The ideal female appearance in China is evolving

"The beauty industry is booming in China and the young women I interviewed in the focus groups actually subscribe to the Anglo-European image of beauty," said Jaehee Jung, professor of fashion and clothing studies at the University of Delaware, whose research has recently been conducted. published in the Journal of Research in Family and Consumer Sciences.

"It's a combination of factors, not just the westernization of culture, but also the changing gender roles and growing consumerism in the Chinese economy, which is growing so rapidly . "

Jung presented his article at the November conference of the International Textile and Apparel Association. The research stems from previous studies she's conducted on women's and body image, an area in which misconceptions can lead to behaviors such as eating disorders.

"To my surprise, I found that Chinese women were even more dissatisfied with their body image than American women," she said. "So I wondered if these cultural changes in China were having an impact on traditional and contemporary conceptions of ideal beauty."

To explore this issue, Jung conducted in-depth interviews with 23 female students at the university in Shanghai. She asked them their views on what Chinese society traditionally viewed as the ideal female beauty and how it compared to their own views.

While most women recognized that women with rounded faces and rounded bodies were the traditional ideals in China, most also said they preferred thin bodies and angular faces. Women generally cited fashion magazines as a place where they saw this type of slimmer woman featured.

"They all want to look like these models," Jung said, though most women interviewed denied comparing themselves to images in the media. China's fashion magazines feature Asian models that embody American, European and Korean influences, she said.

This type of cultural change in the conceptions of beauty has also occurred in other countries, but Jung said that China was particularly interesting because its economy had developed and adopted a culture of consumption if quick. This is clearly reflected in the beauty industry, she said.

"China has become the second largest market in the world [after the United States] In the total consumption of cosmetics, "said Jung. You also see other booming beauty industries, such as diet clinics and health clubs, or even cosmetic surgery, which were almost unheard of in China not long ago. "

Her article in Family and Consumer Sciences cites some of the women she interviewed, including one who said "weight loss is a trend in China".

Another woman mentioned "perfect female images in fashion magazines", saying the message was that everyone should look like these models. "So everyone will feel like they're never thin enough," she said.

Others have also evoked the influence of the media and the predominance in fashion and entertainment of "tall and thin women of Western countries," adding that in China, "we have just changed our standard of beauty".

When gender roles change, as in China, women have more professional opportunities but are also subject to more pressure to adhere to a higher standard of beauty, said Jung. Combined with economic freedom and increased control over their lives and bodies, this pressure can lead to eating disorders and other problems, she said.

"The views on beauty have changed dramatically," said Jung. "Standards in contemporary China seem to be unrealistic and remarkably similar to Western standards."

She hopes to conduct further research in the future, possibly interviewing women of different ages about their views.

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More information:
Jaehee Jung, Young Women's Perceptions of Traditional and Contemporary Feminine Beauty Ideals in China, Journal of Research in Family and Consumer Sciences (2018). DOI: 10.1111 / fcsr.12273