Let’s talk about the #foxeye challenge
I have my grandmother’s eyes––phoenix eyes.
Named after the Chinese mythical creature, phoenix eyes refer to an eye shape with the inner corner pointed slightly downwards and most characteristically, a “tail” that sweeps up towards the temple.
Back home, phoenix eyes are seen as more than just a beautiful facial feature. In Chinese literature, people with phoenix eyes are believed to be loyal, righteous, and wise. Despite having a favorable eye shape, I still felt the need to make my eyes appear bigger and rounder.
At fifteen, my daily makeup routine included many steps dedicated to making my eyes more “western.” I used eyelid tape, eye-enlarging colored contacts (despite not needing glasses), and heavy eyeshadow almost every day.
I was made fun of my eyes for the first time as a freshman at USC. A group of my friends at the time would joke about my eyes always being closed. I would laugh along, blame the light, or the sun because I didn’t know how else to react. During one encounter, a person insisted that I was Japanese because my eyes tilted upwards even though I had already told them otherwise. Another instance involved a guy I believed to be my friend.
While teasing me about a crush I had at the time, he felt the need to pull his eyes back with his fingers and speak in a falsetto to “imitate” me.
We haven’t spoken since.
These comments and microaggressions made me feel angry, confused, and self-conscious about the ways that my eyes looked. These were only a handful of my experiences in the three short years I have been in the United States. I could only imagine the ridicule and bullying directed at Asian Americans growing up. Based on my friends’ accounts, years of this kind of harassment has led to internalized self-hate.
This brings me to the fox eye challenge taking Tik Tok by storm the last few days.
Popularized by models and celebrities, the trend challenges views to recreate “foxy” eyes (essentially thinner, almond-shaped eyes with an upwards sweep). Some ways to recreate this look include using eyeshadow, pulling strands of hair by the temples back tightly, and even surgical procedures.
The “fox-eye” has become so normalized that many outside of the Asian community do not see the issue with it. The fox eye pose is where the person places their fingertips on their temples and pushes it up (the “I might have a migraine” look). Defenders of this challenge say that it is just a trend and that it was not meant to mimic Asian features.
While I feel that everyone is entitled to their own style and beauty choices, this pose is reminiscent of hateful gestures made at Asian Americans. Further, it is hurtful to see that a facial feature that has been ridiculed on Asian Americans turned into an “exotic look” for white influencers.
It is strange for me because growing up I was told that I had the phoenix eye that everyone wanted. It was not something I ever felt self-conscious about until I came here and it became the most prominent part of my features. My eyes were something that I was told to feel shame about, that I should try and make them bigger or more western. When I used makeup to alter my eyes back home it felt like a personal beauty choice, but since I have been in the US it feels like a necessity.
In learning about the fox-eye challenge I discovered the history behind one of the most popular plastic surgery procedures in Asia––the double eyelid surgery. This surgery creates a fold above the eyes so that they appear wider and more doe-like. The double eyelid surgery was popularized by plastic surgeon Dr. Ralph Millard in the 1950s. He conducted this surgery on countless American war brides to appear less threatening racially and more palatable as new immigrants. It was seen as demonstrating a commitment to assimilating to the Western lifestyle.
Differences in our bodies have long been used to other and oppress. Eyes are no different.
By trivializing the significance of the “Fox-eye” challenge and the pose involved it invalidates the experiences of many Asian people. While this pose is still used to ridicule Asians, it is at the same time being elevated as a desirable feature on white supermodels. So while the #foxeyechallenge has over 17.5 million views on Tik Tok, please consider the implications of the pose before joining in.
