"My eyes are not a trend," by Chungi Yoo, an illustrator based in Frankfurt, Germany
"This looks kinda cool, I'll try it this weekend!" I sent a photo of an influencer sporting fox-eye makeup to my equally makeup-obsessed friend, Elisa. At first, the extended eyeliner makeup look was pretty eye-catching, like a fresh twist on the cat-eye makeup look. Like one of the makeup trends or challenges that would sweep over the internet and take over by storm, I assumed that this was just a fun pasttime. After I spent a few minutes Googling the origin of this #FoxEyeMakeup challenge, I realised that it wasn't as innocent or glamorous as it originally seemed.
Flashback to kindergarten, where my peers sing "Chinese, Japanese, Korean, SPLAT!", which was accompanied with the tugging of eyelids; upwards for Chinese, straight for Japanese, downwards for Korean, and squished in for "SPLAT". It seemed like a childish joke, so my East-Asian friends and I didn't give it much thought. It's alarming that blatant racism has become so normalised, so heavily disguised as a game, that we don't even realise that it's there. It's already been so accepted, so integrated into society that it's hard to remove, like pulling up a tree with a hundred roots. Although it might not have been ill-intentioned, ignorance and insensitivity still hurts.
Some may argue that this makeup look isn't supposed to mimic the Asian eye shape, rather it's to elongate the eye, similar to the eye shape of a fox (hence the name). However, it's hard to erase the negative connotations of the look: when White influencers use makeup to elongate their eyes, it's "trendy"; when Asians embrace their natural eye shape, it's looked down upon. After years of being tormented and bullied for their angular almond-shaped eyes, it's no wonder that Asians would find the fox-eye trend offensive and insensitive. Even in some Asian countries, having big, round doe-eyes is a mark of beauty, with small mono-lidded eyes being seen as "ugly". Many East-Asians choose to undergo blepharoplasty, to change and "Westernise" their eye shape, to fit into the Western beauty standard more. "Surgically altering the 'slanted' eyes became a mark of a 'good' and trustworthy Asian, one whose modification of the face provided a comforting illustration of the pliable Asian, and served as evidence of the US as the model and Asia as the mimic," says PhD student Taeyon Kim in her 2005 dissertation. By mimicking the natural Asian eye shape, you're not "appreciating" or "being inspired by" a common Asian feature, but rather choosing to turn a blind eye to decades of racism, oppression and racial insensitivity.
This problematic makeup "challenge" is further worsened by the accompanying "Migraine pose" that makeup artists, influencers and models use when modelling the makeup look. By using their hands to pull on their temples, and creating an "face lift" effect, it further elongates the eye, and makes it seem even more slanted. Given the similarities between the "Migraine pose" and the eye-pulling pose that people would use to mock Asian eyes, this crosses the line of cultural appropriation, and is clearly in the "disrespect" category. With famous influencers like Kendall Jenner, Bella Hadid and Emma Chamberlain adopting this pose, they're intentionally or unintentionally promoting anti-Asian beliefs, and encouraging their fans to make fun of the almond eye shape.
Lastly, what was really infuriating about this whole challenge is the current climate, and context behind the look. This isn't the 1920's, it isn't acceptable for such blatant racism to find a way into society. Especially in a time period where COVID19 is rampant, and everyone from racists to the Former President of the United States is blaming Asians for the spread of the "China Virus" or the "Kung-Flu", it's extremely tone deaf and insensitive. Asians are being called names, harassed, beaten up and even killed, with anti Asian hate crimes raging throughout America. And this is the time when "Asian-style" eye makeup is trending? Seriously?
I think we need to step back, and do our research before joining in on these seemingly-innocent trends. It is our responsibility, as a community, to stick with marginalised groups during periods of adversity, and to be an ally for those who are being discriminated against. We need to educate ourselves on cultural appropriation, racism, and systematic oppression, as to ensure that we don't repeat the same mistakes. Only by educating ourselves can we hope to build a truly inclusive, welcoming and accepting society.