Since I have been to Asia many times and now live in Japan, I know how (many) Asian people here define beauty. The definition is always: big eyes with double eyelids, white skin and a narrow nose.
Because of that many people would probably jump to the conclusion that a lot of Asians secretly desire to look like white people. Maybe it is true to some extent, since we still live in a white man's world (even the election of president Obama hasn't changed this fact...yet). Many talk show programs in United States for example often let us believed that this is the reason why many Asians want to have double eyelids etc. However, what people seem to forget is that some Asians do have natural double eyelids and that white skin has been a beauty ideal long time before there was any contact between East and West (geisha is a proof...). In Asia (and Europe) white/fair skin was a way to show that you were rich and didn't need to work outside (like in the field). So it has originally nothing to do with white people, even though it may be the case now.
In the end what is beautiful or not can often not be defined. It all depends of the eye of the beholder.
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