Perry tells Vogue that she made her video in response to a handful of influencers going on the record about their lower-blepharoplasty procedures. “They were treating it so casually, like, ‘Oh, let me go get a matcha and remove my lower bleph,’” she recounts. “And I’m like, but that’s what makes your face look cool.”
Miami-based plastic surgeon Alexander Zuriarrain, MD, explains that the procedure has become more common with people in their 30s in recent years. This is in part thanks to an overall trend towards early intervention with cosmetic surgery, as well as the recent breakthrough development of the nano fat grafting technique for lower blepharoplasties. This new technique has led to a shorter recovery period and a more natural appearance compared to filler, he says. “It’s easy to combine with other procedures,” Dr. Zuriarrain adds. “A lot of women will come and do a breast augmentation, and then they’ll simultaneously deal with their dark circles.”
Like many, Perry was insecure about her undereye circles growing up, but her mother—who is French—always assured her that they’re chic and French. Perry found inspiration in Tumblr-beloved indie icons of the 2010s, especially when compared to the glam beauty looks seen on contemporaneous celebrities like Paris Hilton and the Kardashians. “I was like, ‘Oh, that’s where I fit in, that brand of girl.’ Because the Kylie Jenner type of look, that wouldn’t look right on me,” Perry says. So she embraced and even emphasized her undereye bags. “I used to take eyeshadow and put it under my eyes to enhance them. And then people would be like, ‘Why do you look like you got punched in the face?’ And I was like, ‘I’m being chic, okay?’ I wanted to look tired so badly.”
Perry wasn’t the only one embracing her dark circles in the 2010s. Beauty writer Sable Yong, author of the essay collection Die Hot With a Vengeance and the Substack “Hard Feelings”, is a longtime fan of undereye bags. “I remember writing an ode to my natural undereye shadows for XoVain when I was platinum blonde, which made them look even cooler, in my opinion,” she tells Vogue via email. “I’ve always had a bit of redness and shadow around my eyes naturally, and whenever I’ve tried to master concealer techniques to cover them, I find that I look strange—my eyes look smaller, swallowed up by my face. My natural shadows give my eyes contrast and definition. I’ve always liked that about them.”
