Taping Eyelids: Fashionable Accessory or Outright Racism?

I adore fashion. I adore Asian in media!

So when I see a white model with taped eyelids for a Dolce & Gabana shoot, I’m going to be pissed. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, check it out here:

Yes, fashion is known for pushing buttons and being ultra creative, but I see no creativity in this photo shoot. Let me guess… they were looking for a model who could pull off an almond eye and possibly monolid look! Wait for it, I think I have a brilliant idea… How about using an Asian model?

Watching that video made me extremely uncomfortable. Also finding out that two white women styled this shoot for an Asian magazine made me immensely edgy. While some of the trolls on YouTube say eyelid taping to make one look more “oriental” shouldn’t be offensive, I say otherwise!

Remember when white people used to paint their faces black so as to portray black people in a racist and belittling manner?  If I recall correctly, the conclusion to that part of history was that was messed up and we should stop portraying people in a bigoted fashion.

Connie Wang brings up a point in her article for Refinery 29 that nowadays, being extreme can be avant-garde like Lady Gaga with her pointy scale face (although she also questions the racism/art idea). See below.

Sure, if there were people known for pointy temples and sharp cheekbones, I’m sure they’d be pissed too! However, I don’t know of any person who was born that way if you will, so I think it’s safe to say that Lady Gaga looking like an alien won’t harm anyone.

However, this looks a lot like yellowface.

Call me crazy, but I think taping eyelids for the sake of “fashion” is pointless and offensive. If the point was the make the model more Asian looking, why don’t you find an Asian model? Or, maybe, if your point was to be fashionable and artistic, please remember that there are billions of Asians, many of which who won’t care about this, but some who find this artistic choice distasteful and unstylish.