, and I do not feel accepted or appreciated as an Asian woman.
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