What in the World
What in the World
Why is plastic surgery so popular in China?
Up next
April 28, 2025
13 minutes
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
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Presenter: Hannah Gelbart
Producers: Emily Horler and Benita Barden
Editor: Harriet Oliver