Her Eyelids Flutter
A painting by Chloe Sun.
This oil painting is a somewhat abstract depiction of the appropriation of Asian eyes — while all Asian children share painful memories of non-Asian classmates with eyes pulled back, laughing at something we could not control, and the awareness of growing up being discriminated towards because of our eye shape, suddenly that has been stolen from us and metamorphasized into something trendy to non-Asian models and the internet. Poses classified under the “fox eye trend” had models adopting or even getting surgery to mimic those same poses we saw during our childhood. Many online have also begun participating in “Asian-fishing” — drawing eyeliner just so to mimic the eyes we were told were ugly and shameful on us, but beautiful on them. While they take and profit off of the natural curves of how we see the world, we are left behind.
About the Artist
Chloe Sun (she/her) is an Indiana-based artist and graphic designer. She is currently pursuing a BFA in Design from Carnegie Mellon University. Passionate about uplifting fellow women of color and honoring her Chinese-American roots, Chloe has been involved in numerous community/social justice art and print magazine initiatives. In her free time, she loves exploring new music and penpal-ing. You can find more of her work under the handle @gallery.of.sun on Instagram.
