Recently, the Spanish fast fashion brand ZARA was embroiled in controversy over a makeup advertisement accused of "uglifying Asians," stirring up public opinion. The uproar stemmed from an advertisement marketed as "tailored for Asian women," featuring the popular Chinese supermodel Li Jingwen with almost no retouching on her face and natural freckles.
This sparked contrasting opinions online. Most negative comments from netizens read: "So ugly, can't she wear makeup?" "Extremely ugly, can't they use some concealer?" "Is this supposed to ugly-fy Asians?" While supportive netizens expressed: "Go out and see how other countries perceive beauty!" "Far superior to those heavily retouched faces on beauty apps!" "Finally, seeing a natural face instead of an internet celebrity face!"
Later, ZARA responded, stating: "Aesthetic preferences vary between cultures, and there was no intentional uglification; the photo was not retouched." ZARA explained that in previous advertisements, they employed realistic photography techniques to show models' true skin conditions without airbrushing.
Following the invasion of Korean entertainment and fashion throughout Asia, the trend of cosmetic surgery and factory-manufactured female faces has altered the aesthetic standards of the younger generation. This trend, after sweeping through mainland China and Taiwan, has reached its peak. Coupled with the emergence of photo editing and beauty apps like Meitu, it has become easier for people to easily transform themselves and share on social media, thus subverting the aesthetic standards of the new generation!
Whether online influencers or nightclub divas, refined makeup, straight eyebrows, innocent eye makeup, exaggeratedly disproportionate pupils, cherry-like lips on chiseled chins that could be used as weapons, accompanied by pitiable expressions and faces airbrushed to the point where nose bridges disappear, are ubiquitous. Often, one sees a group of "good sisters" in photos online, each bearing faces resembling clones rather than individuals.
Moreover, as these internet beauties successively conquer tycoons like Wang Sicong and superstars like Aaron Kwok, Jay Chou... etc., it has become a joke in the cosmetic industry: "Can't skip the internet celebrity package; everyone can become a superstar's wife?" This notion has led more and more girls to view cosmetic surgery as a shortcut to altering their natural appearance, which is truly a societal tragedy. The prevalence of internet celebrity faces caters to male aesthetics in society, reminiscent of "King Chu loves slender waists, and the court is full of starvation." Such aesthetics represent a regression in society, coupled with the traditional female mindset of pleasing oneself to please others, leading to the collapse of aesthetic values, which is truly alarming.
I believe that the Korean aesthetic and cosmetic surgery trend are the culprits behind the deterioration of the next generation's aesthetic standards. While I support non-invasive procedures like microsurgery or skin care, unless it's for severe psychological conditions or special circumstances, I do not support drastic changes to one's natural appearance just to become an internet celebrity face.
Regarding aesthetic standards, I, along with 99.9% of professionals in the fashion industry, prefer natural, unique, and authentic aesthetics. Moderate freckles are cute and fashionable symbols, reflecting sincerity, naturalness, and youth, hence they should not be deliberately concealed. That's why in the modeling industry, where individuality, characteristics, and recognizability are pursued, freckles, tooth gaps, and other personal features are considered assets. Top designers never use surgically altered models, let alone internet celebrity faces; it's a taboo in the fashion industry.
Apart from the fashion industry, I sense that a segment of society is growing weary of the aesthetic of internet celebrity faces. Hence, there's a frequent appearance of articles online sharing photos of beauties from the 70s, 80s, and 90s without retouching or cosmetic surgery: Hong Kong and Taiwanese stars like Maggie Cheung, Brigitte Lin, Carina Lau, Joey Wong, Cherie Chung, etc., who represent natural beauty. Also, there are natural beauties like Shu Qi and Tang Wei who often appear without makeup, as well as representatives of Japanese beauties from that era like Momoe Yamaguchi, Akina Nakamori, etc., all from a time without retouching, filters, or plastic surgery, each possessing their own unique charm, becoming irreplaceable goddesses of their time.
I hope that young women will not be influenced by the current distorted aesthetic values and impulsively undergo cosmetic surgery to become internet celebrity faces. Before you decide to undergo drastic changes to the natural face your parents gave you, imagine how terrifying it would be to have implanted noses and chins, and altered faces under sagging skin as you age.
Please understand that a woman's beauty does not come from fancy clothes or heavy makeup, nor from artificially enhanced facial features. A woman's beauty does not need approval from any man or society. True beauty comes from accepting one's imperfections candidly, being honest with oneself, and living life authentically.
