In a progressive era where gender equality is greater than ever before, there are still struggles to apply them to a real-world setting. The concept of “beauty standards,” is an unequally applied one that creates shame and promotes unhealthy practices. In China, the term “Bai Youshou” meaning pale skin on a youthful, skinny body shape is considered the dominant beauty standard. The criterion of white skin is the most prolonged and superior rule all, and women go to extreme measures entitled “self-improvement” to achieve the lightest skin tone. These measures include skin bleaching, whitening pills, and excessive sun protection to avoid getting tanned.
No matter whether they are in rural villages, where media influence is limited, or infamous international cities such as Shanghai, it is ubiquitous to see women wearing full-body UV-protection clothing that covers them from shoulders to ankles. Some even wear masks and facekinis that cover their whole face, topped with sunglasses to protect the eyes. Most Chinese female social media influencers named these products “the process of self-improvement” with the slogan of “fighting for the beautiful transformation.” The fixed mindset that white equals beauty is deeply curved into their heart, and they would still insist on doing it under sweltering summer days of temperatures over 100 degrees Fahrenheit.
Last year, when I spent my summer doing anthropology fieldwork in rural villages in Jiangxi, China, I was astonished by the trends of the female villagers’ dress. I still remember the extreme heat wave that hit the village that day. It was so hot that I felt nauseous from simply walking under the bright Sun on a Sunday afternoon. When I turned around, I saw these women walking past me, row by row, along a muddy, poorly constructed country road. Every part of them, from head to feet, was completely covered with black clothes, only exposing their eyes. In that village where technological access was limited, few people had televisions or radios, women were still wearing the newest styles of sun protection masks, covering their bodies with the most amount of fabric, believing that they were “improving themselves” by avoiding the Sun. My vision was occupied with trying to comprehend the sight before me. It was as if their figures were painted in pure black. I could not distinguish nor identify each woman with their mask on. My mind immediately linked to a quote from The Handmaid’s Tale, where Margaret Atwood wrote of the women’s uniforms, “The skirt is ankle-length, full, gathered to a flat yoke that extends over the breasts, the sleeves are full; they are to keep us from seeing, but also from being seen.” (Atwood, 23). It was as if they were in a uniform, controlled by the whims of fashion even in this distant town.
Last year at this time in Iran, September 16th, 2022, Mahsa Amini was brutally abused by the morality police for not wearing her hijab properly in public, which violated the strict dress code of Iranian law. Wide-scale protests broke out after her death, where women raised their voices to publicly protest mandatory coverings. This seemed a sharp contrast to me with the Chinese women who choose to cover themselves just as heavily simply to avoid the sun to match beauty standards. While one culture is fighting to shake off the limitations binding them, another is starting to put chains around their neck. And yet, there is a correlation between them. Neither group of woman is given the chance to appreciate their own body. They are asked, either by the police or the force of society, to hide away their skin like exposure is a crime. Although there have been no laws written to control women’s clothing in China, the unreachable beauty standards have already strangled many young Chinese women into endless depression and anxiety about their natural skin color.
Cinda Securities has displayed that from 2016~2021, the total market size of Sun Protection products has increased from 93 billion dollars to 167.1 billion dollars. It is estimated that this will continue to increase to 264.2 billion dollars by 2026. (Cinda Secuirities, 4) This means that the demands of Chinese consumers, women who desperately avoid tanned skin, are increasing exponentially. One leading brand of sun protection clothing is manufactured and sold by Beneuder, which holds a partnership with more than 600 KOL (key leaders of opinions, and social media influencers) owning 14 billion followers in total. (Znkedu, 3), The anxiety of Chinese women is the result of the overly publicized concept that white equals beauty. According to a survey done with 500 participants, 78.83% of women are all anxious about their outer appearance. (NewCN, 1)
Robert Holden once said, “No amount of self-improvement can make up for any lack of self-acceptance.” If women are unable to appreciate their own identity and the skin tone they were born with, the effort they input into skin whitening would simply turn into anxiety that eats them alive. Women should not be trapped within the confines of societal to legal chains regarding their bodies. As long as these traps remain, women will never find the self-acceptance needed to love themselves.
References:
“Alarm over Iranian Woman’s Death after ‘improper’ Hijab Arrest | UN News.” United Nations, United Nations, news.un.org/en/story/2022/09/1127131. Accessed 1 Oct. 2023.
Atwood, Margaret, et al. The Handmaid’s Tale. Virago Press, 1992.
“Beauty Care Biweekly: The Sunscreen Market Continues to Expand, and Safe and Efficient New Sunscreen Have Broad Prospects.” Eastmoney.Com, data.eastmoney.com/report/zw_industry.jshtml?infocode=AP202305211587036374. Accessed 22 May 2023.
“Extreme Sun Protection to Blame? Woman in China Fractures Ribs after Coughing.” AsiaOne, 20 Sept. 2023, www.asiaone.com/lifestyle/extreme-sun-protection-blame-woman-china-fractures-ribs-after-coughing.
“Iran Tries to Reimpose Strict Dress Codes for Women after Anti-Hijab Protests.” NBCNews.Com, NBCUniversal News Group, 18 Apr. 2023, www.nbcnews.com/news/world/iran-impose-strict-dress-code-hijab-women-protests-mahsa-amini-rcna79081.
“Nearly 70% of College Students Suffer from Appearance Anxiety? Nearly 90% Are Influenced by Social Media.” News.CN, www.xinhuanet.com/fashion/20230612/d470f9c9c8eb44deb3ef46f577db6e1c/c.html. Accessed 12 June 2023.
Taobao, Alibaba, www.taobao.com/market/global/index_new.php. Accessed 1 Oct. 2023.
Znkedu. “‘Beneuder’ Sell Anxiety about Sun Protection, but Those Who Make Money Are ‘Substitutes.’” Tencent News, new.qq.com/rain/a/20230804A069C100. Accessed 1 Oct. 2023.
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