Stretching the Bounds of Culture
By Larissa Lee, Staff Writer

I grew up in a diverse town where we strived to break cultural barriers. In school, we were always learning about other cultures and in doing so, became educated and respectful of the cultural differences in the world. Nowadays I wonder if I learned it all wrong. We accept other cultures in respect to the fact that we (Americans) are the dominant culture. As I grew older and traveled more places, I became upset to see how Americanized everything had become. From Coke to Britney Spears, traveling to different countries often became a carnivalesque show on how different cultures have adapted American ways of life. Are there any more cultures without a touch of Americanism? What is it about this culture that has driven it so far and wide across the world?

One realization is that Americanization may have gone too far. People in China are adapting to more Caucasian ideals of beauty through feats of cosmetic surgery, the most common of these surgeries being leg-lengthening surgery. Leg lengthening surgery is exactly what it sounds like. A device called an Ilizarov external fixator is surgically attached to the leg. Patients are required to turn a knob on the Ilizarov external fixator four times a day. The knob can be likened to a retainer or pallet expander and a key in orthodontics. Each time the patient turns the key, the retainer or pallet expanded widens just a little more. Likewise, every time the Ilizarov external fixator is cranked, it actually pulls the bones further apart so that more bone will be regenerated to fill the gap. All in all, the patient can gain two to three inches in height.

The question remains though as to why the Chinese are putting themselves through these cosmetic procedures and secondly, why are they trying to achieve a Caucasian ideal? For one, China is home to over a billion people, which is approximately one sixth of the world’s population. In a country of over a billion and so few successful positions to fill, it is no wonder that each person must constantly out do the other. As Xiaohong, a 1.52-m law student says, "People in China will always pick the taller woman, even if the shorter person is more talented" (Beech). The height requirement is also simply just another way to narrow the applicant pool. Ma Xiang, a recruiter for online companies in Beijing, which requires that female applicants be at least 1.6 m tall said in an interview, "You don't have to be tall to be good at computers, but it's one of the ways we can limit the number of resumes we get" (Beech). This is why such extreme cosmetic surgery is so important in China today. People must now meet new physical standards of appearance to get a job.

However, not only are the Chinese changing their physical appearance, but more specifically they are changing their appearances to fit Caucasian ideals. The mentality behind this, again, is partially due to Americanization. To see Americans and, how successful America is in comparison to China, sets a standard to aspire to. Not to mention the belief that, “There's a strong perception that foreign business clients would rather deal with people closer to their own height” (Campbell). After all, didn’t someone say that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery? I’m not sure if I ever did agree with that quote…

However, the leg-lengthening fad cannot be completely blamed on Americanization because several other sources of angst come from within China. Recently, there has been a new wave of popular tall Chinese celebrities that encourages leg-lengthening operations. Among them, perhaps the most recognizable might be 7’ 5” NBA Star, Yao Ming. Many may also recognize Yao from the Dell Laptop and Mastercard commercials that aired on television. Also, abnormally tall girls like Huang Xinye, who was once ridiculed for her 6’ 1”height, are now being recruited by modeling agencies to model on the international modeling circuit.

Being a short (just under 5’) Chinese girl myself, I understand the pressures that Chinese society is placing on them and the enormous struggles and effort they are putting in to making their lives better. I completely sympathize with their struggles, but there are limits, and these limits are the deeper issues at hand here. Chinese people are changing the way that they look to fit Caucasian ideals because they can no longer afford to be themselves. This is an issue that transcends insecurity and borders on a type of reverse race discrimination. What is wrong with being a physical ideal (“ideal” being the epitome of appearances of a particular race) within your race? Specifically, what is wrong with being a physically ideal Chinese man or woman? All races, on a scientific level, are different and are meant to be different. Asian features were not meant to be Caucasian features. Why is the Asian standard no longer acceptable to Asians?

There needs to be a level of acceptance with the way that your race is, and that same acceptance should extend to other races as well. In other words, people should be happy with their race, in every aspect, and not look to other races to meet some impossible ideal. As Americanization continues to spread across the world, cultures need to take pride and realize that their own culture is equally as valuable. People should admire the differences that exist between different cultures. There needs to be a way that we can be able to exchange our ideas, beliefs, and cultures, without destroying ourselves or our own cultures in the process.