Many young Chinese people suffer from image anxiety. VCG
If you’re someone who looks in the mirror every day and concentrates only on any minor flaw, you’re not alone. For many people, struggling with body image issues is a continuous battle.
每天照镜子时都只关注自身的小小缺点，如果你也是如此，你不是一个人。对很多人而言，纠结于身体形象问题是一场持续的战斗。
“How hostile is the world to unattractive girls?” became a popular hashtag on Sina Weibo in March.
“这个世界对胖女孩的恶意有多大?” 成为了新浪微博三月份的热门话题。
The hashtag resonated with many girls who shared their personal experiences. One internet user talked about how her friends would often cut her image out of group pictures because they thought she was too fat. What became clear was that this feeling of insecurity and alienation was all too common.
这个话题引起了许多女孩的共鸣，纷纷分享自己的个人经历。一位网友表示，她的朋友经常把她从集体照中裁掉，因为他们觉得她太胖了。显然，这种不安全和疏远感随处可见。
“My nose is not high enough, my chin is short and flat, and my eyes are small,” Tang Yuqi, a college student, told China Youth Daily. She doesn’t even answer the door without putting on makeup first. “I just can’t accept myself if I’m not wearing it,” Tang added.
“我的鼻子不够高，下巴又短又平，眼睛也是小小的”，大学生唐钰琪接受《中国青年报》采访时表示。她甚至要化了妆才能开门见人。 “没有办法接受素颜的自己。” 唐钰琪补充道。
What promotes this anxiety among young people?
是什么促使了年轻人的这种焦虑?
As the country’s economy has developed rapidly, people are more susceptible to what others think of them, noted CGTN.
随着中国经济的快速发展，人们更容易受到别人想法的影响，中国国际电视台指出。
Greater time spent online also means greater exposure to advertisements promoting “paper-thin waists” or “chopstick legs”. Such unrealistic ideals only further young people’s anxiety and lead to an unhealthy mindset of perfectionism.
上网时间变长也意味着人们会更多地接触“A4腰”或“筷子腿”等广告宣传。这种看似完美的标准只会加深年轻人的焦虑，导致不健康的完美主义心态。
Tang Xuemeng, 30, often feels pressure to live up to an impossible standard. “I live with that struggle every day. When I was a teenager, I was always doubting whether my face was too big, whether my nose was too wide. And now, I’m afraid of getting old,” Tang told CGTN.
今年30岁的唐雪梦(音)经常为要求自己达到一个不可能的标准而倍感压力。“我每天都在这样的挣扎中生活。十几岁的时候，我总是怀疑自己的脸是不是太大，鼻子是不是太宽。而现在，我害怕变老，” 她在接受中国国际电视台采访时如此表示。
The anxiety over appearance and shape has pushed some people into physical and mental illness. According to Beat, the UK’s leading eating disorder charity, the idealization of thinness is a key factor in worsening the illness and preventing recovery. Some people even go through surgery just to achieve what they believe society considers “beautiful”.
对容貌和身材的焦虑已经使一些人患上了生理和心理疾病。英国一大饮食失调慈善机构Beat表示，理想化瘦身是导致疾病恶化、阻碍康复的关键因素。有些人甚至通过手术来实现他们眼中社会所认为的“美丽”。
But beauty doesn’t come from a makeup brush or a thinner waist. Growing taller and having perfect skin isn’t the solution to insecurity. The fact that every person is different is something to be celebrated.
但美丽并非来自化妆或细腰。增高与拥有无暇肌肤并不是消除不安全感的方法。每个人都不同，这才是值得赞扬的。
A line from an episode of China’s first female monologue drama called Hear Her Says it perfectly: “I am not perfect. Perfection is mundane. I am perfect when I fully realize myself.”
中国首部女性独白剧《听见她说》有一集的台词这样说道：“我不完美，完美多苍白。我很完美，完美地成了我自己。”
