Different Ethnic Groups Favor Unique Looks

With over one-third of Americans identifying themselves as members of a minority group, the face of the plastic surgery industry has become more diverse, says a recent article in the New York Times. The Big Apple has developed a number of cosmetic surgery niche markets in this increasingly diverse metropolis. While these trends are not true for everybody within these groups, it has been enough for many surgeons who are opening new clinics in ethnic enclaves.

In the past, cosmetic surgery was often used to conceal ethnic identities, as with European Jews in the early 20th century, who often had nose jobs to look “more American.” Nowadays, however, more and more people are celebrating their unique heritage and appearance with treatments that appeal to their cultural sensibilities and take account of their lines and shapes. As the Times article points out, women want to emulate particular celebrities, such as the wide eyes of Korean pop singer Lee Hyori, or the full breasts of the Mexican singer Thalía.

While standard procedures like tummy tucks and liposuction are popular across all groups, a number of procedures have emerged as heavily favoured by particular ethnic and cultural groups. Here are some of the preferences outlined in the article that appeal to the plastic-surgery clientele among New York’s minority groups:

• Latin women love to accentuate their curves with breast and buttocks implants.
• Facelifts are very popular among Egyptian women.
• Many Chinatown Koreans want their jaw lines to be slimmed.
• Breast enlargement is very popular among Russian women in Brooklyn.
• Double-eyelid surgery, which makes the eye look rounder, is popular among New York Asians.
• Italian women have work done on their knees to show off their legs in miniskirts.
• Recent Chinese immigrants love prominent earlobes, but not prominent nostrils.