Wednesday, May 9, 2007

Only in Asia?

So I'm in Taipei right now and I've started noticing this commercial that is always playing for new contacts called Acuvue Define. I'm pretty sure that they are only on sale in Asia because when I looked online they weren't on the American Acuvue website. Here is Acuvue's description:

"Acuvue Define is the 1st daily disposable designed to enhance the beauty of the eyes in a subtle and natural way. It makes the eyes look bigger, brighter and more beautiful so naturally that nobody will know your secret. It features a unique and defined circular ring that enhances and darkens the iris (the coloured part of the eye) thereby making the eyes bigger, brighter, and better defined. Its every woman's secret to having more beautiful eyes naturally."

Here are the example pictures and descriptions from the website. Do you think the women look better with the contacts?
"Dark limbal ring enhances and defines the iris for an elegant look"
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"Delicate brown spokes enhance the natural pattern of the iris for a livelier look"
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On the bottom of the website it says:

With the average Asian Horizontal Visible Iris Diameter being 11.2mm*, hence the outer diameter of 1•DAY ACUVUE® DEFINE™ was designed to enlarge the eyes.

*Average diameter of Asian Eye (Horizontal Visible Iris Diameter) Data file, J&J Vision Care, 2005

I really don't know how I feel about this. In Asia, eyelid surgery to create double eyelids to make your eyes look bigger is very popular. I think that is why Acuvue makes a point to say that these contacts make your eyes look bigger "naturally." Eyelid tape is also very popular because it creates a fold and has the same effect. Even though Asian people naturally have smaller eyes, is it the Western ideal of beauty that is making them (and me also, since I'm Asian American) feel that we need our eyes to be bigger? I'm not gonna lie, when I get my make up done I always ask what can I do to make my eyes look bigger. It's also one of the things I'm most self-conscious about.

These contacts are only sold in Asia, is that because Acuvue thinks that Asian woman are the only ones who want their eyes to look bigger? Also, I always thought that if your irises look really big, won't that end up making your eyes look smaller because the irises are too big for your eyes? These are mostly rhetorical questions, do any of you wear these contacts, do they work? This is a very controversial subject and I still don't really know how I feel about it. However, for some reason I find these contacts kind of disturbing. What are your thoughts on the eyelid surgery issue?

6 comments:

joanh said...

wow! i've never seen that before. I suppose it's to make the eyes like the Japanese manga girls with big irises. I don't think people should do the surgery, but with so many people wearing colored contacts, why not try this. But sometimes the colored contacts freak me out- I guess if it's subtle and looks natural. If it's obviously fake, like stick skinny girls w/ huge boobs, then it's too much!

Anonymous said...

hi! im currently living in asia and let me tell u this, this contacts are HUGE here! almost every teenager is buying them. i've got a couple of pairs as well and they work great! really makes your eyes look bigger naturally.comes in different colours too!

Paint Me Gorgeous said...

Hey there,

These contacts are AMAZING! :)

Katie Hallison said...

Yep, it's really not uncommon to see Asian women wanting to get bigger eyes because of the Western stigma. But then again, we also see women from the West wanting to get a bit of Asian features. And, it's not limited to the eyes. In any case, one knows for herself what "kind" of eyes will make her more beautiful. There are products and procedures for each enhancement. Anyway, if all you want is beautiful eyes, nothing can go wrong with that! :)

Unknown said...

For some people, contact lenses are a matter of practicality. People in highly physically active professions, for instance, find acuvue define easier because glasses can fall off the face during periods of activity.

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