Can I be honest with you all? At first, I didn't believe there was a problem with the fox eye trend. Seeing the look for the first time while scrolling through Instagram made me think, "wow, another fad that's not relevant to me." I didn't even notice how it heavily altered the appearance of people's eyes. Considering that 2020 has faced many setbacks, it didn't seem like a big deal. However, that doesn't justify how the "fox eye" trend is downright offensive.
The description seems harmless: which is "a look that involves shaving off the tail end of your eyebrows (eliminating everything from the arch to the tail) to draw on a straighter brow; using a brown or black eyeshadow to create a sharp, cat-eye flick up towards the temples; and then, adding a touch of the same eyeshadow to the inner corners of your eyes pointing towards the bridge of your nose. The final look creates the illusion of upturned, slanted eyes."
It wasn't until I saw a picture of Bella Hadid that caught my attention. As you can see, her eyes are noticeably less narrow and slanted in the top photo compared to the bottom one. There's no doubt that she looks beautiful, but that's not the point.
ANDREAS RENTZ / GETTY IMAGES
After doing some research, my opinion on the ''fox eye" trend has changed completely. It's a slap in the face, to say the least, and is literal cultural appropriation. So what you're saying is, when gorgeous celebrities and influencers who are not Asian emulate our features, it is now a beauty trend?
Let's normalize changing our mindset when we become educated about a topic or situation. You shouldn't be afraid to admit when you're wrong or misinformed, move on and learn from it.
I recalled an experience I had during the 5th grade because everything I had been reading was so negative.
At the time, I considered getting contacts because I figured going to a new school meant I should change my look. I asked someone who I thought was my friend if I looked decent without my glasses on. I quickly took my glasses off and put them back on in front of him at the lunch table, and his initial reaction was, "Ew, why do you look like that?"
He proceeded to tell me that my eyes were weirdly shaped, and another friend even asked if I was okay because I looked so tired. It got worse; another person used his middle fingers to pull his eyes back and said, "ching chong." Their racially insensitive comments and actions were hurtful and offensive to me. I decided to leave the cafeteria and go to the library instead. So I could research cosmetic surgery online.
I found out that you can get a canthoplasty that gives the impression of more alert eyes.
Seoul Guide Medical
Years later, I realized that getting eyelid surgery wouldn't solve my problems at all. I would've gotten it done because of the opinions of others without regarding how I truly felt about myself. I'll be the first to admit that it was pretty childish of me to want to get a procedure done because of a comment that an immature classmate made. However, I have absolutely nothing against those who decide to get cosmetic surgery. Let's face it; everyone has insecurities.
The people who made fun of me apologized eventually, and I forgave them because it isn't worth holding a grudge. We were also so young at the time, and now we remain good friends.
I want to end off by address those who decided to participate in the trend. Yes, it is wrong and a mistake. But it is forgivable, and people shouldn't be "canceled" over something like this. Cancel culture is very apparent these days; look at Ellen DeGeneres. If you can own up to your mistakes and sincerely apologize, you should be able to move on as long as it wasn't a heinous crime. Doesn't that sound better instead of being bullied so others can feel superior? Choose discipline over punishment, and the outcome will be more meaningful.
Feminism Redefined
