Julie Chen Reveals She had Surgery to Widen her Eyes

The old Vivian left because she hated Smith and thought he had a sense of entitlement. The Cosby thing could be explained by Bill and Carsey/Werner assuming that black actors regardless of tone were getting limited opportunities, so they'd just hire the best or as many possible.

 

You do have to admit it though, lighter skinned black females are conceived as more attractive in Hollywood (not so much males). Haley Berry, Beyonce, Tara Banks... I can go on forever and for every 1 against this you name, I can probably name 3. I'm not saying it's right, but it's just the way it is right now. In the end, it's all manufactured perception by the society we live in.

I had a Thai GF, once upon a long time ago, who had her eyes done. I'm not sure how I felt about that. I'm all for being yourself, but she was happy.

 

If nobody mentioned the story behind this, it just looks like a person who got surgery to look better.

 

If you ask for the opinion of the Asian men, particularly those who are actually in Asia, I'd say at least 95% of them would say she is ugly, and the same opinion would be given about Lucy Liu too.

Beauty in the eyes of the beholder.

 

I'm Asian and I've got natural double eyelids. I'm beautiful.

 

For me, I have nothing against anybody doing something to improve their appearance and even encourage it if that helps them out with their self esteem. But I do take exception when somebody feels that a certain race has a more aesthetic eyes, nose, hair, etc. This is basically what this person did.

She conceded that the European shaped eyes are more attractive than the ones her ancestors gave her. From my POV, that is a sellout. It is highly likely that most of America would feel that way too mainly because of what the media currently considers as pretty.

According to scientific study that I stumbled across way back when, they tried to determine what we humans in general considered beautiful. They showed pictures of different people with different ethnic backgrounds all over the world to see what they would consider beautiful. Obviously, you will find a wide range of disagreements. But when they studied the pictures of the ones whom everybody considered aesthetically pleasing, it had nothing to do with the shape of your individual features. Rather, the collective symmetry they have with the other parts of your body.

For example, you can have a beautiful looking set of eyes but your cheekbones are not even or your nose is closer to one eye, we generally won't see it as attractive.

This person did not just alter her face to make it look symmetrical, she altered it so she can look more European.

 

It worked. Her husband is one of the titans of media. Call me cynical, but I'm sure there are plenty of women who'd do the same thing just to get there.

Good for her to spark discussion about a dirty unspoken secret.

As mentioned before, if she was already an 8 and made herself look like a whiter 8, then I could see the argument there. But the face she had was not made for Primetime in Pacific Time or Eastern Time.

 

I can't really blame her. Its her face, and she has every right to do what she wants with it if she feels that will improve her career.

One could even argue that because she was able to attain the level of popularity and media visibility that she has, it may have helped (to some degree) make Asian Americans more readily accepted in the media.

 

Nail on the head here.

Personally I think she's not telling the full story, looking at those pics I think she was maybe told that she needed work done in General...

But if you're changing your eyes because you think non-asian eyes look better. Sell out is a harsh word, but they are not helping their situation and are only setting the standard that it's alright and that you SHOULD conform.

Ask me how I feel about black women and their obsession with straighter hair and I'd say the same thing. Work with what was given to you i'd say. Black men used to do the same thing to their hair...

Spoiler

Since then though black men took more pride in their hair and perception wise I think it's worked out. Black guys can definitely be sold as sex symbols or attractive, and you even see non-black people trying to wear dreads or whatever no matter the skin tone. Meanwhile for black women they have to be lighter and have straight hair to do so and I feel it's because they accept it. Women like Beyonce have no problem with magazines lightening their skin (even though she's already light) and doing whatever to fit some other standard of beauty.

I guess my point is, every race needs to set their own standard of beauty.

 

Not close to the same thing, using a nickname and adjusting your physical facial and structure.

If you had to turn your skin dark and get your hair more harder for acceptance, you would NOT want to do it. And might ask yourself whats WRONG with how I am?

(yes that it a bit superficial since its a sexual element) But then what is it, does appearance standard factor in or does it not? Is it dismissable or is it included?

My view is more to say, where is the line DRAWN?
- Is there a LIMIT, or should there be?
- Then IDENTITY in general, how many different identities can you assume? Is everyone chameleons morphing themselves changing to any image they see fit whenever they want?
- Can you be "white" this month but "black" next month for a promotion?

People can be BOTTOMLESS PITS of INSECURITY. To where it can become mutilation. I tend not to feel that sorry for any woman who doesnt feel good about her natural appearance

I say just QUANTIFY the STANDARD. REGISTER ONCE and for all what the "WINNING IMAGE" is. Just say caucazoid white anglo saxon european standard look is ideal and be done with the "unspoken" hogwash.

 

If you look at the 2 pictures, 90% of Chen's new look was just:

1. Different makeup.
2. Different hairstyle.
3. More revealing clothing.
4. Losing weight.
5. More tan skin.

All of these things could have been accomplished without the use of any plastic surgery. Just a professional cosmetic makeover. To say that it was only the shape of her eyes holding her back is very disturbing.

Same insecurity that makes women get triple D breast implants when they were already a C cup. Just to cater to the whims of a small segment of the male population.

 

Didn't notice the nose job and the slimmer less rounded cheeks?

 

A bit more extreme, but it's the same concept - changing your identity to fit in and increase your opportunities in life.

If you had to be called by another name to get acceptance, you would not want to do it either. But people do. You only get one opportunity in life, and for some people, standing up for what is "right" is more important; for others, simply accepting the world as it and trying to fit in as best as possible is most important. Either way, I don't think one is an example of being shallow.

Why would you think something like this is quantifiable?

 

Some reasons:

- We already know that WEIGHT, HYGIENE, FASHION can absolutely be standardized and codified anywhere. Why not go the small extra step to acknowledge the OVERALL package.

- Because everything under the sun now is a COMMODITY of sorts. We (mostly women) are PUMMELED with advertisements of getting "THE LOOK". (And the "look" is rarely a "darker" looking one) Which means there's some kind of framed identity of whats "optimal".

- REALLY the RESULTS are IN : The "WESTERNIZED" look is IN.

- (Just me here) about BEING NATURAL = we are showing ourselves to be hypocrites about that.

We tout these virtues such as "Black is Beautiful". And Beauty is in "Eye of the Beholder".

But anecdotal indications mixed with empirical evidence shows there's just as much cosmetic enhancements as ever. Its feel good lip service to say the right thing, with not much substance. So just stop PRETENDING.

Not saying that it should be a coded written rule. But at least a harder public ACKNOWLEDGEMENT so you're not given credit for trying to stay "true" when you're not.

 

What a sad way to live, to think that you have to change your "looks" because you don't look the way you're expected to look. Sad stuff, indeed... so shallow.

 

I can side with that some. It is about "When in Rome _ ". Really everything in life can be like an "audition". Certain roles can require PHYSICAL things - like losing/gaining weight, adding muscle. All things that alter appearance.

(And yes 1 quantified standard doesnt meant its universal for all. There's South Americans and US women getting big butt implants, when the overall "white" culture doesnt value that as high. So it can vary by environment)

Can agree to disagree - Kim Kardashian getting plastic surgeries and butt implants to me is INDEED SHALLOW. If THAT is NOT shallow, than what IS? Focusing on her procedures might be misdirected, but it sets a TERRIBLE precedent. No I don't have children, but "accepting the world as-is" and its a Kim Kardashian world, I don't think I'd condone that with my kids. (So count me in a "do whats right" I guess.)

Also, the cosmetic procedures still have some RISK involved. Kanye West's mother died from issues resulting from plastic surgery. Surgery has come a LONG ways but its still not as easy as getting a tire change. I'm NOT AGAINST it, but its why I said if there should be more limits to it.

You'll probably say that is a rare bad case and there's other things medically that you can die from. But cosmetic appearance is totally elective and not a health reason. And its even lower when the person does NOT have some physical ABNORMALITY, its trying to go from a 6.4 to a 7.2.

THAT said its not so much being "shallow" - if someone's going into something low like stripping & adult entertainment, as the great Geto Boys said you gotta let a ho be a ho.)

Its more how it can an IDENTITY CRISIS thats damaging. I don't like the concept that you're born HEALTHY but still feel "slighted" in some way cuz you're "different", and you just conform to what society tells you is in. But it can all come down to how tolerant or how staunch the culture is you came up in.

 

they don't even remotely the same. if you went to high school with her you wouldn't recognize her at reunion.

 

Her without makeup.

Spoiler

http://www.businessinsider.com/the-talk-without-makeup-2012-9