In the eye of the beholder

A PRESTIGIOUS university in China is in the news twice in the last few months for all the wrong reasons.

First it was a short video of a group of students who danced during its 110th anniversary, sparking criticism for being too vulgar.

Just recently, the same university received brickbats from the public for its 2021 graduation fashion show featuring models with eye make-up deliberately done to lengthen their eyes.

The Chinese are sensitive over remarks on slant eyes or make-up deemed as Western stereotypes of Asians.

The event held by Tsinghua University’s Academy of Arts and Design was deemed “lacking cultural sensitivity awareness” for choosing only models with small eyes.

The show, which took place in Beijing on May 20, did not get a lot of public attention until a review of the event was uploaded on YouTube recently.

Feeling humiliated, Chinese netizens vented out their anger on social media platforms.

“It looked like a scene in a horror movie,” commented one of them.

Some felt that the eye make-up was tailored to play to the Western world, which has long mocked Asians for having small eyes.

“Can’t blame others, we humiliated and belittled ourselves,” wrote Liushui.

Another view was that although people of different countries have their own standards of beauty, Tsinghua has to be “more sensitive” due to its prestigious reputation.

“Put aside the eyes, the clothes are ugly,” said Laoli, who also felt that the models had failed to display the vigorous spirit of the students.

A blogger said she understood the theme, adding the organiser was merely trying to express the fear faced by people in the pandemic era.

She, however, expressed disappointment over the poor execution of the idea.

Some netizens have called on the people to not jump on the issue, urging them to support natural beauty, irrespective if one has small or big and round eyes.

The educational institution on the 17th place of the QS World University Rankings has yet to respond to the controversy.

It had earlier described the show, titled The Door Opener, as a mix of fashion and new media arts with designs inspired by various elements including history, social issues and community groups.

In April, Chinese consumers called for a boycott against French fashion brand Chanel after the company’s executive Michel Gaubert posted a video showcasing slant-eyed masks with guests screaming “Wuhan girls”.

Wuhan is a Chinese city which came under lockdown for 76 days early last year following the Covid-19 outbreak.

In the past, a pair of small eyes lined with a tail that swept upwards was seen as a sign of beauty in women and the Chinese even gave it a beautiful name.

They called it danfeng yan (phoenix eyes), and believed those with such eyes were righteous and wise.

Some people argued that phoenix eyes are long but not small.

The negative sentiment over the eye shape is said to arise following the appearance of Fu Manchu, a fictional character created by English novelist Sax Rohmer in the early 1910s.

The villainous character of Fu, who was featured with squinty eyes and the ability to cast a spell upon anyone who gazed into his eyes, would later perpetuate “yellow peril” paranoia in the Western world.

Since then, the facial feature has been stereotyped and used as a casual racist remark against Asians, with some people pulling on the corners of their eyes to humiliate the ethnicity.

Just two months ago, the university was slammed for approving a “pornographic” dance performance at its anniversary celebration.

Clad in dresses with golden tinsel, nine women were seen in the video swaying to the music in front of the school’s iconic Grand Auditorium.

The two-minute dance routine, criticised for being very badly done, has been deemed vulgar instead of sexy.

“I thought I was seeing a show at the opening of a foot reflexology shop,” wrote an Internet user.

Many were questioning how the university authorities could have allowed such an inappropriate performance.

Some viewed that the women had done their best as they were not professional dancers.