Last Wednesday Sept 11, on an episode of daytime talk show ‘The Talk’, one of the hosts Julie Chen made a shocking personal confession that was quickly grabbed by news headlines everywhere. She admitted to having surgery on her eyes to make them look “less Asian” and this was not in an effort to look more pretty or more white, but because of people in her industry telling her she would never get anywhere because of how Asian she looked.
It was shocking and sickening that someone would even say such a thing to a person. Like, out loud!
The 43 year old told the audience and her co-hosts that when she was 25, she was working as a reporter for a news station in Ohio whose news producer told her she would never be a news anchor because she was Chinese. Wow…
“You will never be on this anchor desk, because you’re Chinese…Let’s face it Julie, how relatable are you to our community?…On top of that because of your Asian eyes, I’ve noticed that when you’re on camera, you look disinterested and bored.”
But it didn’t stop there, she went on to express how her agent at the time, who had an “all-star” clientele told her she needed to get plastic surgery.
“He said, ‘I cannot represent you unless you get plastic surgery to make your eyes look better.’ He then whips out a list of plastic surgeons who have done this procedure.”
To be a young ethnic woman on American television at the time would’ve been a huge deal and made her a pioneer of sorts.
We acknowledge Julie for being brave and admitting this live on national television, but the significance of it goes beyond that. She was willing to put it out there and be real about how the event affected her.
“I don’t like to live with regrets,” she said. “I did it. I moved on. No one is more proud to be Chinese than I am” says one of the now-most recognizable faces on US TV, and the wife of CBS President Les Moonves.
Julie’s confession, we believe, is not to encourage other girls out there to alter their physical state just to fit into someone else’s ideal, but to show that we all have our weak moments, but whatever decisions we make, we need to stand by them and continue to stay true to our authentic selves.
If you are a woman of color, nothing should make you more proud! There is nothing, we repeat, nothing wrong with the way you look. Plastic surgery is not the answer to all your insecurities. Julie Chen went on to have a very successful career in television because of her talent, passion and dedication. She chose to rise above the “Asian eyes” incident and not let it dictate her path.
Here’s to more brave women willing to admit mistakes but learning the important lessons which will inspire others in the right direction.
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