SEEN / china's tortured beauties

China's Tortured Beauties is a short (15 minute) documentary by Journeyman Pictures. Watching this documentary, having previously heard about the craze of skin whitening creams used in Africa and beyond, I was stunned that Chinese women had resorted to such drastic measures (and way, way worse) to achieve a western type of 'beauty', as Shanghai undergoes a rapid transformation into a consumerist and commercial city.
In fact, whitening creams far outnumber the amount of normal beauty creams on the market at the time of the documentary. China's new beauty craze says white skin is chic, as Western capitalist books and magazines permeate the market, changing the ideas and the values of the young women of China. Chinese women now want to look like western celebrities, and chase a very western ideal of beauty. Until very recently, communist ideas valued natural beauty and Chinese women didn't wear much make up at all.
A strong profile - this is the phrase encompassing how Chinese women see the beauty of caucasian western women. Western looking models with pointed features and chiselled cheekbones are seen in most of the advertising within the city of Shanghai. A scene in the documentary features the photoshopping process of one successful Chinese model by a photographer - he changes the shape of her face entirely, elongating her profile and chin, lightening her skin.
One of the young women interviewed in the documentary says that she believes western women are more beautiful as they have more three-dimensional features, and photograph better. Many of these young Chinese women think a prettier, whiter face will help their future career and social prospects. Some footage played in the documentary reveals that this may be true in part, as a job recruitment process plays out like a catwalk pageantry show. These women are willing to undergo very painful surgery to get this look. Some agencies in China hold exclusive marriage markets for wealthy chinese businessmen, who aim to find a western looking wife.
The average height for the Chinese woman is just under 5ft2, and some women are choosing to undergo horrifically painful and potentially dangerous leg lengthening surgeries to gain a few inches to increase their career and marriage prospects. In this procedure, the bones in the leg are sawn in two, and braces are inserted in the leg to stretch it as the bone grows back. Some clinics perform up to 300 procedures a year. Painful and potentially life threatening surgeries are becoming the cultural norm for Chinese women, especially in urban areas such as Shanghai.

:evie