A plastic surgery clinic in China notorious for pushing women to have cosmetic surgery by using advertising which suggests it will boost their chances of “marrying rich” has been fined for creating “appearance anxiety”.

The fine was also imposed for violating healthy social values and its imposition has reignited discussions about women leveraging their appearance and the use of marriage as a vehicle for upward social mobility.

The company involved is the Shanghai-based Gene Beauty Biogenetic Engineering Co Ltd.

Since 2021, it has been promoting its “Reborn Beauty” cosmetic surgery procedure on social media platforms.

The procedure, which reportedly includes patented technology, has been marketed as a safe anti-ageing solution.

Marketing strategies used by the firm linked the outcomes of cosmetic surgery to achieving a luxurious appearance and marrying into wealth.

One of their advertisements explicitly states: “A ‘Reborn Beauty’ face matches a Louis Vuitton bag and to marry a rich person, you need a luxurious face.”

Another campaign video even went as far as saying: “If you’re going to marry, marry rich. If you’re going to be beautiful, be extravagantly beautiful.”

According to the National Enterprise Credit Information Publicity System, the Shanghai Pudong New Area Market Supervision Administration fined the company 30,000 yuan for a breach of advertising laws, disrupting public order and violating social ethics.

The authority said the advertisement created “appearance anxiety” by inappropriately linking beauty with international luxury brands and marrying for wealth.

The punishment was applauded widely on mainland social media.

One online observer said: “This is vulgar, training women to be playthings.”

Another commented: “A fine of only 30,000 yuan isn’t enough for such unethical advertising.”

The company’s marketing tactics reflect a broader social trend in which women’s beauty is monetised and marriage is seen as a means of elevating social status.

This has even led some influencers to sell courses on the subject to attract traffic and boost sales.

One such influencer, Qu Qu Da Nvren, advocated that women should “marry upwards” and taught them how to package themselves attractively, identify wealthy men, and secure their money and resources.

Her courses reportedly earned her more than 100mil yuan in profits, according to sales data.

While some criticised such influencers for endorsing harmful values and dubbed them as “gold diggers”, others viewed their strategies as practical solutions for women aiming for social advancement.

In December 2023, the social media account of Qu Qu Da Nvren was banned for “repeatedly promoting incorrect relationship values and conveying harmful societal values to attract attention and seek private gain”.

 - SCMP