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Chinese women under knife in race for jobs, husbands
(Bloomberg)
Updated: 2006-01-13 14:34 Chinese tour guide Gao Fei last year had her
eyelids cut and nose sharpened to make her look like her favorite Japanese pop
singer, hoping cosmetic surgery would improve her chances of becoming an
actress.
Hao Lulu, (L-R)
before and after the plastic surgery, is crowned by the media as China's
first artificial beauty. [file photo] |
"If
I'm in a job interview with someone of similar experience and qualifications,
the one who looks prettier would definitely have an advantage," said Gao, 23, as
she waited in a Shanghai clinic for a checkup after the two operations.
Plastic surgery -- outlawed in China until the early 1980s, when it
was permitted for medical reasons -- is a $3 billion business, testament to
rising incomes and expanding social freedom in the world's most populous nation.
The demand also underscores intensifying competition for jobs, as the once
centrally planned economy becomes market-oriented.
"People these days regard plastic surgery as an investment as it will help
them to get a good job or attract a man of their dreams," said Lee Jong Won, 48,
a Korean plastic surgeon who works at Shanghai's Beauty China Medical Center, a
venture between Ruijin Hospital Group and Korean investors.
It has even become prime-time television. More than 30 million viewers are
expected to tune in tonight for the final of "Lovely Cinderella," a reality TV
show in which 14 contestants have undergone surgery. The winner, chosen from
seven finalists, will collect 50,000 yuan ($6,198) cash -- more than 10 months
salary for an average worker -- and a trip to Hawaii.
Mao Suits
China has 1 million plastic surgery clinics employing 6 million people, the
state-run Xinhua news agency reported on Dec. 27, citing the China Consumers
Association. More than 1 million people went under the knife in 2004 and the
growth rate tripled, the report said.
The popularity of cosmetic surgery underlines how much China has changed
since 1979, when former leader Deng Xiaoping opened the nation's doors to the
world and introduced pro-market policies.
Then, most Chinese struggled for conformity rather than beauty. Almost
everyone still wore the blue workers' overalls known as "Mao suits" -- a legacy
of the 1966-76 Cultural Revolution, when to dress differently meant inviting
persecution as a bourgeois capitalist.
These days, models dressed in Prada and Armani adorn billboards and the pages
of glossy magazines, programs such as "Desperate Housewives" showcase Western
lifestyles to Chinese TV viewers, and the Communist Party admits private
entrepreneurs as members. China's economy has grown an average of 9.6 percent a
year since 1979, the world's fastest rate, and urban disposable incomes doubled
in the past five years.
Blood and Gore
"The increasing popularity of plastic surgery in China is closely linked to
economic development," said Chan Kin-man, deputy professor of sociology at the
Chinese University of Hong Kong. "As China moves to a post-industrial from an
industrial society, in which most people work in factories, looks become more
important" because of the growing role of services.
"Lovely Cinderella," modeled on American Broadcasting Corp.'s "Extreme
Makeover" and Fox TV's "The Swan," has been airing on Friday nights in the
southern province of Hunan since September, attracting about 4 million viewers
per episode.
It has also attracted complaints from people who said the bloody scenes of
doctors cutting through human skin were in bad taste, said Li Jieping, a public
affairs executive at Hunan Economic TV, which produced the program. Still,
"People soon got used to it," she said.
The climactic episode will be broadcast live on Sina.com's Web site, enabling
China's more than 100 million Internet users to tune in. Hunan TV is in talks to
produce a second season of the show that may air on nationwide networks, Li
said.
'Learn on the Job'
The growth of plastic surgery clinics has also outpaced the government's
ability to regulate the industry. There are 20,000 complaints a year about
disfigurements, according to the China Consumers Association, cited by Xinhua.
"Chinese doctors tend to learn on the job," unlike in Korea and other
countries where they must undergo special training, said Shirley Shi, deputy
director of foreign affairs at the Beijing-based Chinese Medical Doctor
Association. "The health ministry is trying to regulate this sector."
Lack of regulation is spurring demand for Korean doctors, who are seen as
more skilled, according to Beauty China Medical Center's Lee, who moved to
Shanghai three months ago. The 4,000- square-meter center, which opened a year
ago, is drawing in about 3 million yuan a month in revenue, Marketing Manager
Yang Ye said.
Making Eyes
The most popular procedures in China include creation of a double eyelid to
make the eyes appear bigger. Zhang Wei, a plastic surgeon at Shanghai Kinway
Plastic & Cosmetic Surgery, charges about 3,000 yuan ($371) for the
operation. Nose surgery, meanwhile, costs 20,000 yuan and breast enhancement
35,000 yuan at Beauty China Medical Center.
"As people become richer, they start to strive for more beyond the basic
needs of filling their stomachs and looking for a roof over their heads," said
Zhang. "Now people will proudly admit they had done plastic surgery as it's
perceived as a sign of affluence and sophistication."
The 45-year-old, who operated on aspiring actress Gao, is known as the
creator of China's first "man-made" beauty. Zhang Di, 28, received 100,000 yuan
worth of treatment after winning a competition for the ugliest woman in
Shanghai. The contest has spawned a series of imitators.
Some are concerned that the surge of advertising for plastic surgery clinics
is misleading China's young into believing that changing their appearance is an
easy ticket to a better life.
"While it's true that looks are very important in industries such as fashion
or public relations and marketing, in the long run you need more," said Ong
Tingnee, deputy editor-in-chief at a Chinese fashion and lifestyle magazine in
Shanghai. "The right attitude and personality go a long way."
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