Slaves to the notion of 'beauty'
If you were stunned by the report last week that six Hong Kong women had lost breasts because the enlargement gel injected in them was toxic, then hold your breath for the following news. On the mainland, 200,000 people have suffered from deformations caused by cosmetic surgery in the past decade, according to Beijing Youth Daily.
The mainland is likely to supercede South Korea as a regional hub for cosmetic surgery. Relatively cheap beauty procedures have become a new tourist attraction for women in the region, including Hongkongers. A Singaporean woman travelled all the way to Changsha , Hunan province , for an all-inclusive package that cost 100,000 yuan, a fraction of the price at home.
At first glance, one may think that Asian women are a risk-taking species who treasure beauty more than their lives. But a close look at the situation suggests otherwise. Women here are victims of beauty manufacturers, and of their growing sense of inadequacy and insecurity in light of unattainable aesthetic standards modelled on Caucasian women.
On the mainland, state-owned hospitals have expanded their aesthetic-treatment departments in pursuit of fat profit margins. The number of hospitals offering beautification procedures has mushroomed, while privately owned beauty salons have also emerged to jump on the wagon, generating competition for customers. Prices for procedures have dropped as marketing strategies have become more aggressive. They lure women into dangerous operations, sometimes performed by unqualified doctors with uncertified products.
The Manufactured Beauty Pageant was held in 2004 in Beijing, bringing together women from across the country who had undergone facial surgery and breast enlargements. The winner was selected based on the effectiveness of the procedures she had received. Not surprisingly, it was sponsored by manufacturers of cosmetic equipment and products, as well as beauty parlours.
The aggressiveness of the business was highlighted by the case of one migrant worker from Hubei , a 22-year-old woman who responded to a beauty parlour advertisement. She simply wanted the free operation that was on offer, to have facial scarring removed. But she soon found herself signing a contract for 15 invasive operations, including on her eyelids, nose, cheeks, jaw and breasts.
She later said that it was hard to resist much-desired beauty when it is offered for free, or cheaply. And she is not alone. In a survey conducted by a US-based cosmetic conglomerate, 25 per cent of mainland respondents said they would consider aggressive procedures if they were free: only 9 per cent wanted them if they had to pay.
The appeal of cosmetic surgery lies also in the growing sense of inadequacy and insecurity of many women.
Nearly half of the respondents in that mainland survey said western women were more attractive than their Asian peers.
As Chinese women are trying to make themselves look more like actress Juliette Binoche, the standard of beauty is shifting. But a 2003 survey of men in many countries ranked Chinese women the sexiest. So our sisters may soon be visiting doctors again, asking to look like Lucy Liu. Either way, the beauty manufacturers pocket the profits.
Kitty Poon is a research fellow at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University and a part-time member of government's Central Policy Unit
