Beauty Standards in China

Beauty standards in China, in many ways, are basically the opposite of Western culture's beauty standards. In China, a girl is pretty if she has pale skin, large eyes (including double eyelids), long legs, thick hair (meaning a lot of hair), and a generally thin body. In American culture, not much emphasis is put on eyes or hair. While being tan is something most Americans like to boast about, and some deliberately go to the beach to suntan, many Chinese girls slather on sunscreen every time they go out and the very thought of lying down for hours under the beating sun is incomprehensible to most.

For Chinese boys, the standards seem a little more subtle; most of the previous standards held for girls regarding hair, eyes, and skin are not applicable. Besides having long legs, a fit body, and the like, the eyebrows must be low and close to the eyes, long, and slightly slanted inwards (like a gently sloping v shape). The nose usually is straight and distinguished, the forehead is generally square-shaped, and the chin is usually tapered.

The general attitude of teens towards beauty and appearances, especially when around close friends or family, also seem different when comparing them with what is expressed in American culture. Many friends and family members would deliberately tease each other about particular unappealing traits they thought the other had--for example, if someone had small eyes, they would joke about how ugly she was, but never in a malicious way--it was simply how people expressed their views, with seldom to no filter. Everyone is comfortable enough to blatantly point out and laugh at what they deem as flaws, but the mentality is almost like a way to accept oneself by laughing off what is different from the beauty standard. If a close friend of yours in China starts cracking jokes about your appearance, try not to be too taken aback at first, and simply ask them to stop--it is most likely just an action influenced by Chinese culture dynamics.