Singular Definition of Beauty in China
中国单一的审美标准
王淑怡 供稿
Recently, the fashion retailer Zara sparked widespread debate in China by featuring a freckled model in a campaign for a new range of cosmetics. Some social media users slammed the Spanish brand for "uglifying" Chinese women. Others accused Zara of misrepresenting Asians -- and even of outright racism. A hashtag for the incident on Weibo, China's Twitter-like microblogging site, had appeared in more than 55,000 Weibo posts and has now been viewed more than 500 million times.
最近，西班牙服装零售商Zara在全新彩妆系列的产品宣传中使用了一位雀斑模特的特写照片，此举引起了广泛的争议。一些社交媒体用户抨击该品牌“丑化”中国女性，还有些人指责Zara扭曲亚洲人形象，甚至公然进行种族歧视。在中国版推特“微博”上，这一事件的话题下已有超过5.5万条相关博文，浏览量超过五亿次。
What's ironic is that, while many people are easily irritated by Western standards being "forced" on China, they despise some of the physical features -- such as small eyes and brown skin -- that belong naturally to many East Asians.
具有讽刺意味的是，虽然很多人被“强加”给中国的西方审美标准所激怒，但他们却不喜东亚人所特有的一些外貌特征，例如小眼睛和褐色皮肤。
The mainstream beauty standard in China is one of a fair and freckle-free face, big eyes and high nose bridge. While some of these ideals, such as fair skin, have been popular among Han Chinese since ancient times, others, like large eyes and a high nasal bridge, are more commonly associated with Caucasian people. Yet, this beauty standard continues to prevail in the country. Advertisements for cosmetic products, from both domestic and international brands, boast of their ability to whiten skin and remove freckles. Even food and drink ads, for products like coconut juice, claim they can whiten skin.
中国对女性的主流审美是白皙无暇的面庞、大眼睛、高鼻梁。虽然自古以来，很多的汉族女性都有着白皙的皮肤，但诸如大眼睛和高鼻梁等面部特征，其实更常见于高加索人。然而，这种单一的审美标准却一直在中国盛行。国内和国际的彩妆品牌在广告宣传中都吹嘘自家产品具有美白和祛斑的功效，甚至连椰汁等食品和饮料广告，也声称它们具有美白功效。
In China, before posting photos on the social network, many women use photo beatification apps to smoothen and whiten their skin, and enlarge their eyes. It's also common for anxious young women to have their freckles removed by laser, or, going to more extreme lengths, surgically enlarging their eyes and shaving their facial bones. Fair, spotless skin is often associated with being elegant, pure and even healthy. Freckles, meanwhile, are denounced as dirty, ugly and a sign of ill-health.
许多中国女性在社交网站上发布照片之前，都会使用美颜软件进行磨皮、美白、放大双眼。很多对自己容貌焦虑的年轻女性也会使用激光去除雀斑，更有甚者会通过整容手术放大双眼或削骨。白皙无瑕的肌肤通常与优雅、纯洁甚至健康联系在一起。与此同时，雀斑往往被认为是肮脏、丑陋和病态的标志，不为大众所喜爱。
The idea of having a single beauty standard is especially bizarre for a country as diverse as China. With 56 officially recognized ethnic groups, beauty here is rich and varied. While Han people often adore angelic, freckle-free faces, other ethnic minority groups, such as the Dulong people of Yunnan province, traditionally prefer dark skin and even face tattoos. And while Han culture often sees pale and weak-looking women to be beautiful, women in Inner Mongolia are considered attractive if they're good at riding horses.
对于中国这样一个多元化的国家来说，拥有如此单一的审美标准着实令人奇怪。中国有着56个民族，美的标准是丰富多元的。汉族人往往喜欢像洋娃娃般完美无暇的面庞，但其他的少数民族，如云南省的独龙族，则更偏好深色皮肤，甚至面部纹身。在汉族文化中，人们通常认为面色苍白、身体柔弱的女性是美丽的，而在中国内蒙古，擅长骑马的女性则更有吸引力。
Thankfully, the strict definition of beauty is slowly loosening. Take singer Wang Ju, who rose to prominence in the summer of 2018 through the competition, "Produce 101." She is neither fair nor tall, but Wang took the country by storm, proving to be independent, confident and, to many, beautiful.
幸运的是，对美的严苛标准正在慢慢放松。以歌手王菊为例，2018年夏天她通过选秀比赛“创造101”一举成名。她既不白皙也不高挑，但是王菊的火爆却引发全国热议，这表明在许多人眼中，独立自信的女性最美丽。
Hopefully Zara's campaign -- and the debate it stirred -- can help change stereotypes toward women’s appearances. And, in time, I believe more Chinese women can learn to love themselves, regardless of whether they meet conventional standards of beauty.
希望这次的Zara宣传活动及其所引发的广泛讨论，能够帮助转变大众对于女性容貌的固有认知。相信随着时间的推移，越来越多的中国女性能够学会如何爱自己，不论她们是否符合传统的审美标准。
【Vocabulary】
1. freckle n. 雀斑
2. hashtag n. 话题标签
3. slam v. 猛烈抨击
4. misrepresent v. 误传；不实报道；歪曲
5. racism n. 种族主义
6. nasal bridge 鼻梁
7. spotless adj. 没有污点的；一尘不染的
8. bizarre adj. 怪异的
9. Inner Mongolia 中国内蒙古
10. stereotype n. 模式化观念（或形象）；老一套；刻板印象