Trailing houses, cars, and travel, cosmetic surgery is the fourth most popular way that Chinese citizens spend discretionary income. Similar to Western cultures, it has become quite commonplace for Chinese women to get procedures done. It’s estimated that China ranks third behind Brazil and the United States in the amount of cosmetic operations performed each year. But unlike Western countries where breast enhancement and liposuction are most popular, Chinese girls are opting for enhancements that make them look more Western, arguably China’s leading standard of beauty.

The most popular plastic surgeries performed in China are:
Double eyelid procedure, making the eyes appear larger
Enlarging of the nose bridge to make it appear more prominent
Reshaping of the jaw to make it longer and narrower

You will notice all these procedures are about getting bigger, and about getting Western. Plastic surgery isn’t the only example of this: whitening powders are used heavily in order to appear whiter; based on the belief in China that a lighter skin tone is more desirablethan a darker one.

But Chinese girls aren’t whitening their face and making their nose bigger to appeal to Western guys. In fact, most Chinese girls have little intention of dating Western men. So why is it that China has subscribed to a Western standard of beauty?

Mainland China is not known for embracing Western standards or ideals. Western ideals are almost entirely rejected at the government level, and you will rarely find a Chinese person who thinks Western culture is better than China. But if there is one exception to the latter, it’s that Chinese people often acknowledge that Western countries produce and consume higher quality consumer products.

And this is especially true for clothing, makeup, and fashion. China, despite holding the largest population in the world, does not have a global fashion brand. In fact, Olay, one of the leading Western fashion companies in China, is so confident in their brand that they don’t even translate their name into Chinese (probably thinking that it would only interfere with their perception as a purely Western brand).

As China becomes a more affluent nation, the taste for Western products have become even more in demand. And who is most often seen behind the billboards and magazine advertisements promoting fashion products? Almost always a Western model or a Chinese model endowed with Western features.There’s no doubt since Western fashion products have a competitive advantage over China in terms of quality, they wield a great deal of control and influence in regards to beauty standards.

What do you think? Why does China subscribe to a Western standard of beauty?

source : lovelovechina

Where Does China's Standard of Beauty Come From?