Viral Chinese Makeup

By Dorothy Du

Cover image sourced from various users’ content on XiaoHongShu

Skin Tone

Chinese people are obsessed with pale skin because, since the Tang Dynasty, it has served as an indication of a wealthy family background (家境). Back then, wealthier people could afford to stay inside instead of working all day in the fields under the sun so their skin was likely to be paler. Today, pale skin is one of the most prominent beauty standards in Chinese culture—every celebrity has pale and spotless skin and every digital media filter will make your skin appear ten shades lighter. “Almost half of Asians aged 25 to 34 years use skin whiteners” (CNN). In China, it is not uncommon to see people using umbrellas to shield themselves from the sun. When shopping in a Chinese makeup store, customers will even purchase shades much lighter than their skin tones to achieve this pale beauty standard.  

 Images sourced from various users’ content on XiaoHongShu (“Little Red Book”).

When I came to study in the US 10 years ago, I was shocked to learn that the American standard of beauty valued tan skin more than pale skin. When I returned to China,I remember many relatives commenting on how being in the US made me tanner, and when I told them that was my goal, they laughed in disbelief. Everywhere I looked—on social media, in movies, on ads—I only saw pale skin. And so, I wanted to become like that too. When the pandemic first hit, I remember being glad to quarantine inside all day; it meant I could become paler.

Eyes

A key part of the Asian beauty market is the emphasis on creating a double eyelid which is identified by a “visible crease or fold of skin where the eye meets the eye socket” (Beautylish). Eyeshadow in Chinese makeup is rarely dramatic, instead using natural colors below the double eyelid crease. Often, eyeshadow can be used to emphasize the double eyelid.

Double eyelids are said to make the eyes appear bigger and brighter and they can be attained through surgery, by drawing them on using makeup, or by attaching a thin transparent sticker (called 双眼贴) to the eyelid. In the reference photo, the influencer is making her double eyelid bigger using a stick (Dream Plastic Surgery).  

Images sourced from various users’ content on XiaoHongShu.

Highlighter & Contour

With East Asian beauty standards in general, but in particular with the emphasis on tall nose bridges and double eyelids, I often wondered why we seem to value things that are not in our genes. Why do beauty standards go against our natural features? For the longest time, I thought we just hated ourselves and centered the beauty standards on Eurocentric features. However, it turns out that “countries such as Japan, Korea, and China, have practiced isolationism for long periods of time” (Chen et al.). So it is likely that their beauty standards are not heavily influenced by the West. Instead, “East Asian women are held to a standard that enforces the idea that East Asian women are youthful, cute, and innocent.” Perhaps the beauty standard features such as tall noses and double-eye-lidded eyes, have not so much to do with wanting Eurocentric features, but wanting to appear cute and innocent like a doll. There is particular emphasis on shaping the nose with highlighter and contour; a small and sharp nose can seem like one delicately carved on a doll. Overall, the objective is to appear to have a tall nose bridge, a small nose, and a small face. 

Image sourced from user on XiaoHongShu.

Eyeliner

Eyeliner is almost always thin and only slightly winged. Generally, it is the standard to look more natural and effortless. Therefore, the eyeliner is usually not very dramatic but is used to make the eyes appear bigger and brighter. Eyeliner is almost always back or brown. Most makeup influencers will also draw eyeliner on their lower eyelid to make their eyes look more defined.

Images sourced from various users on XiaoHongShu.

Aegyo-sal or 卧蚕 

The 卧蚕 more commonly known by its Korean name aegyo-sal is a line of fat under the eyes.  It becomes more prominent when you smile and is said to make you appear younger and more cheerful. It also works to make the eyes appear bigger. In most makeup tutorials, the aegyo-sal is drawn on using eyeshadow and highlighter. The aegyo-sal is not like an eye bag. Eye bags and dark circles make one appear tired and older, the whole point of the aegyo-sal is to mimic the features of someone smiling and make one look more youthful. 

Images sourced from various users on XiaoHongShu.

Blush

Having a lot of blush is very on theme with the cute, innocent, doll-like standard, and therefore blush is not always just used on the cheeks. It is often also placed on the tip of the nose and chin. 

Images sourced from various users on XiaoHongShu.

Eyelashes

Lashes on both the top and the bottom, but very thin natural lashes. This can be achieved through fake lashes or mascara.

Image from user on XiaoHongShu.

You might have noticed that many of these makeup tips emphasize a “natural” look instead of “dramatic.” Ironically, the ideal in China is to celebrate clean, effortless beauty, but the standards are also so rigid that most of the “natural” looks are created with makeup, filters, or surgery. One of the articles I stumbled across while researching for this paper said that: “with one of the highest cosmetic surgery rates in the world, many working people in China see achieving certain beauty standards as a necessary step in employment (Gu and Ji).” Many are likely to spend a lot of time and money on beauty products, but still remain very insecure about their appearance.  

While beauty standards exist in every country, the degree to which beauty standards are expected to be upheld in China is incredibly damaging. Some studies have confirmed “existence of the beauty premium and appearance discrimination in the Chinese labor market” (Gu and Ji). While pretty privilege exists in the US as well, I have seen American makeup brands make an effort to show models of different races, skin tones, and features. Unfortunately, I have never seen that in China.  

It is undeniable that beauty standards are problematic and make many girls insecure at a very young age. When we think of makeup, we often think of artistic expression, but the bleak reality of Chinese beauty standards is that they impact the way someone is treated in society. I really hope that one day there will be more of an effort to diversify beauty standards or to lessen them altogether in China. Even something as simple as including more shades of foundation could be a step in the right direction.