Modern Beauty Culture, Empowering or Toxic?

Can women truly control their own beauty narratives? We believe so.

Join East Asian Girl Gang at the Allbright Townhouse on 3rd October for an engaging panel discussion. We will delve into modern beauty myths and ask whether a culture that includes snail slime, filters, corsets, ‘tweakments’ and more can ever be truly feminist. We also explore East Asian feminine identity and aim to reframe the way we think about beauty, to create a more empowering, inclusive community.

With panellists writer Carolyn Asome, in discussion with Xu Yang and Dr Terry Loong, we’ll cover both the fun sides of beauty culture, like K-beauty, J-beauty, and snail lotions, alongside delving into the darker side of the industry, with key insights from books by Elise Hu and Ellen Atlanta. The event will be moderated by Founder of East Asian Girl Gang, Eileen Willett.

Our panellists discuss the impact of beauty standards in a social media-led world and explore which aspects of the culture we can reframe through a feminist lens. We’ll take a deep dive into increasingly impossible beauty standards, the impact they have on young women, and what empowerment truly means to us.

This event promises a thought-provoking discussion on the impact of beauty culture and the methods we can all use to reclaim it as a feminist space.

About Carolyn

Carolyn Asome is a Design writer for the Times, NY Times, FT, Observer, and Telegraph and former Fashion editor at the Times. She is also a brand consultant, author of two Vogue books (on Jean Paul Gaultier and Handbags) and co-founder of the accessories brand, L'Hood. https://l-hood.com/

About Xu

Xu Yang, born in Shandong, lives and works in London. She graduated in Fine Art Painting at Wimbledon College of Arts and graduated with an MA in Painting from the Royal College of Art in 2020. Xu was recently awarded a commission by Tate Collective for LGBTQIA+ history month in 2023 and was the winner of the 2019 Barbican Arts Group Trust ArtWorks Open.

Xu has recently exhibited solo at Mou Projects and Barbican Arts Group Trust and contributed to collaborative art projects 'Imaging Technologies', at Tate Modern, and 'Here she Comes' with Monster Chetwynd at the Royal Festival Hall. https://www.xuyang-studio.com/

About Dr. Terry

Originally from Malaysia, Dr Terry Loong has been an Integrative Aesthetic and Hormone doctor for more than 15 years. After graduating from Kings College London, she first trained as a surgeon, before specialising in Aesthetic Medicine in 2007. Due to personal health challenges, her career path shifted focus to nutrition, lifestyle medicine and hormonal balance. Her philosophy is to help women look and feel their best with each passing year, naturally and holistically, combining Eastern philosophy with Western technology and science.

Dr Terry’s accolades include being named winner of Best New Aesthetic Clinic, a feature as one of the “Top 5 Women of Tomorrow” in Marie Claire Malaysia, and being appointed Global Skincare Expert for The BodyShop International in 2014. Dr Terry authored her first book The Hormonal Acne Solution 2014. She also teaches and acts as consultant with skincare brands like The Organic Ph*rm*cy. https://drterryloong.com/

About Eileen

Born in Vancouver to Japanese parents, Eileen trained in fashion in Paris and San Francisco before settling in London working at Nicole Farhi where she helped grow the menswear brand. Founder of the East Asian Girl Gang, an East Asian sisterhood, she Co-founded multi award-winning Cucumber Clothing in 2017. Shortlisted for the 2020 Asian Woman of Achievement Awards, Eileen is a regular speaker on female entrepreneurship, the British East Asian experience and slow fashion. She co-hosted i:entrepreneur’s Wednesday Lives interview series, and acts as judge on various panels as well being a Trustee at SEEAWA.

Tickets sales through Eventbrite will be donated to SEEAWA (South East and East Asian Women's Association). Charity reg. no. 1203182 .

Host or Publisher East Asian Girl Gang