The Uniform Beauty Of Asian Women "Before And After Makeup"

“Before and after makeup” shots are a weird Internet phenomenon, and this gallery of “Asian Girls Before and After Makeup” is noteworthy both in that it exists and the uniform standard of beauty on display.

“Are these even real?” asks Peggy Wang, who, on Buzzfeed, brought the gallery to larger attention (though there are numerous such galleries in general). But the gallery is just another example of the odd phenomenon of the “before-after makeup pic” that many young women have taken to posting on the internet. We’ve seen these images used variously for makeup tutorials, fetishists and examples of the “improving” power of cosmetics. But what we find most striking is the uniformity of the aesthetic: reminiscent of the makeovers of Playboy bunnies or that the studio system game starlets in the 20s and 30s. In all three cases, individuality is stripped away to achieve a clear and cohesive standard of “beauty.” Here, that apparently means anime eyes, kiss-pout mouths, and the general stripping of 10 years off of one’s age. Before your eyes, you see these young women go from individuals to, well, “after.”