Attractive calves are desirable to people of all cultures. Unfortunately, thick, short, and overly muscular calves, a condition known as "radish calves" or "radish legs," are more common in Asian women.

A large calf may be considered an aesthetic problem by women who find it awkward to wear certain clothes like short skirts or swimsuits. Bulky calves can also make the legs look shorter, and short height is a common point of employment discrimination in the Orient.

Popular Asian media seems so obsessed with long, thin legs that computer-manipulated ads not uncommonly appear comically distorted. However, not all people with naturally shorter legs look better with artificially scrawny calves.

The calf contains three main muscles: the medial gastrocnemius (back of the calf towards the leg's inner side), the lateral gastrocnemius (back of the calf towards the leg's outer side), and the soleus (located underneath the gastrocnemius muscles). The diagram shows the gastrocnemius muscles severed and reflected apart to reveal the underlying soleus muscle. Nerves are shown in yellow, arteries in red, and veins in blue. All three muscles play important roles in standing, walking, running, and jumping, although the soleus muscle can make up for some of the functional loss that comes with damage to the gastrocnemius muscles. Those with "athletic" life-styles (running, bicycling, dancing, hiking, or even just plain walking) are best advised to avoid cosmetic operations that sacrifice leg function. A number of calf reduction methods exist, from simple to "extreme."

While first described in Germany, today's most advanced calf reduction techniques are practiced mainly in Korea and Taiwan, while American doctors emphasize injection methods that are much simpler but also less effective.

Surgery that destroys nerves and muscle remains controversial even in Asia, where in a few countries they are forbidden by law. Cosmetic results after even the most aggressive techniques are usually subtle.