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China’s cosmetic surgery boom targeted as state media call for regulation
- People’s Daily says the industry’s advertising is pervasive and sometimes associates good looks with success
- Market for plastic surgery in China expected to grow to US$46 billion by 2022
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Chinese state media on Tuesday said it was “imperative and urgent” to regulate advertisements for cosmetic surgery, procedures and treatments, saying that some made excessive or false claims.
“From posters at bus stops and in subways, to introductions on social websites and content platforms, from advertisements planted in films and television variety shows to promotions by live-streamers, medical beauty advertisements are overwhelmingly pervasive,” People’s Daily said in a commentary article published on its website.
The newspaper said some ads associate good looks with “high quality”, “diligence” and “success”, fabricating stories about “plastic surgery changing one’s destiny” and distorting aesthetic perceptions.
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The criticism of the sector comes as Chinese regulators have wielded a wide-ranging crackdown on industries from technology to education to property to strengthen their control over the economy and society after years of runaway growth.
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The spate of regulatory activity has raised investors’ concerns over which sectors might come under scrutiny next.
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