East Asian Beauty Standards for Women

[dantetheexplorer]

Every region of the world has its own beauty standards.

In today’s discussion, I would like to present to you the East Asian beauty standards, specifically for women. (I will address East Asian beauty standards for men in a different discussion).

Proviso 1: I am discussing East Asian beauty standards because that’s who I am and that’s what I am most familiar with. I believe that many of the points below are applicable to Asians from Southeast Asia as well. In other parts of Asia, though, I believe the beauty standards are quite different.

Proviso 2: I am not going to be talking about make-up. Make-up application and how it differs between East and West deserves its own post – and that post will be much, much longer.

Okay, first, let’s talk about the elephant in the room:

What is considered beautiful for Asians in the West (specifically the US)

versus

What is considered beautiful by East Asians in Asia

It’s no secret to East Asians that what Americans consider beautiful in Asians can be quite different from what is considered beautiful right now in East Asia.

Many Asians in Asia are perplexed at how Americans can sometimes hold celebrities like Lucy Liu, Kelly Hu, and Brenda Song up as the epitome of “exotic” Asian beauty. These celebrities are considered attractive in American pop culture, but in East Asia, they would definitely fall outside East Asian beauty standards.

Let us briefly compare the two beauty standards.

What is considered beautiful for Asians in the US:

Natalie Chanary. I assume she's a model.

What is considered beautiful by East Asians in Asia:

Zhang Zetian. One of China’s youngest billionaires. This photo of her went viral in 2009.

Just to be clear, I’m not saying one is better than the other.
Only that they are different.

Personally, I think East Asian beauty standards are far more restrictive compared to American beauty standards, and this creates a narrower definition of what is "beautiful" in East Asia.

So, what is it about East Asian beauty standards that make them far more restrictive?
Well, let’s get into the meat and potatoes of it then.

#1 - Neotenous Features, which includes having a “Small Face”

Neotenous facial features are highly prized in East Asia.

What is Neoteny?
Neoteny is the retention of juvenile features in adults.
East Asians have a mutation in the EDAR gene, which scientists believe to have first appeared about 35,000 years ago. Researchers believe that this mutation in the EDAR gene is what causes the majority of East Asians to retain a lot of baby-like features well into adulthood.

In East Asia, men find neotenous features in women desirable, and this has been the case for a very long time. Men everywhere find neotenous features in women desirable, but from my personal observations, this desire for neotenous features is especially heightened in East Asia.

One of the most prize neotenous features is having a small face.
What is a small face?
In Chinese, it is 巴掌脸 (palm-sized face), in Japanese it is 小顔 and in Korean 얼굴이 작다 (both meaning “small face”).

Small face applies to both men and women, although, as expected, it’s not as restrictive of a beauty standard for men.

The measurements of a small face is vague. There are plenty of YouTube videos where you can see people measuring faces to see whether a face is “small” or “not small”

If you add up the number of Neotenous features and "small face" together, you get non-celebrity East Asian girls who look like this:

East Asian girls lip-synching to the popular “Learn to Meow” Song.

More East Asian girls lip-synching to the popular “Learn to Meow” Song.

#2 – Under-eye Baby Fat

I honestly don’t know the English term for this.
Under-eye baby fat deposit?
In Chinese it is 卧蚕, in Japanese it is 涙袋, in Korean it is 애교살.

At first glance, many people might think this refers to eye bags.
But no – it refers to that baby fat deposit under the eye.
A very different thing compared to eye bags (which are considered unattractive)
Under-eye baby fat deposits are thought to make women (and men) look more youthful.

Here’s a comparison, with digital manipulation of course, between: with under-eye baby fat (left) and without (right):

With (L) and Without (R)

#3 – Milky or Porcelain Skin

It’s no secret that one of the cornerstones of East Asian beauty standards is pale milky or porcelain skin.

Despite what you might have read, East Asians wanting milky or porcelain skin doesn't mean they are after "white people"-tone skin.

If you read ancient Chinese, Japanese, and Korean literature, like back when people were living in huts and castles and carried swords and wore armor – East Asians already had the milky/porcelain beauty standard going on, way, way before they ever came across white folks from the Western world. I repeat, this beauty standard existed way before Europe ever came into the picture.

Here’s the actress Liu Yifei, who is going to play the part of Mulan in the Disney live-action film of the same name.

Special Note: One thing that many East Asians have mentioned in various forums, is that they’re very glad that for once, Hollywood has decided to go with an actress who fits East Asian beauty standards, rather than one who fits American beauty standards.

Liu Yifei, Mulan in training

And here’s Fan BingBing, an actress famous for her pale milky skin:

Fan BingBing. She played the role of Blink in X-Men: Days of Future Past

#4 – Double eyelids (versus Mono eyelids)

Despite what you might have heard or read, not all Asians have mono eyelids.
Natural double eyelids in Asians is common, especially in Southern Chinese and Japanese. I don’t know what the % is, but it’s definitely large enough that I don’t really notice whether one prevails over the other when I travel among the various East Asian countries.

Of course, double eyelids are widely considered the preferred look in East Asia, for both men and women.

However, there is a growing movement in the region which holds that mono eyelids can be just as beautiful.

Hashimoto Kanna – Double Eyelid

Jeon Soo-jin – Mono Eyelid

# 5 – Height, Being Tall Is Pretty Good

Northern Chinese and Koreans are said to be among the tallest Asians, while Southern Chinese and Japanese are thought to be slightly shorter.

Unlike the US, where short women appear to find more favor with men compared to tall women, in East Asia, being a tall woman can be a pretty sweet deal.

Being short is generally associated with being cute, while being tall is generally associated with being gorgeous. However, this isn’t a hard-and-fast rule: short women can be gorgeous and “hot”, and tall woman can be cute too.

But, if you are physically attractive and tall, as a woman? It can be a good thing, unless, I suppose, if you’re very tall, say 1.83+ meters (6’). But generally, 1.7 to 1.75 meters (5’7” to 5’9”) is considered quite nice for a woman.

Personal Story: Two women I dated actually tried to apologize to me for being short, along the lines of “But why? I’m not tall.” At about 1.63 m (5’4”) or so, they weren’t particularly short, just average. I told them they were being right silly!

Liu Yifei, the actress who is going to play Mulan, is 1.70 m (5’7”)

Here are some other actresses who are considered tall and gorgeous:

Guan Xiao Tong, 1.73 m (5’8”)

Jeon Ji-hyun, 1.73 m (5’8”)

Nanao, 1.72 m (slightly less than 5’8”)

#6 – Weight

I think weight remains one of the most brutal beauty standards for East Asian women.
There is a common “rule” where women try to keep their weight below 50 kg (110 lbs), regardless of height.

For example, for the tall actresses I mentioned above, their weight is (as far as I can tell from Google searches):

Liu Yifei: 1.70 m (5’7”), 50 kg (110 lbs)

Guan Xiao Tong: 1.73 m (5’8”), 49 kg (108 lbs)

Jeon Ji-hyun: 1.73 m (5’8”), 48 kg (106 lbs)

Nanao: 1.72 m (slightly less than 5’8”), 49 kg (108 lbs)

It can be even more ruthless if you’re a K-pop singer.

Jung Eun-ji, a member of the K-pop group Apink, who stands at 1.63 m (5’4”), started off at 62 kg (136 lbs) but slimmed down drastically to 46 kg (101 lbs).

Jung Eun-ji Before (Left) and After (Right)

Okay. Those are celebrities.
But how does it affect normal, non-celebrity women on the streets?

On the streets of Tokyo

Do you remember the 2016 A4 Waist Challenge?
It was an internet trend that began in China.

Basically, women were holding up pieces of 8.3-inch- wide A4 paper to show how tiny their waists were.
The A4 paper was held vertically, in front of the women’s torso, with the purpose of covering their entire waist, which was done to prove that their waists were smaller than the width of the 8.3-inch- wide A4 paper.

If you did the calculations, this would mean that all the women who succeeded had 25-inch, or smaller, waists.

The A4 Waist Challenge of 2016

#7 – Looking Good as one gets older

It goes without saying that, because of the strict beauty standards, East Asian female celebrities are expected to keep themselves looking youthful even as they get older. Hollywood has nothing on the East Asian beauty standards when it comes to putting immense pressure on women to look great at every age. This trickles down to the ordinary, non-celebrity women on the streets, and results in massive amounts of money feeding the behemoth that is the East Asian beauty industry.

Here are how some “older” East Asian celebrities look:

Vivian Chow, still performing at 51, at her Macau gig in 2018

Koyuki, 42, the actress who starred alongside Tom Cruise in The Last Samurai

Ha Ji-won, 41, still shooting drama series

#8 – Short Skirts are Good, But Don’t Show Cleavage

This is technically not an East Asian beauty standard, but more a way to dress.

In East Asian women’s fashion, it’s perfectly all right to show miles of leg, but cleavage remains a no-no. You can bare your shoulders, but no cleavage (of course, the "rule" sometimes gets broken).

Short skirt as shown in a fashion catalog

Legendary K-pop group SNSD

---------------------------------------------------------

Conclusion:

All of the above are just some of the factors that come together to form the shiny, relentless machinery that is the culmination of East Asian beauty standards.

I wish to point out that I am just reporting these beauty standards; I don’t necessarily support them. It goes without saying that these beauty standards can be very restrictive, which in turn creates a very narrow definition of what constitutes being "beautiful" in East Asia.

Thank you for making it this far!

[dancing_in_nebulas]

I think the mono lids are GORGEOUS!

Its such a unique thing to Asians and gives a very intense dreamy look.

My stepdad and step family are south Korean, my cousins my age rarely wear makeup and coach me about weight lol.

African American vs East Asian standards are VERY different lol so we argue about how I'm supposed to be full bodied, vs being slim like them lol. I have been given two hanboks, and we have fun trying to squeeze me into their largest sizes ha ha

We have dressed them in hip hop clothes and cocktail outfits, which they enjoyed strutting around in downtown 😆

They of course are more americanized, so even some of the Korean boys and girls on campus, would date various races / different beauty standards.

I think East Asian beauty is lovely, but the neotoneous aspect can get weird when it seems like a small child is intimate with a grown adult - as depicted in several animes and porn.

*disclaimer - I like interracial porn, and when Asian stuff pops up, there's a lot of, "Teen Asian girl gang banged by endowed men -" on the side feed lol - and the girl has pigtails and looks 11 😑...

Its really odd to feel sexual towards child features, since our culture aims for more of a sultry, mature look.

Interesting right?

[dantetheexplorer]

Lol. Now I feel like getting rid of my double eyelids :D

As you already well know by now, weight is a family affair in East Asian (and most Asian) cultures. Parents, siblings - your weight is fair game. "Oh, you've gotten fatter..." is a common refrain at family and relative gatherings.

As for the apparent age gap due to neotenous features, that is par for the course.

There's a very popular Korean drama called 도깨비 (Goblin) which features a mid-30s man (at least in looks; he's actually 900+ years old) who falls in love with a high school girl, who I believe is supposed to be 19 years old. While both actors are closer in age in real life, the fact that her character has a lot of 애교 (aegyo) and he acts cool and calm-headed (he is 900+ years old after all) tends to make their on-screen age gap look even wider.

[dancing_in_nebulas]

Oooh I'll have to check it out! Oh yeah, my halmeoni makes it a point to tell me how plump I'm getting - I just blame her cooking and she says, " well you get peas and eggs then," 😆

She herself was never small, well medium in US sizes, which can be XL there. She just wants me to fit in the hanboks she gives me lol. They fit fine on my waist, but black girls tend to be busty and booty ha ha. I have a gorgeous one she gave me, and she told me to take pictures from the front, or my huge rear will be distracting from the elegance 😆

I'm only a size 3 mind you, but it's all in good fun. I know some Asians starve or diet too hard, so fortunately even that part of my family isn't so concerned about it.

I forgot to mention about the girls being tall, that surprised me. Makes sense now why the girls at my Korean church complimented my legs when we would change. (5'9ish) I always saw height as being unfeminine to East Asians.

I guess all put together I look kinda anime-ish, with the long thin legs, slight leg gap, a butt and kinda big tits - so more of that fantasy aspect than the actual beauty standard.

In fact, I was nicknamed Yoruichi after the girl from Bleach when I wore long purple hair to school ha ha.

Not quite as pretty, but I'm not arguing lol

I wonder then, what standards are for men?

I'm gonna say from what I've experienced, more on the professional side, neat, and guys tend to go for a mature or dreamy k-pop look

[dantetheexplorer]

Yes. Being tall for an East Asian woman is perfectly fine. Unless if you're REALLY tall (for a woman), like over 6-feet.

I have seen some girls who cosplay as Yoruichi. Maybe you should give it a go. Who knows, you might start a new sub-career. :)

I'll be a writing a follow-up to this discussion, where we can discuss the East Asian Beauty Standards for Men. Honestly speaking, it's a little more challenging to write, because while the standards are still pretty strict, it still isn't as narrow as it is for women. More research needed on this one! Stay tuned!

[dancing_in_nebulas]

I'll have to give it a whirl! And will be looking forward to it 😊

[VIVANT]

I’m surprised about the height. I thought e erupting was the smaller the better.

I yess keeping your weight under 110 is understandable and not a big deal at all if the average height is close to five feet~ but it would be unhealthy for people over 5 8. Though I don’t think there are many women over5 8 there.

It’s odd about the baby face. Not bc that would be considered attractive~ I expected that, but bc babies have really big heads in regulation to their bodies. Not little. A person looks younger when their head is a bit bigger eyes bigger cheeks chubby ~ not small head.. Peoples faces get smaller as they age not bigger.

Anyhow the rest is no surprise , well written😊

Also bones tend to be smaller and narrower over all so a 25 inch waist on a small boned five foot person is not the same as on a large boned 6 foot person. id imagine it would be common without even being too skinny, as it’s not even uncommon here if you are thin.

Anyhow well written 😊

[VIVANT]

Oh sorry my point was I I don’t think the beauty standards are more restrictive just different.

[dantetheexplorer]

The height thing - it depends where in East Asia you are.

Those unfamiliar with the region and the various ethnicities in Asia tend to underestimate the height variance that can be found in this region. For example, there are 50+ Chinese ethnic minorities in China alone, each with their own "look".

Like I said above, those with Northern Chinese and Korean blood in them tend to be the tallest.

Take my sister, she is 1.72 m (a little under 5'8").
She would be considered quite tall in Southern China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Japan.
She would be considered "just a little" tall in Northern China and Korea.

In general, in the East Asian social circles I swim in (which mostly includes people from my generation), girls' heights and expectations usually follow this:

1.63 - 1.65 m (5'4" - 5'5"): Average
1.66 - 1.69 m (5'5" - 5'6 1/2"): Above Average
1.70 - 1.73 m (5'7" - 5'8"): Tall
1.74 - 1.77 m (5'8 1/2" - 5'9" 1/2"): Very Tall

The "sweet spot" is usually considered to be:
1.68 - 1.73 m (5'6" - 5'8")

My sister likes her height. It's tall, but is not seen as "too tall".
East Asian females rarely go beyond 1.76 m. (although I have come across one or two who are taller than that)
Anything taller than that might be seen, by society, as being "too tall", for a woman.

Like I said, girls and women who hit the "sweet spot" are usually the one who turn heads, and considered "gorgeous". Shorter girls and women are usually "cute".
My sister much prefers the former - she does get grief from my mother for being 53 kg (117 lbs) though.

I remember when I was around 9 or 10.
The most popular girl in our Year was also the tallest girl in our Year.

Of course, this also depends on your facial features, your complexion, and your general body shape.

[dantetheexplorer]

In regard to "small face", I believe it's not the size of the head in proportion to the body - it's more about the "compactness" of your facial features.

The Chinese phrase for it, 巴掌脸 (palm-sized face), is probably a crude approximation.
If you put your palm in the middle of your face, your mouth, nose, and half of each eye should be covered, and your finger tips definitely go beyond your eyebrows.
The further all these features "drift" apart from each other, the less of a "small face" you have.
Obviously, the size of your palm also affects the measurement :D

Of course, one should also have a "nice" facial shape.
Currently the "U-shaped" jawline is very popular.

As for the 25-inch waist, I think it's not a problem for most East Asian girls.
That's why that social media trend had a lot of East Asian women taking part.
But obviously, those who didn't fit the criteria were unlikely to have taken part!

[tonicandgin]

i met a manchurian girl and she was 6 foot tall!

[dantetheexplorer]

@tonicandgin Which is why I always believe that those from the North are almost always taller!

[tonicandgin]

It was definitely interesting, some of them are built like vikings :) they're friendly

[dantetheexplorer]

@tonicandgin If she's pretty, I would certainly shoot some hoops on the court with her. Unless of course, you really mean it when you say she's built like a tank :D

[tonicandgin]

lol she's definitely strong, but i think she's still in the acceptable range of big.

[Levin]

Yeah, maybe I shouldn't have these thoughts for such a grave situation, but during Hong Kong protestors footage, the women look absolutely stunning.

Part of this is surely down to neotenous features. I definitely value that in women, too. It's interesting that they're also seen as the dreamy ideal in pre-raphaelite (obviously, Western) paintings.

Some of this can surely be attributed to orientation of cultures. Western is traditionally seen as extroverted and outlook looking, whereas, in the East, one is more preservative and inward looking.
Poor diets have to be a culprit, too. Western diets are laden with animal protein. Whereas, traditionally, Eastern diets derived most of their protein from plant sources. They used to say, you can tell the condition of the heart from the condition, and size, of the nose!

The Jung Eun-ji before and afters actually illustrate my point. The before, you would associate her with being more Western, worldly, sexua;, the after, more, again, 'Eastern'. All from the body size! It's weird, that you can almost tell a person's personality size, from their physiognomy and body.

To me, hyper pale, light eyed, smallish Western women are still my ideal.

[dantetheexplorer]

But, ironically, it is an increase in animal protein consumption (among other things) that have made the current generation of East Asians taller than their parents. Back in the old days, as my parents are won't to tell me, it was much harder to procure meat for meals.

[JimRSmith]

Another fascinating read, and one which really brings the subject to life. There aren't really all that many people who are familiar enough to analyse these kinds of differences, and explain them, but you do an excellent job of doing so - thanks for sharing!

[dantetheexplorer]

Honestly, I could write a book about it. And I consider what I've written to be the brighter side of things. As with beauty standards anywhere around the world, there's always a dark underbelly. The streets and subways of Seoul are filled with flyers and posters for cosmetic/plastic surgery - it's kind of scary. In fact, the forecast is that, with more and more disposable income - particularly in China's case - even more people in the region are going to get cosmetic/plastic surgery in the near future.

[JimRSmith]

I can certainly believe that. And as you say, it is scary...

[nerms123]

You should write at least one book. You’re writing is really good!

[nerms123]

*your 😂

[dantetheexplorer]

@nerms123 It would be my first non-fiction book, though. I have only written and published fiction so far. Well, it's always good to try new things!

[nerms123]

Wow you should message me what you wrote. I’ll read them 😀

[JKingOff]

So the answer to your question is actually a lot more complex than you've made it out to be, and that's saying a lot looking at the length of your post. I can't speak for Asian men but I can speak personally for myself as a US citizen, and the member of the male gender. So just to start off not all men have the same taste in women please understand that my opinion is simply just that. I find Asian women attractive, mostly the ones that are actually from part of Asia. In my experience men typically find petite young women more attractive than women that are taller than them, and more heavily set, or ripped as f***. that's not that were intimidated or anything like that it's purely primal. Women like big dicks, men like tight pussies. men are attracted to women with a smaller frame because in correlation they are more likely to have a tighter pussy. Women are attracted to larger men because in correlation they are more likely to have a larger dick. For my personal reasons it actually goes a little bit past that. I like intelligent women, I don't necessarily want to have a blonde date with Barbie and have to make up her mind on what she wants to eat for dinner, let alone have to do that for the rest of our lives together. everyone has their different specialties, and areas of expertise. marriage is supposed to be a mutually beneficial Union between two people. I am not vain and ignorant enough to declare that I know everything, thus I am attracted to women who have knowledge and experience in areas that I do not. it just so happens that for some reason Asian women seem to be a lot more educated than women in the US, generally speaking. There's also the fact that they seem to be a lot more respectful when someone ask something of them, or requires something of them. I'm pretty sure it's a cultural difference. But the fact still remains that these are the reasons why I find Asian women attractive. maybe you would be kind enough as to explain to me what women in Asia fitting my description find attractive in men from the US. I swear to God if the number one answer is money then I'm just f****** done with the subject.

[SomeGuyCalledTom]

The whole "harsh beauty standards" seems like a double edge sword. On one hand, it can be an uhealthy amount of pressure to conform to a very narrow set of rules (some of which seem frankly a bit arbitrary-- I've never heard of double eyelids, and couldn't really tell the difference of the respective photos). But on the other hand, the results do kinda speak for themselves: obesity rates very low compared to the US/ UK/ parts of western Europe; no shortage of VERY physically desirable women (although the women who don't quite "fit" the norm could have a hard time of things I imagine). I also kinda like that they're less likely to show cleavage, it gives something to stir the imagination.

Anyway, I can't say I have too strong an opinion on it, as I'm not an Asian woman, and therefore have little vested interest in the outcome. But I would totally date an Asian girl in future, and I would hope she maintains her looks for *herself* rather than to conform to some unreasonably strict set of societal 'rules'. I wouldn't want her to lose her sanity trying to look good for my sake. If I find her face and figure attractive, then it's gonna make very little difference whether or not she's ticking some other arbitrary boxes.

[dantetheexplorer]

A well-balanced and measured response. Definitely a candidate for Most Helpful Opinion if I hadn't already made that choice! The only thing I could possibly add to this well thought-out reply would be to just state that the difference between a double eyelid and a mono eyelid is that a double eyelid has a visible crease line on the upper eyelid, whereas a mono eyelid doesn't have this visible crease.

[SomeGuyCalledTom]

well, learn something new every day! :)

[ilovecurvychick]

This is rubbish. My girlfriend and I used to work in Singapore where the majority of the people there were Chinese. She got sexually harassed by mostly Chinese men. One guy even followed her from the train station just to stare at her big tits and curvy body. My girlfriend is Punjabi (5'3, big eyes with olive skin tone). According to this rubbish, she is not beautiful. Strange 🙄 There is also one Chinese guy whom she knows from her friend that won't leave her alone despite knowing she has me. The height thing is wrong. I know these two Chinese girls who complain about guys not preferring them because they are like 170 cm which is what you mentioned as head turner 🙄. I feel like this Take is all about "We have higher taste than western men"
The eyes part is hilarious. Almost all Asian girls I know are dying to have big rounded eyes which is why they wear all those weird looking eye contacts. Don't deny this just because you want people to like the mongol eyes.
Stop flaunting the height thing. You like what you like. Don't push your preference on others. I know there are many Asian guys who like average height of women.

[dantetheexplorer]

You said it. You went to Singapore. Last time I checked, Singapore wasn't in East Asia.

[dantetheexplorer]

Come back and let me know what you think when you've spent about 10-15 years in China, South Korea, Japan, Taiwan, and Hong Kong. It doesn't have to be 10-15 years in each. 10-15 years in total will do!

[dantetheexplorer]

Until you do, you're just another white guy who thinks he knows more about East Asia compared to an East Asian who has actually lived in East Asia.

[ilovecurvychick]

I'm not talking about the demographic thing. I'm talking specifically about the ethnicity. Chinese is under the East Asian category. You seem to disagree with anyone who doesn't share the same view. I am saying beauty is highly subjective. These are just the general standards and maybe "your standard"
I have seen many East Asian women who don't fit these standards yet getting Asian men marrying them. It is not as restrictive as how you make it to be. Like I said, you just want people to be impressed of your culture and how Asian men have higher standard. I have nothing against it. In fact, I admire it a lot but you are really mixing it up with your personal agenda.

[dantetheexplorer]

People who have nothing against something generally don't begin by saying "This is rubbish."
Please have a look at some of the other comments where people might have disagreed but did so in a polite, civil manner. I don't know what culture you're from, mate. But people who are genuinely interested in honest discourse don't begin by saying "This is rubbish." Nor do they use emoticons.

Your mileage may of course vary.
You are certainly entitled to your own opinion - everyone is.
However, at least be civil about it.
And stop projecting.

[shazer]

Wow what can I say, I love the Asin culture and food and everything about these strong proud people , and just thought that they are so cute, their beauty is timeless, . Your studies are very eye opening some of the things you mention I had no idea about. The A4 paper test wow, that is to me dangerous stuff and a bit extreme. I'm 53 and Australian Aboriginal, and I would die for porcelain skin , but I also strongly believe that beauty starts from within and shows outwardly, and beauty is in the eyes of the beholder. So what is beautiful to one person might not be attractive to another. , That's what makes us all unquie and amazing, Thankyou my dear LV Shaza

[dantetheexplorer]

Ta! You are most welcome. Glad you enjoyed the read.

[CubsterShura]

The under 50kg thing is so true 😂 I was like, 55kg when I did martial arts class and my Chinese kungfu teacher always commented that I need to lose weight. But in South Asia things are very different, at that weight my mom, aunts and basically everyone commented how skinny I am 'omg you've become so skinny oh no no no no are you ok' it was fucking hilarious 😂

[dantetheexplorer]

One thing that is common to ALL Asian families and communities: people making comments about your weight left, right, and center.

[CubsterShura]

Oof yes 😂 even the most petite women were so embarrassed to talk about their weight, it was very surprising for me.

By the way, the under eye fat thing could be mainly because it casts a shadow under the eye which makes it look like you have bigger, more portruding eyes. My face is weird because I have it on only one eye.

[dantetheexplorer]

Yes. I think eyes can be really interesting. I've seen people with mono eyelids, who, after getting a little older, their eyelids change to double eyelids. I've seen someone with one mono eyelid, the other one a double eyelid. And obviously, plenty of people with eyes that are a markedly different size.

[desidoll]

Interesting take! As someone who lives in SE country, I am aware of these standards. I questioned myself once because being an Indian here, I was approached several times by some Chinese/Vietnamese guys. The only thing that I fit is the big eyes trait but I guess not everyone see beauty the same way.

[dantetheexplorer]

That's a good one! I don't think Indians even have mono eyelids.
Yes. I agree with you. East Asian beauty standards are very restrictive.
It's better if people just chill and be able to appreciate different kinds of beauty.

[dantetheexplorer]

But I do believe that Indians have their own beauty standards to live up to!

[OrangeBoy2]

Do you feel you inimidate Asian guys?

[desidoll]

Asian men in the west love Latinas a lot lol. I saw a study about it. I guess your perception on beauty sometimes depends on your demographic as well. One Japanese guy told me he thought I was attractive so I asked him where is he from. He said he is from the States. I was like ah knew it lol 😆

[dantetheexplorer]

Asians who have been exposed to "western" culture in western countries, whether from being born there, or having studied there, or having lived and and worked there, are often (but not guaranteed) to have more of an open mind about what they find attractive. Exposure to different cultures, in a different environment, can definitely influence one's outlook and approach to life, love, and a whole bunch of other things!

[desidoll]

@OrangeBoy2 Not sure but most of them assume I don't do interracial dating. I don't blame them because Indians/Middle Eastern are the least likely to date someone outside their race especially the women.

[dantetheexplorer]

I read somewhere that Indian men are more likely than Indian women to date outside their race. I have no idea whether it is actually true though!

[desidoll]

I agree! Plus each race has its own beauty and I appreciate it a lot. Beauty is not like a cookie cutter like how media makes it to be.

[desidoll]

It is true because interracial dating is frowned upon in the culture. The men are given more liberty to do so because the kids will be taking the father's surname. I am very different from other Indians. Most of my partners were all non Indians. I only dated one Indian man but that was a short term relationship.

[OrangeBoy2]

It's funny, I look at you and I feel you could be completely Portuguese. From what area in India are you?

[dantetheexplorer]

But are your parents or elders or family supportive of this?
They probably are, I would think.

[desidoll]

@OrangeBoy2 South India, Andhra Pradesh. I don't even know how I end up looking like this lol 😂. 99% of people can't tell my race. I was born in Sarawak (one state of Malaysia) where it is close to the border of Indonesia. I guess my old ancestors must have some mixtures from there.

[desidoll]

@asker: They are completely fine with it.

[CallmeJazz]

I have seen more indian girl in interracial relationship than opposite

[CallmeJazz]

Through i agree with middle East usually men date out.

[Greenfield25]

Yee yee time to get triggered Imma not eat at all today and restrict back to 66 lbs/30kg and probably go lower to like 50lbs/22.7kg and since I'm literally south chinese I'm short, stocky, muscular, etc,. But I do have a small face and double eyelid. But I have dark skin and am short.

[dantetheexplorer]

No need for any of that. I'm sure you're great the way you are.
There are plenty of attractive people in Shanghai!
So Southern Chinese rock as well!

[nerms123]

I was looking at some very old photos of Chinese people the other day and I noticed the girls were actually kind of chubby. One of my friends is southern Chinese and all her life she was called fat and felt she should lose weight but it’s obvious her body type is square ish and even at a low weight she is not the lanky type. I think there’s a huge misconception about the idea that all Chinese people are the same long stringy shape.

[dantetheexplorer]

@nerms123 There are over 50+ ethnic groups in China. Some people think that all Chinese people are Han Chinese, but no... at least 8% of Chinese are not. What some people might not know is that China is huge, so there's a lot of variety, even going from South to North.

[nerms123]

Gag 可以用中文打字嗎？ 哈哈

[dantetheexplorer]

@nerms123 可以... but I think it might get removed. I remember, last year I think, there were a couple of Chinese spammers, and they kept spamming in Chinese characters. Got removed. I think it's just safer, and more inclusive, to use English, so that everyone can understand :D

[Greenfield25]

Ok well technically I am not from southern China that is where I was born but I believe I originated from Tibet, Xinjiang, Qinghai, or Sichuan.

[pleasestopthis]

East Asian beauty standards are crazy. It puts way too much pressure on people to fit into the beautiful cathegory.
I've seen k-pop singers who look almost anorexic... they would look so much prettier with more meat on their bones. Apparently, extreme diets and eating disorders are extremely common.

[dantetheexplorer]

Unfortunately, this is very true. My sister is 1.72 m - and even though she isn't a K-pop singer, my mom always gives her grief for being 53 kg. It's gotten to the point where a few rude relatives have started calling her "meaty". =.=

[pleasestopthis]

But... it's absurd to expect someone of her size to weight less than 50 kg. The taller, the heavier... you know, common sense.

[dantetheexplorer]

I know. And I agree. But unfortunately, I don't see the loosening of any of these standards in the future. I don't even think there's a sizable movement to create a counter to these standards. Everyone just goes with it.

[GuidoThePizzaMaker]

Thanks for reminding why I liked my ex so much! haha. She was so adorable!
I do appreciate the East Asian beauty standards but they are too restrictive as you eloquently explained.
I actually always found the eye-lid thing crazy haha. I love the mono eye-lid :) my ex had the mono eye lid and the baby fat underneath and she was so irresistible

[dantetheexplorer]

Mono eyelids are getting more love nowadays :)

[MissSkirt]

I thought in China short women find more favor with men while in the US tall women do (〜￣▽￣)〜... I am 5’7” tall (but I look like 5’9”) and few men around me look taller than me. I thought I could find tall men in the west but now it seems hopeless hahahaha ( •̥́ ˍ •̀ू )

[dantetheexplorer]

You need to hang out with men from my crowd - we are above 1.80 m :)

[MissSkirt]

I dream to 😍☺️

[-Asca-]

I don't know where you got that from. Europe is more in favor of tall women than the US

[MissSkirt]

@-Asca- Cool! Seems like I should travel to Europe😜

[John_Doesnt]

I'm pretty sure Americans can appreciate East Asian beauty. Most people think Irene is gorgeous.

[GreatnessBack]

She's iight.

[dantetheexplorer]

Not all though, of course. For some reason, I seem to run across many - strangely, especially women - who just think that all East Asians are ugly. You'd be surprised how many people have this mentality.

[Red-Blaze]

Really informative and really interesting
Thank you so much for this give me what to think about
And learn a lot

[Red-Blaze]

By the way do you work in something related to this or just interested?

[dantetheexplorer]

I travel frequently between North America and East Asia.
And I was born in East Asia. :)

[Red-Blaze]

Ok cool thanks

[dantetheexplorer]

You're welcome :)

[dantetheexplorer]

And feel free to check the follow up here as well!
East Asian Beauty Standards for Men ↗

[Red-Blaze]

Thanks I will

[Lynx122]

Holy fuck you went really in depth XD

Honestly I just came to say: "Girls' Generation we don't stop!"

[dantetheexplorer]

This is the abridged version.
I didn't want it to be too long :)

[DWornock]

That is all interesting, but every one of the girls has all the universal characteristics of beauty that you find in all races. They are:
1. Bilateral symmetry; without that you are ugly.
2. Small waist to hip ration with 70% being ideal. Beauty icons including Marilyn Monroe, Alessandra Ambrosio, Sophia Loren, Kate Moss, and even Venus de Milo all have ratios around 70%. Notice they have significantly different weights.
3. Smooth skin
4. Big eyes
5. Youthful appearance.

[syxibxni]

Your profile picture makes you look like Spencer Reid from Criminal Minds

[DWornock]

@syxibxni Thank you, but I had to Goggle to see who that was because, although I'm on the internet a lot, I seldom watch TV other than sporting events. All the propaganda, ridiculous political correctness, and excessive advertising turns me off.

[Киттйлинк]

Majority of Asian women who are the most beautiful tend to have done a lot of stuff to themselves to look that way.. from filters to tapes, skin lightening miracle makeup that makes them look like a complete different person.. etc. etc.. they don’t like the way the look naturally. The natural ones hardly ever make a big impression.
Now with alllllll that added they do look nice.

[ilovecurvychick]

Let's not forget about the surgery thing. I mean Korea rank one of the most visited countries for plastic surgery.

[LoU_Hades]

Men of European descent are in average more masculine than east Asian guys, therefore we prefer more feminine traits on east Asian women.
That's very likely the reason for different beauty standards.
As example: East Asian guys prefer women with more massive jaw line (at least from what I have seen), personally I find it's a trait of masculinity, hence I find women with massive jaws less feminine.

[dantetheexplorer]

"East Asian guys prefer women with more massive jaw line" - This is completely false. Facial contouring cosmetic operations in East Asia are always to make the jawline more petite, more V-shaped, although now U-shaped jawlines are becoming more popular.

[CallmeJazz]

Lol more masculine it depends on individual i have grown up with European men.

[saeyamazaki]

I'm not sure about the tall being better but yeah... this sounds about accurate.

[Levin]

In Japan?

[dantetheexplorer]

@saeyamazaki I don't think it's a case of "tall being better". I just feel that being tall for a woman isn't as heavily penalized in East Asia as it is in the US. I think it's less stressful to be a somewhat tall girl in East Asia - although of course, being "too tall" will also likely incur social penalties.

[saeyamazaki]

@Levin In East Asia. @dantetheexplorer typically guys prefer shorter girls over tall ones because the shorter ones are cuter and stuff.

[dantetheexplorer]

@saeyamazaki I think it depends. I grew up in 金沢 and 香港, and I think certain guys go for short and cute girls, certain guys (like me) go for tall and beautiful girls. Individual tastes, I suppose. :)

[saeyamazaki]

@dantetheexplorer I guess so, it's all preference

[dantetheexplorer]

@saeyamazaki At the end of the day, we all have our individual preferences ^_^
If you don't mind, I'd like to invite you to my other discussion:
East Asian Beauty Standards for Men ↗

[saeyamazaki]

@dantetheexplorer sure thing ahha

[dantetheexplorer]

@saeyamazaki Thank you! Apologies if it's too long.

[Avicenna]

Thanks for the very informative and thorough explanation.

[dantetheexplorer]

You're welcome!

[Little_Princesa]

People here be like these standards are crazy but like... its crazy everywhere. I don't know why its considered ok to tan your skin but bleaching it isn't alright. It seems people want to act like their own culture is better

[Stoner710]

Personally I prefer Asian women over white women I especially love the Japanese especially since I can actually talk to them. Only know 3 words in Chinese and 1 in Korean but I can get myself around in japan easily