“All Asians look alike.”
Its a phrase that I have personally disliked for as long as I can remember. In fact, many of us are upset by this. We believe that this statement is simply ignorant. We believe that this sort of stereotype comes from the same people who don’t realize that there are various types of Asians. But before we get too angry, it may be a good idea to step back and give this another look.
A beauty pageant held in Daegu, South Korea has 21 contestants competing for the title. The problem? The pageant’s slogan “One Dream, One Face” has a bit too much truth in it. The native judges literally have difficulty telling the girls apart. They claim that they constantly need to check the contestant ID numbers and choosing a winner will be difficult if the girls have such similar faces. While we cannot assume that this plays a factor for these particular contestants, it is important to note that Daegu is known for having amazing plastic surgeons who, apparently, have one set idea of what is beautiful.
This leads us to consider the bigger issue: we are upset that people think all Asians look alike, but do Asian women and Asian plastic surgeons all strive for the same “beautiful face”? Have we created one ideal type of beauty which results in such similar looks? Have we taken part in perpetuating a myth that we hate?
Tell us what you think and click on for some close up pictures of the pageant contestants:
(source)
