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Episode details

World Service,28 Apr 2025,13 mins

Why is plastic surgery so popular in China?

What in the World

Available for over a year

China’s cosmetic surgery industry has exploded over the past decade and in turn, put even more pressure on young women to conform to unrealistic beauty standards. On Chinese social media there are hundreds of filtered faces, extreme weight-loss hacks, and even apps that scan your face and let you book cosmetic surgery as easily as ordering a taxi. BBC reporter Natalia Zuo, takes us through the culture in China and what she found out when working on a documentary for the BBC about the boom. You can watch the documentary on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GaYSEWlHrGw Instagram: @bbcwhatintheworld Email: [email protected] WhatsApp: +44 0330 12 33 22 6 Presenter: Hannah Gelbart Producers: Emily Horler and Benita Barden Editor: Harriet Oliver

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