Men in Shanghai Go Under Knife for Beauty
27/9/2006 9:34
A growing number of men in Shanghai are taking an interest in their looks
and are having cosmetic surgery or walking into beauty salons, official figures
have shown.
Sociologists said behind the boom in male cosmetic surgery
are pressures from marriage and careers in today's highly competitive Chinese
cities.
The common sight of young men featuring delicate looks and
moisturized skin in the mass media has also prompted men, especially those older
than 40, to seek professional help to look younger, they said.
But with
the desire to look youthful and dynamic to enhance their competitiveness in the
business world comes the fear of being branded a sissy or even called
'gay-looking'.
According to the local branch of the China Hairdressing
and Beauty Association, about 30 percent of the more than 2 billion yuan (250
million U.S. dollars) in annual income in the industry is earned from male
customers. The male beauty market is growing at the steady rate of 20 percent
every year.
"Many men in Shanghai are in favour of cosmetic surgery,"
said Zhang Xiaoling, secretary-general of the Shanghai hairdressing and beauty
association.
One-third of customers who remove lower eyelid bags and
scars and have nose and chin surgery are male, the latest figures from the
national association indicated.
Gu Caixia, a surgeon at the Shanghai
Ren'ai hospital, said men account for 20 percent of plastic surgery patients at
her hospital and that percentage is climbing. In contrast, less than 5 per cent
of customers were male three years ago.
"Men aim to enhance their
competitiveness via cosmetic means," said Tian Hong, a researcher at the
Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences.
"The boom in male beauty treatment
is a phenomenon of the consumption culture, which reflects an alteration in the
traditional values of men," she said.
But not all males are enthusiastic
about the trend; some worry that their masculine image might be
eroded.
Li Xiaojie, a customer representative for a wedding company in
Shanghai, said he was afraid to get too in touch with his feminine
side.
"I ask a make-up professional to trim my eyebrows regularly, " said
Li, in his 30s. "But I need more courage to try plastic surgery."
China Daily
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