Marketing Director Stephen Shiu Jr.
What does it take to be a lady? Stephen Shiu Jr. has a pretty detailed idea. He is the controversial marketing director of Be a Lady slimming clinic, which aggressively promotes plastic surgery as a quick beauty fix—mainly through their three-piece Cantopop act "Freeze." He talks about his nip/tuck philosophy.
HK Magazine: Plastic surgery: defilement or improvement?
Stephen Shiu Jr.: It’s an improvement for sure! Imagine that people are like restaurants—if the food is good, but the decoration sucks, nobody wants to visit. So by simply improving the decoration, the whole package is improved! I think people are still way too conservative about plastic surgery. It’s basically nothing but a better marketing strategy for yourself. Why not?
HK: Do you think your marketing strategies might be a little aggressive? “Freeze” has been the laughing stock of local magazines for a while, with its members quoted as saying things like,“life with small boobs is miserable.”
SSJ: It’s inevitable. The industry has entered a consolidation period. Providing slimming services no longer adequately satisfies our customers. We have to think of something that other companies can’t do, or don’t have the balls to do. So plastic surgery is perfect. As for “Freeze,” Hong Kong people are way too conservative. Many people in show business have done the same thing, but they just lie about it and people believe them. The difference between them and “Freeze” is that the latter dare to admit it, and old school people can’t take their sex appeal.
HK: So you want to make plastic surgery as popular here as it is in Korea or Japan?
SSJ: Of course. It should be popular in every developed economy, not only for women, but for men as well. We should have the right to improve ourselves. We used to live with the fact that we had to accept what we’re born with. We all want to perfect ourselves, but we feel ashamed about it. I just want to take away the mysterious side of the industry—thanks to us, everybody knows how much it costs for a double eyelid surgery.
HK: Do you feel like you bear any kind of social responsibility? Aren’t you promoting the ideology that superficial beauty outshines inner virtues?
SSJ: I just encourage people to perfect themselves, and that improvement might lead to a better life, that’s it. I never think beauty is in any way more important that inner virtues. Intellect and a kind heart are also crucial.
HK: Personally, what do you look for in a woman?
SSJ: My top two priorities for a dream lover are she has to be pretty and she has to be able to communicate with me. Well, if she can communicate with me very, very well, she doesn’t have to be stunningly beautiful—although I might suggest that she undergoes some nip/tuck, if she doesn’t mind