The latest beauty craze in Japan is an eyelid tape which gives Asian eyes a crease or double lid for a more Western look.
The definition of “ideal beauty” varies around the world. So, it makes sense there is a huge range of unique beauty products to appeal to each country. I love seeing all of the slightly strange but fascinating beauty inventions, but there is one beauty product that Japanese girls have been obsessing over that continues to cause controversy: eyelid tape. According to the Daily Mail, eyelid tape is now a beauty must-have for many women, but that doesn’t mean everyone is fine with it.
In the last few years, the demand for double eyelid creation has slowly gone up in Asian countries like Singapore, Japan, Korea, and others. While the procedure is relatively safe, it is best that you get it done only under the supervision of trained and experienced plastic surgeons at the top medical institutions.
Asian women use medical-grade eyelid tape to get a crease in their eyelid, or what they refer to as a “double eyelid.” The resulting look is a more “Western” appearance, which is coveted for the traditionally larger eyes.
The eyelid tape is not a new invention. It has been around for a couple of years but is having a recent surge of popularity. This time it started in South Korea before moving on to Japan. You can even buy the tape off Amazon for $4.99, and there are numerous different brands selling it.
While many Asian women and magazines are fans of the product, many are still upset by it. It has been criticized because it makes people want to change who they are, and it makes them lose their sense of identity. Critics have gone as far as to say that using the tapes makes you ashamed to be Asian.
Reika Kosaka, who has used the eyelid tape, defended it to the Daily Mail and said it is no different than any other beauty product:
“We wear make-up, put on fake eyelashes and fingernails, add hair extensions and wear bras that make our breasts look bigger, so why not a bit of alteration of the eyelid, especially if it’s only temporary for a night out on the town?”
She does make a very good point, considering that even something like a lipstick alters our appearance, and it is temporary, just like the tape. The eyelid tape is also an alternative to the popular upper eyelid blepharoplasty surgeries, where people go under the knife to permanently achieve the double eyelid look. I only hope that women use the eyelid tape in the same way that they use nail polish or eyeshadow, to experiment with their appearance for fun, and not because they are ashamed with their facial features, and think there is only one beauty ideal, and one “perfect” shaped eye–because there isn’t. What do you think?