Beauty Race

The checklist for what makes a person beautiful is always altering, but at present ethnicity has been the reason for the most common cosmetic procedure.

Double eye lid surgery for females of Asian-decent is becoming more popular but is it for the right reasons?

Tonight Presenter of SBS's Insight Jenny Brockie told Aileen Phillips while there are no statistics to indicate how widespread ethnic cosmetic surgery is, it appears to be a growing trend.

A desire to have double eyelids can be born from wanting to wear eye makeup more clearly and have a more ‘natural’ look… a shared notion among patients who aspire to look like celebrities of models within popular culture.

An ironic desire as this procedure is the opposite of ‘natural’. This minor-op changes the way a person looks ethnically to embrace a western look that is genetically not compatible to the rest of the recipients face.

Sadly this cosmetic surgery is targeted at women who feel that by changing their own natural eyelids for a more western look that will also “appear more attractive and glamorous and perhaps, have a little more westernised appearance.”- A direct quote from Dr Jack Ting’s website, Australia's most experienced Laser Cosmetic Surgeon.

The majority of Asians have upper eyelids that appear to be taut from brow to lashes, rather than segmented by a crease. Asian blepharoplasty patients often request the creation of an upper eyelid crease, or "double eyelid," which uncovers a portion of the natural eye contours, making the eyes slightly larger, rounder and more amenable to makeup, as well as exposing more of the eyelashes

Check out Beauty Race on SBS ONE tonight at 7:30pm or the repeated episodes on Friday 1:30pm, Monday 2:30pm SBS ONE, Friday 8:30pm SBS TWO