Schema Magazine

In our society, both women and men feel immense pressure to conform to our impossible standards of beauty: thin, tall, blonde, fair skinned, big eyes. Some turn to cosmetic surgery to 'correct' what makes them feel insecure. Beautiful Sisters, a new documentary by Connie Chung, explores eyelid surgery (a procedure that creates a double eyelid), a popular procedure for many women of Asian origin.

This 8-minute documentary gives the audience a revealing glimpse into each woman's personal struggle. Some are torn between conforming to American cultural beauty norms and maintaining their ethnic origins; others undergo the procedure almost as a right of passage or under pressure from their family. Beautiful Sisters is a touching look at how we define beauty, and how this definition shapes our cultural and racial identities.

Watching this film gave me some insight into the phenomenon of eyelid surgery. As I have large green eyes, I never even thought of altering my eyes; I have no idea what it would be like to have someone try to tape my eyelids. However, every eye is beautiful, regardless of its size or if it has a double fold. Our society needs to expand its constrained ideals of beauty to include all backgrounds, genders, sizes, and shapes.

Check out the documentary below.