Why brown has become the new white
The age-old rules on what Chinese women 'should' look like are being rewritten


She feels that she is now entering a more inclusive environment from a narrow aesthetic circle. It does not have to be matched with fitness, European and American makeup, or some style of clothes. She can be cute, wear a Lolita skirt or whatever style she wants, she says. There are hundreds of ways to develop her tanning look, and she aims to tell people about it.
"Tanned skin is not an aesthetic; it's just skin that has a certain color."
Ellen Wang, owner of a tanning studio Perfect Tan Tanning, in Shanghai, says whitening is no longer the ultimate goal for many women, and her customers are very serious about being beautiful. For example, the "death Barbie pink", a fluorescent pink color, would be a fashion disaster with most skin color normally, "but strangely enough it matches a tanned skin so well, and everyone here is happy to show and appreciate their body".
The aesthetic experience and concept is being explained and redefined in the era of diversity. One may be the best proof of how aging-a factor that has always been considered as a disadvantage, especially for women-has begun to turn into an edge, at least in the public sphere.
In the popular talent show Sisters Who Brave the Winds and Waves, the female participants were all over 30. Many said that after watching the show they were no longer afraid of becoming old.
"At any age you can ride the wind and waves like these sisters, dare to challenge and set off bravely," a post on the show's Weibo page says. "Don't set limits on your age, don't fear aging, and dare to live your own beauty."
