China's young lose face in the pursuit of beauty
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E-mail Xinhua, March 19, 2015
Competitive edge or spiritual void?
Despite the damage, some people do not regret having gone under the knife.
"Plastic surgery is just another way to give yourself an edge in today's super-competitive society," said Jin.
"You can't blame people for turning to surgery to look good, in a society where being pretty simply trumps everything," she added.
Last week Xinhua interviewed 207 students randomly chosen from three Chinese universities in Beijing, Tianjin and Nanjing. More than 16 percent said they had "thought about reshaping their faces," while 191 interviewees thought people with good looks would get more career or education opportunities.
Nearly 60 percent of the customers at major cosmetic surgery clinics in Shanghai were college students who wanted "small improvements," said a doctor in the city.
Plastic surgery is not just the realm of women. Men account for nearly 10 percent of those student patients choosing face-lifts, the doctor said.
Zhang Yan, a researcher with the Academy of Social Sciences in the northwest province of Shaanxi, said plastic surgery should be reserved for victims of fire or other accidents.
"Young people need intelligence more than good looks to survive in society," said Zhang. "After all, a pretty face cannot fill the spiritual void."
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