The latest China Newsweek carried an article about women and beauty. It says that in essence, men like women to have a full and round figure. However, currently, many Chinese women try hard to be slim, which might be against human nature.

 

For most Chinese women, their idols might be Maggie or Fare Wong. Men, however, say the two are just so-so, because they are too slim. If a man wants to embrace a woman, that woman must be voluptuous, not bony like a withered flower.

 

However, it appears that most women, before they really know men, stick to going on a diet. When they finally find their true love, they suddenly realize that they should be a little bit more fatty than they used to be.

 

A happy woman must also be a voluptuous woman, or she can't win the favor of her man. It appears that a woman is more sexual than a girl, because she is not that thin.

 

In addition, a soft curved body reflects the prosperity of the current society. Only a woman with a strong body can wear those splendid clothes, or she can not properly demonstrate the rich and magnificent feature of the clothes. In the Tang Dynasty, Emperor Tang Xuanzong had two beautiful concubines. One was Yang Yuhuan, who was plump, and the other was Zhao Feiyan, a skinny woman. For most men, they would prefer Yang, probably because her image fit with the prosperous society at that time.

 

Currently in China, many women follow the slim fashion, trying hard to look thin. This does not fit with the current society characterized by prosperity. In the 1920s, many women in Europe once regarded slimming as a beauty, and they even tried to have a plain breast. However, such fashion was gone. As China is on its way to become a more prosperous country, Chinese women should also change their aesthetic value. This is good for them, for men and for society as well.

 

(Chinanews.cn September 19, 2006)