STP's Far East Feature: What is 'beautiful'?

Japanese model Rinka (37) became the first Asian celebrity to participate for Marc by Marc Jacobs Nude Photo Charity

Yesterday I accompanied someone to a tanning studio. I told a lady behind the counter: “I have never been to a tanning studio before. ” Like many other Far East girls, I would like to be absolutely pale. During the three years I studied in Barcelona, I only went to beach to sunbath once, and I hide under an umbrella!

The models I showed today are all mixed races, and well known in Far East countries. Mix race models are very popular right now, they combine the best features from both East and West. A Japanese magazine called ViVi uses mostly mix races models as their regulars, and their circulation per month is 645,000 copies.

Since whenever, probably after western trends kicked in, girls in Far East want to look like dolls. It means having pale skin, big eyes with long lashes and a tall sculptural nose is the 'standard' of beauty. And no matter how hard some people fight, debate, there is a "mainstream" of beauty is Asia just like everywhere else in the world.

Tsuchiya AnnaFujii LenaHasegawa JunLeah Dizon