Why Western beauty ideals and ‘Instagram face’ rule in Southeast Asia, and women hide their ‘Asian noses’
- While West has embraced diverse beauty – Rihanna, take a bow – women in Southeast Asia still crave Kim Kardashian West’s doll-like features and highlights
- This ‘homogenisation of beauty’, pushed by multinationals, amounts to ‘a new kind of colonialism’, academics say. Some local companies have pushed back, though
A swish of foundation, a dab of lip tint on the cheeks and nose – Malaysian make-up artist Jia is prepping her model for a false-eyelashes product shoot. There’s little product, and even fewer sharp lines, but a lot of blending.
“I really want her features to be enhanced by natural shadows,” Jia, who wants to be known only by her first name, tells the Post. This means no heavy contours or highlights. No filling of eyebrows with powder, pencil and concealer. No coloured contact lenses. No making the nose “higher”.
It’s an exercise in restraint and in respect for the model’s natural features. She is transformed into a vision of glowing Malay beauty, one Jia believes will look good from all angles in front of unforgiving cameras.
Social media, however, would disagree. The most-liked posts under the hashtags #MUAMalaysia” – MUA stands for make-up artist – depict various brides and models wearing the “Instagram face”: doll-like features, heavy contours and highlights, this is the Instagram era’s way of to look flawless, and selfie-ready from all angles.
Popularised by beauty influencers such as NikkiE and celebrities such as Kim Kardashian West, it’s a look that, for the average woman, demands more than just the right products or techniques.
