Beauty

They say beauty is in the eye of the beholder; while observing and learning about Chinese culture I have come to find that beauty seems to be based on the group. As stated in lecture, "they have therefore I must have". I mainly observe the female sense of fashion and find them to be very conservative and well put together. They often wear tights, dresses, and high heels. In America we tend to want to be unique and not wear the same clothing as others, but in China where you want to be part of a group that uniqueness isn't as much an issue. Americans will choose to not wear a specific outfit just to avoid wearing the same thing as others, and having someone show up to a party wearing the same dress as you is fashion suicide. I have found beauty to not only be what you wear, but also how you look. Being slim is popular not only in America, but also in China. The Chinese female students have made comments about being on diets and not wanting to eat French fries to avoid gaining weight. I look at these beautiful, skinny girls and wonder how on Earth they think they have to worry about their weight, but I suppose if the group is thin then that's what they aspire to be. Having pale skin is also beautiful in China. Many women use umbrellas, pieces of paper, hats, visors, you name it to avoid the sun. Stores even sell skin whitening lotion. Americans would rather be tan, which makes many women feel more beautiful. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but also correlates to culture.