Foxy eyes: understand why the trend is so controversial

If you are into beauty trends, you must have heard of “foxy eyes”. But do you know exactly what it is? Recently, this trend came to light and raised several discussions on social media. After all, is this technique problematic? See what are the foxy eyes and the opinions of yellow Asian women on the subject.

What is the foxy eyes trend?

Foxy eyes or “fox eyes” is the name given to the trend that seeks to lift and lengthen the look. The effect is usually achieved through makeup, with a smoky and extended eyeliner, which leaves the eyes with the appearance of being more “pulled”. The technique gained popularity especially after influencers and models like Kendall Jenner and Bella Hadid posed with this type of makeup.

In addition to makeup, there are currently aesthetic clinics that do a procedure that makes foxy eyes permanent. For this, a “lifting” is done in the temple area, with the implantation of some wires to pull the eyes.

Are Foxy Eyes Problematic?

But why are foxy eyes, which seemed like just another beauty trend, so controversial? The techniques that make the eyes elongate can be interpreted as an attempt to simulate characteristic features of yellow people of East Asian origin or descent. Much more than a simple outline or aesthetic procedure, the issue is complex and involves beauty standards, processes of self-acceptance and appropriation.

For Asian girls, many of whom grew up hearing jokes (read: insults) about their phenotypes (like “open your eyes!”) or even seeing white people squinting their eyes to imitate them, it’s a bit strange to see this trend become so popular.

For Tate Iizuka, who works in the fashion market and shares various artistic looks on his Instagram feed, “it is uncomfortable for some people of color (not just yellow ones), because if we are going to understand a little about culture, globalization and white supremacy, we can see some reflections (in a matter that seems merely aesthetic) of something systemic.”

For Tate, make-up foxy eyes and the permanent aesthetic procedure are very different, as they have different results and implications. The use of shadows and the technique of drawing, for example, emerged in Egypt thousands of years ago. “If we are to take the whole story into account, culturally speaking, this technique is Arab property!”

Tate comments: “I don’t bother with makeup in general and its techniques because I think we should look at the following context: we live in 2020, where makeup is an artistic expression, and not a symbol that reflects a hierarchy of races. (It may be that an Arab girl says otherwise, that her ancestral techniques may have to do with the way she is treated in society.)”

The surgery of placing wires to pull the eyes is another matter. For Tate Iizuka, “the difference is in the sense that our phenotypes are, indeed, elements that can reflect on the way we are treated in society. For example, my experience that differentiates me from a white person consists of being identified as yellow based on physical characteristics, especially my eyes.”

Opinions about foxy eyes are manifold, even among Asian people who have spoken out about the trend. Makeup youtuber Joyce Kitamura, by way of example, did not see the trend as offensive or as an appropriation. In a post on Instagram, she shared what she thinks of this type of make-up and commented on the name given to the trend.

already the actress Ana Hikari published in your twitter an interesting reflection on foxy eyes and cultural appropriation.

This discussion is valid not only for yellow people, but for other racialized groups, as it leads to questioning beauty standards. Tate Iizuka comments: “All my life the ideal was Eurocentric beauty. It has always been like that. But, over the years, that started to change. Cultural productions, globalization and the economy bring these elements to the world, people begin to see other cultures and value diversity, which was once ridiculed.”

We can take the case of Asian women who saw the “double” or the marked crease as the ideal of beauty. With the popularization of Asian media here, such as dramas and kpop, other aesthetics began to be accepted and valued. However, that doesn’t erase what the yellow people lived for a long time, being stigmatized and suffering from exoticism because of the shape of their eyes.

The problem is not necessarily whether or not to make a type of outline, but in what this trend can generate or mean. It is not just a questioning of what you “can or cannot do”, but a complex question about makeup, beauty standards and appropriation.

It is important to remember that the experiences of yellow people are not universal and everyone has their own point of view on the matter. Tate points out: “I also make it clear that I don’t say what is or isn’t right and wrong, I count my feelings as yellow when I realize this change in standards”.

It is not forbidden to do foxy eyes, but it is important to understand that this trend can bother a group of people who have always had their features ridiculed and now see the shape of their eyes become “fashion” by people who have never experienced it (and, for sometimes even contributed to) this stigma.

Finally, it’s nice to think about how makeup reflects on cultural and social changes and how foxy eyes no are just another outline. It is essential to value different beauties, but take care that this does not become an appropriation.

It would be more interesting to value the traits of a yellow person than trying to imitate these phenotypes with makeup, wouldn’t it? And for inspiration to value your natural beauty, check out these profiles of off-the-rail women to follow on Instagram.