The Fox Eye Trend
by Serene Hwang
By now, you have probably seen your favorite celebrities or runway models take part in the latest “fox eye trend”. This new “trend” is easy to take part in. Pull the outer corner of your eyes, snap a selfie, and you’re done. At first glance, this may simply look like an innocent and playful gesture. Combined with a pretty smile and nice lighting, how could it possibly have a deep-rooted history of hatred and injustice?
As a young Korean American growing up in the heart of Los Angeles, I’ve had to come to terms with being different from a very young age. Being an Asian entailed that my lunch was to be eaten quickly because my peers disliked its smell, I should help my classmates finish their math homework, and, best of all, I would have to constantly hear people make fun of my “small slanted eyes”. One afternoon, as I was washing my hands in my kindergarten bathroom, one of my white classmates introduced me to a new game; she would pull her eyes into different angles and I would have to guess which Asian race she was referring to. My heart dropped to my stomach when she yanked her eyes downwards and mouthed “Korean”. However, this experience is not unique to me; everyone in the Asian community has faced some sort of racism at one point or another. Since the first Asian immigrant has stepped foot on American soil, “tiny Asian eyes” have been mocked and jeered at for the public’s entertainment. This practice endures today and racist Asian references can commonly be seen scattered throughout the media where it is used for comedic relief.
How does this tie back to the “fox eye trend”? The gesture of pulling back one’s eyes has been used to belittle the Asian community for generations; it has been a symbol of prejudice and racism. The years of hatred endured by Asians have been morphed into an Instagram celebrity’s photo for people to praise. I was taught to be ashamed of my slanted eyes, yet the attractive white models on magazines are turning it into a trend for themselves. A gesture with such a hateful and painful history within a community should not be used as a trendy pose for influencers.
Most people are simply uneducated on the topic and are unaware of the derogatory meaning behind the trend. The fact that it may be racist may have never crossed the mind of a non-Asian person. Spreading awareness can play a key role in ending racism towards the Asian community. When possible, it is important to shed light on the injustices that minorities suffer to create a world where people can be respected no matter their race. If we do not continue to fight against social injustice and prejudice, racism will become embedded and normalized within our society. We will never progress into a country with “liberty and justice for all”. Is that really the nation we want to be?