From the corset to the 1927 natural breast movement in Shanghai, from the cheongsam in the Republic of China era to the black and green cotton-padded jacket during the Cultural Revolution, the standards and limitations of beauty are always changing alongside the pace of history. Nowadays, Chinese beauty standards are largely influenced by surrounding countries, and, of course, the U.S. and Europe. Against the background of globalization, these standards can also be multi-cultural and exotic, making people feel stunning. Chinese beauty standards are in the process of being shaped by the world and its cultural influences. A slim body shape, a soft jaw, bright eyes, and last, but not least, fair skin. These are very typical beauty ideals nowadays, but at times, the Chinese go a little too far, resulting in somewhat unnatural and overboard appearances. If you were to type the word 'beauty' in Chinese in the search engine Baidu, which is the equivalent of a ‘Chinese Google’, you would find millions of pictures of girls who were thought to deserve the title of 'beautiful'. However, after looking through most of the images, you would find that, somehow, they all look the same. Approximately three years ago, when the iPhone and its handy apps were newly introduced to the average person, they gradually began to shape the beauty standards of Chinese people, especially those of young people. 美图秀秀 (Mei Tu Xiu Xiu), a photo editing app, added a new function: Retouch. All of a sudden, Mei Tu Xiu Xiu, became the most popular photo editing app around. The app satiates peoples’ desire to become more beautiful: Skin can be lightened, the body shape can be slimmed down, and what's more, the eyes can be enlarged and brightened. Plastic surgery can be performed in a flash, without pain, considering that all that needs to be done is moving one’s your fingers. The rise in popularity of the app is similar to the efforts put in to achieve beauty standards. Even though people end up looking alike due to the aforementioned beauty ideals, there is no doubt that they are beautiful. In the end, however, these are only apps, which cannot fulfill Chinese girls’ superficial needs to be beautiful, driving them to go under the knife in Korea, and culminating in an official record of over one hundred thousand Chinese people travelling to Korea for plastic surgery. It is not known how many are truly satisfied with their appearances post-surgery, but it is known that there is a definite change undergoing beauty standards and better living situation of Chinese people that was derived from the beauty industry. There should be no fear in pursuing beauty; on the contrary, it is something to be fascinated about. What needs to be avoided, however, is being fanatic. Beauty in China nowadays can be a source of fanaticism, considering how some young girls are obsessively pursuing it, and it is also becoming a trend in the rest of the world to seek beauty, obtaining fame and feeding vanity. However, beauty standards in China are no longer bound by limitations; in other words, there is no distinct representative for Chinese beauty right now, unlike in the eras including the cheongsam or Han Chinese clothing. Nowadays, these standards are mixing with others and we are reaching for exotic and multi-cultural looks, propagating fanaticism. However, there are always opposing views on beauty standards: While the West glamorizes tanned skin, the East puts on sunscreen. Beauty standards also reveal much that goes on in societies. The standards of beauty in China are prone to influence by the progress of technology and the Western standards. It could be popular to strive for Korean beauty one day, and promote individual, unique looks the next. We live in an ever-changing society, and therefore, the topic of beauty will never run dry. This article was written by Amy Zhao. Send an email to [email protected] to get in touch. Photo Credit: Nicole Chan