Inside China’s extreme makeover mania

What happened A new beauty-related trend has hit Chinese social media. “Explosive modification” (爆改) has rocketed as a buzzphrase this year among netizens on Xiaohongshu, with the hashtag “explosive change” (#爆改) pulling in over 3.33 billion views and sparking 5.78 million discussions. Borrowed from interior design, where it originally referred to dramatic large-scale home makeovers, the term now applies to striking personal transformations — particularly those of celebrities once deemed average looking who are now celebrated as highly attractive figures. In a bid to recreate these celebrity reveals, individuals are posting their explosive transformations online, ranging from experimenting with new makeup techniques and hairstyles to more drastic measures, such as intensive weight loss programs and cosmetic surgery. But as the trend continues to escalate, these results are becoming increasingly more extreme, with highly personalized makeovers designed to deliver staggering before-and-after contrasts. The Jing Take Driven by the influence of celebrities and popular KOLs, China’s latest beauty transformation phenomenon reaffirms consumers’ relentless pursuit of self-enhancement — and the expanding possibilities for achieving it. It also highlights a broader societal fixation with unattainable beauty standards, as seen in the significant uptick in the mainland’s tech-enabled ‘tweakments’ sector and light medical beauty market. Demand extends beyond women, with “appearance anxiety” rising among men propelling growth in the male cosmetics market. According to Deloitte, China’s medical aesthetics market is poised to grow at a CAGR of 10% to 15% over the next four years. China’s plastic surgery market, though starting late, is also expanding rapidly, reports Daxue Consulting, with the sector projected to reach $56.3 billion (410.8 billion RMB) by 2025. The ripple effect of these extreme transformations is clear in the national response to comedian and actress Jia Ling’s dramatic makeover earlier this year. Known for her starring role in the film Yolo, the actress-slash-director’s on-screen transformation quickly went viral on social media, sparking a surge of interest in boxing as a weight-loss method — particularly among women. Searches for “boxing” on the online retail platform Meituan soared by 388.4% year-on-year following the film’s release. Meanwhile, queries for “trial class for adult boxing,” “month-pass for boxing,” and “women’s boxing” saw a tenfold increase on Dianping, a Yelp-like app, compared to the same period in 2023. These physical transformations are evident beyond China. Extreme makeovers have gripped the West, too. Take this year’s Ozempic boom, for instance, with stars like Christina Aguilera, Lana Del Rey, and Lindsay Lohan’s dramatic new looks earning widespread praise. The phenomenon has also given rise to a new trend on apps such as TikTok and Xiaohongshu, where users solicit audience advice on how they can “glow up.” The concept is gaining significant traction, with individuals inviting audiences to critique their looks and offer honest advice on how they can drastically improve their appearance. As we enter 2025, this new era of digital hypervisibility will likely see trends like “extreme transformation” continue on an upward trajectory — a phenomenon that will no doubt benefit China’s beauty market, but at what potential cost to consumers? The Jing Take reports on a piece of the leading news and presents our editorial team’s analysis of the key implications for the luxury industry. In the recurring column, we analyze everything from product drops and mergers to heated debate sprouting on Chinese social media.

Inside China’s extreme makeover mania

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Published December 19, 2024

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Inside China’s extreme makeover mania