Did Brenda Song Have Eyelid Surgery? Why She's Being Accused of Going Under the Knife

We all know that London Tipton was the original crazy rich Asian, but, according to the actress who brought her to life, Brenda Song says that she was told that she wasn't Asian enough to audition for the movie. The allegations have raised a lot of questions around whether or not it was acceptable for Brenda to be turned away due to her career history and her appearance. 

But it's also raised some questions as to whether or not she has actively tried to "look less Asian" by undergoing a double-eyelid surgery.

Brenda has never stated that she had double-eyelid surgery. Nor is there any evidence to suggest that she went under the knife to change her eyelid shape, except that her eyes may appear to have a slightly different shape in recent years. This could also be explained by her doing her makeup differently. 

According to @celebrityplastics on Instagram, she "possibly" had the surgery and "possibly" had filler put in to slim down her face. But the Dollface actress has never confirmed these rumors and it seems unlikely that they're true. The photo above, taken in 2004, when she was 16, she appears to have a double eyelid, meaning that having the double-eyelid surgery would have been redundant. 

For comparison, this is her today at the age of 31.

Brenda claimed that the issue behind her not being able to audition was her "image." Speaking to Teen Vogue, she said, "I said, 'This character is in her late to mid-20s, an Asian American, and I can't even audition for it? I've auditioned for Caucasian roles my entire career, but this specific role, you're not going to let me do it? You're going to fault me for having worked my whole life?' I was like, 'Where do I fit?'"

So did Brenda have double-eyelid surgery? Probably not, but perhaps a better question would be, is a possible cosmetic procedure, which is actually called Asian blepharoplasty, a good enough reason to not consider Brenda for a role in Crazy Rich Asians. The surgery is the most popular cosmetic procedure in Asia and the third most common worldwide. The author of the book that was the source material for the film, Kevin Kwan, has spoken out against the surgery. 

According to the film's director, Jon M. Chu, he's not sure how Brenda got the idea that she wasn't welcome to audition, but he believes that something must have been miscommunicated. He tweeted a response to the controversy saying he never would have needed the former Disney Channel star to audition because he's already a fan.

Jon's response might pave the way to seeing Brenda on the big screen in one of the upcoming Crazy Rich Asian sequels, which will be adapted from the other books in the series, Crazy Rich Girlfriend and Rich People Problems. In the meantime, we'll just have to be satisfied seeing her star in Dollface, now streaming on Hulu.