Weight loss has become big business in Asia, from holistic approaches to weight loss such as massage therapy, acupuncture, and yoga to more traditional methods, including calorie counting and exercise. In recent years, scores of young people have taken up bowling, mountain climbing, tennis, and many other activities, all in the name of staying thin.
"The different standards for beauty in the United States and China make it very frustrating for me," I tell Lisa. "In China, people say I am fat. As soon as I land at San Francisco International Airport, people say I am thin. But I have an idea for making the best of this situation."
"What's that?" asks Lisa.
"I'm thinking of marketing direct flights to the United States as a new instant weight-loss plan."
94 Chinese Barbies
Amid the uncertainty of the recent accusations against Michael Jackson, one thing is clear: plastic surgery is a spooky business.
But consider the case of my cousin Lingling. Lingling felt that she wasn't attractive. Sure, she was attractive. Sure, the real problem was in her mind, not in her looks. But for 300,000 yuan, she was able to buy herself a cosmetic surgery package that included liposuction on her stomach, back, and rear, double eyelids, and a three-centimeter lengthening of her legs. Thinking ahead, Lingling also invited the Chinese media to record the entire process of her surgery. Shortly after her recovery, she debuted her new goods on the public market to rave reviews. Now she is registered with a top modeling agency in Beijing and getting offers from film producers and book publishers. Lingling no longer has to sleep her way to the top. But if she wants to, she's got the package to do it with.
"Niuniu, you really have to try this," Lingling tells me. "It'll do wonders for you. Look at me, I'm not only a beauty, but a celebrity, too."
"Oh, I don't think I could do something so drastic to my body," I say.
It's Friday night at my place. Lulu, Beibei, and CC have come over for a meal.
"Do you know what my local friends said to me?" says CC. "They said I have a fat ass! Do I have a fat ass?"
"No way. They're so rude," I say.
"Well, do you know that girls in China don't care much about being flat-chested? They are more paranoid about gaining weight. I bet if Jennifer Lopez walked on a Beijing street, she'd be laughed at for her butt," says Beibei.
"The sense of beauty is different between East and West," says Lulu.
I add, "Speaking of beauty, my cousin Lingling had plastic surgery recently. She's very happy with the results."
"Look at Korea," says Lulu. "All those young models getting face-lifts, boob jobs, and cosmetic eye surgery. They' re becoming a nation of plastic beauties."
"That doesn't seem to bother our men," I say. "Those girls are very popular here."
"But it's too much!" says CC. "What if they start giving birth to plastic babies? And what kind of milk comes out of fake boobs, anyway? Vitasoy?"
As young Chinese women find they have more disposable income, they are choosing to have elective surgical procedures in the hopes of attracting a better mate. The old rule of the Big Three still stands as a standard in pursuing the ideal man: a big house, a big physical stature, and a big income. For women, the math isn't so simple.
"We need to have long legs, but small feet; big breasts, but a small bottom; wide eyes, but a small face," Lulu says. "At the end of the day, we have two choices: genetic mutation or plastic surgery!"
Without giving any thought to how my friends might react, I say, "When I dated a white guy in the United States, he said I had a nice little butt. But when I dated a black guy there, he said my butt was small. His roommates always sat around the living room teasing me, saying 'James, whachoo doin' bringin' that skinny-assed girl to our house?' "
The room falls silent for a moment. Mouths are agape. Not because my friends are impressed with my familiarity with African American dialect, but because they had no idea just how much "game" I had back in the States.
Just in time to change the subject, cousin Lingling arrives. I introduce everyone at the table. There is a brief uncomfortable silence before Lulu speaks up.
"Lingling, Niuniu tells us you have found a good surgeon. Do you have his business card?"
The group bursts into a frenzy of questions and fawning. Lingling is the star of the banquet, telling the ladies the story of her recent successes.
Now, is Lingling more successful because she is prettier or because she thinks she is prettier? Maybe her surgery has given her the confidence to strive for new opportunities that she would not have tried before. I don't know – and neither does Lingling. But the important thing is that Lingling expects a 500 percent return on her investment by the end of the year. Chinese girls are clever about money nowadays.
95 Women in Different Societies
I get together with my high school friends Yan Yan and Han in Beijing. Years ago, when I left China for the United States, Yan Yan went to Japan and Han to Hong Kong. This is our first reunion.
Yan Yan has changed so much that I can hardly believe she is the same woman I went to school with. While Han and I sit cross-legged and laugh loudly, Yan Yan sits upright, speaks in a soft voice, and constantly uses her hand to remove the lipstick print left on her teacup. She even covers her mouth with her hand as she smiles.
Every three minutes, she bows to Han and me.
"Yan Yan, I can't believe you've become so feminine. I remember when we used to climb up walls barefooted!" I say accusingly.
Yan Yan replies almost timidly: "You don't know what it feels like to be a woman in Japan."
I say with interest: "Tell us!"
Yan Yan explains: "Japanese people pay much attention to subtle detail. As a woman, to get things done, you have to look pretty and behave properly. If you cross your legs in a business meeting, you lose the deal. It's as simple as that."
Han exclaims: "Sounds like being a woman is more difficult in Japan than in China."
"Sometimes I feel that being a woman in Japan is like putting on a show," says Yan Yan. "As long as you're a good actress, you get your rewards. Especially if you're a good actress with long legs and speak some English, you'd find yourself very popular."
Yan Yan is a success story among the Chinese students in Japan. She has a Ph.D. in art, has held art exhibitions all over Japan, and published a few art books. As a constant guest of Japanese legislators and corporate chief executives, she has become a member of the country's upper class.
I ask Han, "What about you? What's it like to be a woman in Hong Kong?" Han is a success story among mainland women in Hong Kong. She is a director of an American company's Hong Kong headquarters, earning a seven-digit salary.
She has two secretaries and an office at the top of the Lippo Centre, overlooking the Victoria Harbor. "Your language ability is important in doing business in Hong Kong," says Han. She has mastered English, Cantonese, and Shanghainese.
"I can speak Cantonese like a native. So I can hide my origin as a mainlander and pretend to be a native. By doing that, ironically, I've gained more respect from Hong Kong people."
"That's it?" I ask.
"Another secret is to watch your weight all the time," says Han with a smile. "The thinner you are, the more beautiful you're thought to be."
Yan Yan asks me, "What about being a woman in the United States?"
I laugh. "It's easier than being a Beijing girl. First, don't worry about your weight. Asian girls are normally petite there. Second, you can laugh aloud without covering your mouth, and nobody would think of you as rude. Third, there is no need to pretend to be a native. Speaking English with a foreign accent is often considered cute."
Yan Yan says, "It seems you had it easy being a woman in America."