Ethnographic Account

Abstract

The economic reforms that triggered China’s extremely fast development since the 1980s have also involved the beauty sector: the so-called beauty economy has flourished along with all the commercial activities related to the beauty industry, from pageants to fitness, to cosmetic treatments. This article focuses on beauty salons and the beauticians who work there, considering some particular treatments performed in that environment. It is common to find beauty parlors that have an agreement with “specialists” who perform “advanced treatments” in a separate room. The treatments range from wrinkle removal to filler injection, up to double eyelid creation – procedures that are typical of cosmetic surgery clinics, but those in the beauty salon are performed with non-surgical methods. The treatments are performed in a warm and cozy environment, as opposed to the cold and intimidating clinics where surgeries take place. The beauticians who perform them are usually friendly and far from the impassive image of doctors. This suggests a negotiation of the boundary between medical and non-medical settings that is carried out by the beauty workers, and creates a “gray zone” that needs to be explored. What role do the beauty salons and the beauty workers play in this negotiation? I attempt to answer this question by analysing the data collected during my research stay in Hangzhou and Shanghai in autumn 2018. This insight has been further enhanced by some of the findings of my previous stay in the same area, when I was carrying out broader research on cosmetic surgery trends.