#epicanthic flap

[biology-geology-beaches-india]

TSRNOSS, page 13.

[vietzuko]

Hi! Southeast Asian person here. Let’s talk yellowface in the Avatar fandom!

So the Kyoshi warriors’ makeup takes inspiration from a few different cultural backgrounds, but the most obvious one (in my opinion) is Cantonese opera.

[IMAGE ID: A screenshot from the show Avatar: The Last Airbender of Suki and two of the Kyoshi warriors in their makeup. They have painted white faces, red lipstick, black winged eyeliner, and red eyeshadow extending to their eyebrows. Their eyebrows are painted black.]

[IMAGE ID: A screenshot from a video on Cantonese opera makeup. The person has a painted white face, red lipstick, black winged eyeliner, and black painted eyebrows. The main difference between this person’s makeup and the Kyoshi warriors’ makeup is that their red eye shadow extends to their cheeks as blush. (source)]

Now, why is it racist for white people (and other non-Asians) to wear this sort of makeup when cosplaying as Kyoshi warriors?

Here, I quote from Megan Hermida Lu, who writes about the textbook definition of yellowface. (No, that’s not a metaphor. Lu is talking about a literal textbook that taught white people how to do yellowface.)

“In Jenny Egan’s 1992 textbook Imaging the Role: Makeup as a Stage in Characterization, Egan lays out a series of “ethnic distinctions” from which she bases her 5 various makeup tutorials. By her classification, an “oriental” person has five distinct features: (1) straight black hair, sparse facial hair, (2) epicanthic flap, (3) round, flat face, (4) button nose with a low bridge, and (5) short “rosebud” mouth (Egan 159).” (source)

These are the five cosmetic features of what Egan considers an “oriental” person, meaning they are the five features a white person should try to replicate through makeup when attempting yellowface. 

Ignoring the one that’s about hair and not makeup, let’s look at these features and compare them to the Kyoshi warrior makeup.

2) Epicanthic fold (aka monolid eyes) -- If a white person were to wear eyeliner the same way that Suki does (with a thicker line around the corner of the eye than on the top and bottom of the eye), it would result in an exaggerated slanted eye that would almost certainly read as racist. Read here for a contemporary discussion of yellowface eyeliner as a beauty trend.

3) Round flat, face -- The white foundation enhances the flatness of the face.

4) Button nose with a low bridge -- The Kyoshi warriors’ eyeliner and eyeshadow curve down around the bridge of the nose, making the nose seem flatter and with a lower bridge.

5) Short “rosebud” mouth -- Although it’s not as bad as putting lipstick only on the center of your mouth, the Kyoshi warriors’ red lipstick is a key feature of yellowface and certainly doesn’t help.

In conclusion, it’s not just about the white face paint, but about almost every aspect of the Kyoshi warriors’ makeup design. If a white person were to put on the Kyoshi warrior makeup, they would be putting on yellowface, even if they did not intend to do so. The optics of all of these different makeup decisions juxtaposed together on a non-Asian face is disturbing and painful for East Asian & South East Asian fans of the show, as it shows little respect for their marginalization and identities. 

So, if you’re not Asian, just cosplay Suki and the other warriors without their makeup!

ive seen people saying that it's bad to use the kyoshi makeup as a costume (the clothes and stuff is fine, but the makeup means something different), but i also see ppl of all ethnicities wearing the makeup a lot w/o criticism, so idk what to think...

as i’m not of east asian descent, i can’t comment, but i read that as long as you don’t do the base white it’s okay?