Pride in Identity

Have you ever noticed? Although we are in Asia, our fashion sense and definition of beauty are predominantly influenced by those from the Western country. We somehow forget how much their features differ from us; how they have double eyelids, how they have a more angular face and so on. Flip through the magazines nowadays, those make up tutorials, the models, they are either westerners or pan-asian (a mix of western blood and Asian blood).

Now don't get me wrong. There is nothing wrong about them westerners. They are great beauties themselves. But hey, what is wrong with us Asians too? Why are the younger generations nowadays so obsessed with having similar traits with Americans? Colour lenses, bleached hair and getting treatments to have double eye lids -all of which, is now a norm if you go to a nearby mall infested with young adults from ages as young as 13 until as old as their early thirties!

Westerners define their beauty from their history and culture, like how we Asians do to. We Asians were never born to have coloured hair nor coloured lenses, but that does not make us any less prettier than Americans, Europeans or anyone else! As the saying goes, 'Beauty is in the eyes of its beholder.'

Magazines nowadays are not helping the matter any one bit either. Most of the models featured in big advertorials are Americans, Europeans, Pan Asians. Makeup tutorials are featuring models are westerners. Let's be practical, hardly any of us have prominent creases, high cheek bones and sharp noses. How is the tutorial going to be useful to us, if we can't achieve the effect needed?

Here is a couple of pictures of Westerners:

Jennifer Lopez

Singer, Actress and Model

Angelina Jolie

Actress and Model

Jennifer Anniston

Actress

Now look at these pictures:

Gong Li

Actress

Zhang Zi Yi

Actress, Model

Dato' Michelle Yeoh

Actress, Model

Aishwarya Rai

Actress

Dato' Siti Nurharliza

Actress

Asians have a definitive and exotic look -something which, westerners envy. Be it that you are a Chinese, Malay, or Indian, you have -at least- a few hundred years of history and culture that backs you up. You are your own identity -the descendant of your race. Not anyone else.

I won't say I am the perfect example of holding the greatest pride in my identity. I still get caught only paying attention to American celebrities as to our local ones. I guess what I am trying to say -let's us all give it a try, at least. Enhance our looks instead of trying to imitate. Flaunt that essence of your race, your identity through how you look. Don't waste your time trying to 'look like Kim Kardashian' or 'be like Jennifer Lopez'.

Because I am sure that even they would say, 'Just be yourself, and no one else.'

We suggest: http://www.youtube.com/user/michellephan?blend=1&ob=4 for cool Asian makeup tutorials!