Chinese women under knife in race for jobs, husbands
(Bloomberg)
Updated: 2006-01-13 14:34

Chinese tour guide Gao Fei last year had her eyelids cut and nose sharpened to make her look like her favorite Japanese pop singer, hoping cosmetic surgery would improve her chances of becoming an actress.

Hao Lulu, (L-R) before and after the plastic surgery, is crowned by the media as China's first artificial beauty. [file photo]

"If I'm in a job interview with someone of similar experience and qualifications, the one who looks prettier would definitely have an advantage," said Gao, 23, as she waited in a Shanghai clinic for a checkup after the two operations.

Plastic surgery -- outlawed in China until the early 1980s, when it was permitted for medical reasons -- is a $3 billion business, testament to rising incomes and expanding social freedom in the world's most populous nation. The demand also underscores intensifying competition for jobs, as the once centrally planned economy becomes market-oriented.

"People these days regard plastic surgery as an investment as it will help them to get a good job or attract a man of their dreams," said Lee Jong Won, 48, a Korean plastic surgeon who works at Shanghai's Beauty China Medical Center, a venture between Ruijin Hospital Group and Korean investors.

It has even become prime-time television. More than 30 million viewers are expected to tune in tonight for the final of "Lovely Cinderella," a reality TV show in which 14 contestants have undergone surgery. The winner, chosen from seven finalists, will collect 50,000 yuan ($6,198) cash -- more than 10 months salary for an average worker -- and a trip to Hawaii.

Mao Suits

China has 1 million plastic surgery clinics employing 6 million people, the state-run Xinhua news agency reported on Dec. 27, citing the China Consumers Association. More than 1 million people went under the knife in 2004 and the growth rate tripled, the report said.

The popularity of cosmetic surgery underlines how much China has changed since 1979, when former leader Deng Xiaoping opened the nation's doors to the world and introduced pro-market policies.

Then, most Chinese struggled for conformity rather than beauty. Almost everyone still wore the blue workers' overalls known as "Mao suits" -- a legacy of the 1966-76 Cultural Revolution, when to dress differently meant inviting persecution as a bourgeois capitalist.

These days, models dressed in Prada and Armani adorn billboards and the pages of glossy magazines, programs such as "Desperate Housewives" showcase Western lifestyles to Chinese TV viewers, and the Communist Party admits private entrepreneurs as members. China's economy has grown an average of 9.6 percent a year since 1979, the world's fastest rate, and urban disposable incomes doubled in the past five years.

Blood and Gore

"The increasing popularity of plastic surgery in China is closely linked to economic development," said Chan Kin-man, deputy professor of sociology at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. "As China moves to a post-industrial from an industrial society, in which most people work in factories, looks become more important" because of the growing role of services.

"Lovely Cinderella," modeled on American Broadcasting Corp.'s "Extreme Makeover" and Fox TV's "The Swan," has been airing on Friday nights in the southern province of Hunan since September, attracting about 4 million viewers per episode.

It has also attracted complaints from people who said the bloody scenes of doctors cutting through human skin were in bad taste, said Li Jieping, a public affairs executive at Hunan Economic TV, which produced the program. Still, "People soon got used to it," she said.

The climactic episode will be broadcast live on Sina.com's Web site, enabling China's more than 100 million Internet users to tune in. Hunan TV is in talks to produce a second season of the show that may air on nationwide networks, Li said.

'Learn on the Job'

The growth of plastic surgery clinics has also outpaced the government's ability to regulate the industry. There are 20,000 complaints a year about disfigurements, according to the China Consumers Association, cited by Xinhua.

"Chinese doctors tend to learn on the job," unlike in Korea and other countries where they must undergo special training, said Shirley Shi, deputy director of foreign affairs at the Beijing-based Chinese Medical Doctor Association. "The health ministry is trying to regulate this sector."

Lack of regulation is spurring demand for Korean doctors, who are seen as more skilled, according to Beauty China Medical Center's Lee, who moved to Shanghai three months ago. The 4,000- square-meter center, which opened a year ago, is drawing in about 3 million yuan a month in revenue, Marketing Manager Yang Ye said.

Making Eyes

The most popular procedures in China include creation of a double eyelid to make the eyes appear bigger. Zhang Wei, a plastic surgeon at Shanghai Kinway Plastic & Cosmetic Surgery, charges about 3,000 yuan ($371) for the operation. Nose surgery, meanwhile, costs 20,000 yuan and breast enhancement 35,000 yuan at Beauty China Medical Center.

"As people become richer, they start to strive for more beyond the basic needs of filling their stomachs and looking for a roof over their heads," said Zhang. "Now people will proudly admit they had done plastic surgery as it's perceived as a sign of affluence and sophistication."

The 45-year-old, who operated on aspiring actress Gao, is known as the creator of China's first "man-made" beauty. Zhang Di, 28, received 100,000 yuan worth of treatment after winning a competition for the ugliest woman in Shanghai. The contest has spawned a series of imitators.

Some are concerned that the surge of advertising for plastic surgery clinics is misleading China's young into believing that changing their appearance is an easy ticket to a better life.

"While it's true that looks are very important in industries such as fashion or public relations and marketing, in the long run you need more," said Ong Tingnee, deputy editor-in-chief at a Chinese fashion and lifestyle magazine in Shanghai. "The right attitude and personality go a long way."