Chasing perfection: plastic surgery and unemployment in China

Abstract

This article explores how women in contemporary China answer to unemployment challenges which have affected China after its shift towards the market oriented economy. The paper discusses the changing approach to body politics in China as an answer towards rising rate of unemployment among Chinese women. It traces the history of how market reforms and changes in educational policies have put Chinese women in a position where they have to seek help of plastic surgeons to increase their value on the job market. The author argues that due to a rapid economic development of China and rise of the middle class with a larger disposable income, competition for employment in China has increased dramatically, which made women highly vulnerable, pushing them to use body alterations to secure jobs.