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'Beauty economy' questioned at NPC session
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2005-03-14 08:54 The unfettered passion for beauty-centered
activities in China was largely questioned by lawmakers attending the third
annual session of the tenth National People's Congress (NPC) on Sunday, as it is
considered likely to exert negative impacts on women's development.
The 2004 Miss
Chinese winner Li Shiqi (M) is greeted by first runner-up Yang Jie and Yin
Yue, who ranked third in Hong Kong November 6, 2004. The beauty pageant
was hosted by PhoenixTV . [Xinhua] | "Government
departments should wait no further to codify caution against rampant Miss
contests being held across the country," said Li Yaping, a NPC deputy and
chairwoman of central China's Henan Provincial Women's Federation, suggesting
that policies be made to better regulate beauty pageants.
Miss contests had remained a taboo in China for treating women like "unliving
items" until a string of international beauty contests entered and mushroomed in
the country at the end of 2003.
With rainbow-colored bikini and enchanting figures of beautiful women from
across the globe dotting the white-sand beach of Sanya, a seaside city in
China's southernmost province of Hainan, the final contests of the
widely-watched Miss World pageant being held in 2003 and 2004 have largely made
the city known as an Asian paradise for holidayers.
It is predicted the number of tourists to the city this year would increase
by 20 percent to more than 3.5 million, with the total tourism earnings growing
by 26 percent to 3.7 billion yuan (446 million US dollars), largely attributable
to the beauty contests.
The noticeable success of the Miss World pageant in Sanya not only attracted
more similar international events to come but also spurred a considerable number
of local beauty contests.
Together with the fanfare and marked economic gains of beauty pageants also
came a subconscious craving for obtaining overnight fame and fortune by taking
advantage of one's physical or gender strengths among the country's young women,
particularly those with a sound education background.
In the regional contests of varied beauty pageants, at least half of the
contestants are still in full-time education and it is just a "conservative
estimate", said Gao Jie, project manager of Beautiful World Lit, a Hong
Kong-based company in charge of the Miss World Contest in China, during a
previous interview with Xinhua.
While commenting on a popular belief among university girl students in that
good academic scores weigh much less than a good looking in securing a bright
future, Li Yaping said it should cause great concerns among government
departments, educators and parents. "It may nibble away the youngster's
adherence to values such as hardworking and honesty," said the expert on
protection of women's rights.
Idolizing physical beauty also lead to a surging demand for cosmetic surgery
among Chinese women. In recent years, the sector has registered a double-digit
growth with the annual production value hitting 168 billion yuan (20.5 billion
US dollars) in 2003, largely attributable to women seeking to upgrade their
appearances.
In a proposal submitted by the All-China Women's Federation (ACWF) to this
year's session of CPPCC (Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference)
National Committee, the country's top advisory body, regulations are urged to
prevent government departments from involving in any beauty contests and limit
media report on such contests to a "reasonable" level.
According to the widely-heeded ACWF proposal, all unnecessary cosmetic
surgery on underage people and on-campus beauty pageants should be banned. A
floor age for taking part in beauty contests should be set as soon as possible.
Li Yinhe, a noted sociologist from the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences,
said administrative moves in this regard should be cautious and suggested more
scope be given to the beauty industry itself to handle similar problems, as
saying quoted by the locally-based Beijing Times newspaper.
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