Lots of annoyed folks sent in this Jezebel post, The Uniform Beauty Of Asian Women "Before And After Makeup," in which the author tells everyone about yet another crazy beauty trend out of Asia: the "before and after" makeup photo, and their display of a very specific uniform standard of beauty.
"Before and after makeup" shots are a weird Internet phenomenon, and this gallery of "Asian Girls Before and After Makeup" is noteworthy both in that it exists and the uniform standard of beauty on display.Most commenters have objected to the post's ethnocentric fascination with this uniform Asian aesthetic, with the "anime eyes, kiss-pout mouths, and the general stripping of 10 years off of one's age."
"Are these even real?" asks Peggy Wang, who, on Buzzfeed, brought the gallery to larger attention (though there are numerous such galleries in general). But the gallery is just another example of the odd phenomenon of the "before-after makeup pic" that many young women have taken to posting on the internet. We've seen these images used variously for makeup tutorials, fetishists and examples of the "improving" power of cosmetics.
Hey Jezebel, so what are you trying to say? All Asians (try to) look alike?
I wouldn't accuse the author of saying that -- she's talking about a pervasive, specific style that's fairly popular right now, as evidenced by the photos. That said, why fixate on this particular trend? It's not like western standards of beauty are huge celebrations of individualism. You could easily point to one trend or another that attempts to make all western women look the same too.
But I'll admit, when you line up all the photos like that, it's pretty creepy.
