‘Elf ears’ are the creepy new plastic surgery trend in China

For centuries, pointy elven ears were viewed by many as an undesirable beauty flaw — now young people are lining up to get them.

In China, many women are getting dangerous plastic surgery to attain “elf ears.” Most, though, are not striving to look like J. R. R. Tolkien’s Legolas or J.K. Rowling’s Dobby. These beauty seekers claim that by enlarging their ears, their faces look slimmer and thus more attractive. “The results are very obvious,” Song Yao, a clothing store owner from Hangzhou who underwent the surgery, told Vice. “You can see my ears from the front, and overall I look more energetic.”