For decades, Asian beauty in America existed on the sidelines. We were the afterthought in beauty campaigns, the "diversity add-on," the face cropped into the back row of advertisements that were never for us anyways. And, when we would receive some attention, it was on our eyes - monolids, hooded eyes, epicanthic folds - which became the feature people fixated on most. And, for many of us unfortunately, they were mocked, misunderstood, fetishized, or erased entirely.
Now, they're finally being celebrated.
And brands like ours are helping lead that change.
Asian immigration to the United States dates back to the mid-1800s, when Chinese laborers arrived during the Gold Rush and later helped build the Transcontinental Railroad. Over time, immigrants from Korea, Japan, the Philippines, Vietnam, and across Asia came seeking opportunity and survival. But instead of acceptance, many were met with exclusion laws, internment camps, violence, and systemic discrimination.
Asian Americans were often told to stay quiet, work hard, and assimilate. This eventually evolved into the "model minority myth", the stereotype that Asians are successful, obedient, non-confrontational, and unaffected by racism. While disguised as a compliment, the stereotype erased individuality and silenced real struggles. Asian women faced another layer entirely. Hyper-feminized and fetishized in media, we were often portrayed as submissive, exotic, delicate, and docile. Rarely powerful. Rarely visible. Rarely centered.
Even in beauty, Asian features were treated like problems to fix.
Double eyelid surgery became normalized. Makeup tutorials focused on making eyes appear "bigger" or "more Western." And products played along. False lashes available on the market were overwhelmingly designed for larger lid space and deeper-set-eyes, often too long, too heavy, too dramatic for monolids and hooded eyelids. Many Asian women grew up believing beauty products simply weren't for us.
Asian eyes are not one-size-fits-all. Monolids, hooded eyes, and epicanthic folds all have unique structures that affect how makeup and lashes sit on the eye. That's why finding the best lashes for monolids, best lashes for hooded eyes, or the best lashes for Asian eyes has historically been frustrating.
Mainstream false lashes are often:
• Too long for smaller lid space
• Too heavy for delicate eyelids and lashes
• Too dramatic for everyday wear
• Irritating for sensitive eyes
• Designed without Asian eye anatomy in mind
At Hannah Cho Beauty the approach is intentionally different.
Our lashes are designed specifically for Asian features - shorter, smaller, weightless, and thoughtfully mapped to complement monolids and hooded eyes instead of overpowering them. Made from premium real hair, they're hypoallergenic, gentle, comfortable, and safe for sensitive eyes.
This isn't about changing our features. It's about enhancing them.
For many Asian Americans, our eyes were the first things people noticed, and often mocked. Schoolyard jokes. Pulling eyes back. Comments about looking "sleepy" or "expressionless." Questions about why our eyes were "so small." Many of us internalized the message that our eyes somehow made us less beautiful.
Now a new generation is reclaiming those same features with pride.
Asian beauty is no longer shrinking itself to fit Western standards. It's taking up space. It's editorial. It's luxury. It's worthy of being front and center. Hannah Cho Beauty is part of that movement, championing Asian representation in the beauty industry by working with models across different Asian ethnicities, ages, and eye shapes. Because Asian beauty is not monolithic. Our community is diverse, and nuanced in countless ways. Education is also at the core of our brand. Conversations and continuous content around monolids, hooded eyes, and epcianthic folds are helping people better understand the features we've long been known for, and finally celebrate them instead of ignoring them.
The best lashes for Asian eyes shouldn't feel like a compromise. That means:
• Weightless bands that don't weigh down eyelids
• Shorter lash lengths that don't overpower the eyes
• Softer volume for everyday wear
• Styles designed specifically for monolids and hooded eyes
• Gentle, hypoallergenic material that's safe for sensitive eyes
Asian beauty consumers deserve premium products made with us in mind from the very beginning, not adapted as an afterthought.
For so long, Asian Americans were told to blend in. Stay silent. Don't take up space.
But beauty is shifting that.
Asian features are no longer being hidden behind media made for someone else, to look like someone else. Monolids are being celebrated. Hooded eyes are being understood. Asian beauty is becoming visible on its own terms. And, this is more than just beauty.