Why The ‘High-Fashion Face’ Is China’s Next Big Look | Jing Daily (2024)

Term/Phrase:

High Fashion Face (高级脸)

About the Trend:

The phrase “high-fashion face” was coined roughly three years ago in China, and it has been instrumental in shaping Chinese beauty standards for the Gen-Z demographic during this time. But now, its online popularity is gaining new momentum because the Weibo hashtag #CreatingtheHighFashionFace has attracted over 89 million views this month alone, with posts featuring makeup tips, celebrity posters, and selfie hacks.

Among Gen Zers, facial features traditionally deemed beautiful (a tall nose bridge, pointy chin, and big round eyes) are increasingly becoming associated with faces that have had work done to them. Yet, the so-called “high fashion face” almost directly contradicts those features, with its prominent cheekbones, angular jaw, wide-set eyes, and thick lips.

Why The ‘High-Fashion Face’ Is China’s Next Big Look | Jing Daily (1)

In 2019, Vogue’s Instagram post featuring the Chinese model Qizhen Gao was accused of imposing a stereotypical Asian aesthetic. Source: thatsmags.com

Additional context:

When discussing celebrities whose facial structure embodies the high-fashion face, people typically name a mix of Asian stars that are commonly seen on runways and in films. The Chinese actress Du Juan, Victoria’s Secret model Liu Wen, and Japanese actress Mizuhara Kiko have all been nominated by netizens as the perfect representations of this quintessential Asian face. Although the phrase “high-fashion face” was only recently coined, the look has been celebrated as the epitome of “Asian beauty” in Western media for nearly a century, despite being underrepresented across East Asia.

However, the Western preference for Asian charm has faced controversy due to its racial undertones. In 2019, the official Instagram account of American Vogue posted a photo featuring Chinese model Qizhen Gao and received a backlash from Asian readers accusing it of promoting a stereotypical Asian aesthetic. Shortly after, a former employee of the magazine anonymously claimed Vogue was trying to “highlight the oriental features by using the model.”

Why Gen-Z consumers like it:

The Gen-Z demographic is a diverse and unpredictable one that requires deep probing to fully understand their socio-cultural traits. Despite passionately embracing traditional culture in their fashion choices, Chinese Gen Zers are noticeably challenging some mainstream beauty standards that have existed for thousands of years. The increasing visibility of the high fashion face challenges the narrow aesthetic conventions born out of China’s hom*ogeneous racial makeup.

The Gen Z Verdict:

Miaomiao Tu, a 21-year-old Chinese college student in touch with the latest trends, explained in an interview with Jing Daily that “people like the high-fashion face because it stands out from most pretty girls. It might not be the most dazzling beauty type, but it certainly is fresh and easy to look at.” Tu and her peers found the new phrase attractive because this beauty concept arose as an unexpected alternative aesthetic in China. In the past, luxury brands have been praised in China for casting local beauties with this so-called high-fashion face, as in Gucci’s 2017 vintage glasses collection campaign, where they collaborated with the Chinese actress Ni Ni.

Why The ‘High-Fashion Face’ Is China’s Next Big Look | Jing Daily (2)

A recent wave of inclusive brands like Fenty Beauty and Huda Beauty has fueled China’s increasingly diverse aesthetics. Source: Glamour.com

How luxury brands should approach this trend:

Despite putting more support behind their local culture, Chinese consumers continue to embrace fashion and beauty influences from abroad. Olivia Jiang, an associate account director at the digital agency DLG (Digital Luxury Group), believes that evolving beauty ideals in the West have paved the way for the high-fashion face trend in China.

“The recent wave of inclusive brands that have entered the Chinese market, including Fenty Beauty and the local Huda Beauty, are helping to fuel China’s increasingly diverse aesthetics,” Jiang said. “I think this [aesthetic] opens up more potential topics of conversation and ideas for brands to explore in the market.”

However, the high-fashion face look doesn’t necessarily mean that international luxury brands should jump on the bandwagon and swap their traditionally beautiful celebrities for alternative faces to revamp their image in the market. According to Jiang, “building a lasting brand in China is a long-term investment. And while latching onto a topic because it is in vogue at the moment may help drive buzz and exposure for a short period, it won’t fuel long-term growth.”

Jiang’s advice to brands that are collaborating with Chinese public figures is to fully consider their brand values and overall image before crafting a message aimed at Chinese consumers. Only then can they shape a celebrity strategy that leads to a successful localization within China’s dynamic Gen-Z sector.

Why The ‘High-Fashion Face’ Is China’s Next Big Look | Jing Daily (2024)

FAQs

What does high fashion face mean? ›

High-fashion models display fashion designs in magazine editorials, and they serve as spokespeople to represent brands. Their work with prominent brands and fashion designers makes them recognizable to the public.

What are the facial features of Chinese people? ›

A person from northern China tends to have a square facial structure with small facial features, such as the eyes or nose. Conversely, people from southern China have more rounded faces with more prominent eyes and broad noses. In China, peoples' eyes tend to slant downwards at the ends as well.

What type of face is most attractive? ›

Oval: Your face is often longer than wide, with the forehead standing out as the largest area of your face. According to Papanikolas, this form is typically regarded as the most attractive facial shape.

Why is high fashion so popular? ›

Fashionable clothes aren't just about quality (although that's part of it). They're also about status. Brands keep prices high to prevent the majority of people from purchasing their labels, which, in turn, drives up desirability even more. Social status is all about exclusivity.

Why is face so important in Chinese culture? ›

The Chinese concept of “face” (aka 面子 or miànzi) refers to a cultural understanding of respect, honor and social standing. Actions or words that are disrespectful may cause somebody to “lose face” while gifts, awards and other respect-giving actions may “give face”.

How is Chinese face changing? ›

The Chinese art of face changing doesn't involve makeup or magic. However it may appear as if what's happening is a form of wizardry. Also referred to as Bian Lian, face swapping is an ancient and traditional Sichuan art. Performers use silk masks to reflect the mood changes of their character.

What type of face is Chinese beauty? ›

Also sometimes referred to as a melon seed face (瓜子脸, guāzǐliǎn), this is the traditional symbol of beauty in China. It's a small face, with a soft but slightly pointy chin paired with slightly rounded cheekbones with soft lines. The facial curve is oval, and fuller, very much like a melon seed or egg.

What makes a face extremely attractive? ›

In particular, the nose should be straight and balanced, the eyes should stand out, the lips and smile should draw you in, and the cheekbones should round out your face nicely. When facial features are well balanced, the face appears harmoniously beautiful.

What makes a woman pretty? ›

These features could be their lips, faces, hair, body figure, skin, and smile. The physical attributes that are attractive to some vary per age, preference, and environment. In a way, scent also makes a person attractive.

What is the most attractive female face? ›

The following features are deemed universally attractive by most cultures:
  • medium-thickness, well-groomed brows that don't meet in the middle.
  • a slimmer contoured face.
  • distinctive jawline.
  • fuller pouting lips.
  • arched brows.
  • slim nose.
  • smooth skin with a healthy skin tone.
  • an attractive smile.
Mar 21, 2022

Who buys fast fashion the most? ›

The target audience for fast fashion is consumers aged between 18 and 24, while women and young girls consume fast fashion more than any other demographic group.

What country consumes the most fast fashion? ›

Do Fast Fashion Statistics Vary by Country? 10 countries dominate the market for retail purchasing: China 40 billion, USA 17 billion, India 6 billion, Japan 3.3 billion, Germany 2.2 billion, UK 2.1 billion, Russia 2 billion, France 1.5 billion, Italy 1.3 billion and Brazil 2.3 billion.

What country is the origin of high fashion? ›

The year British designer Charles Frederick Worth — regarded by many fashion historians as 'the father of haute couture' and 'the first couturier' — established the first Couture House at number 7, rue de la Paix in Paris.

Why do Chinese have flawless skin? ›

For bright complexion and flawless skin texture, they use the paste of mint leaves. They also use natural toners for skin like rice water. Chinese people have proper knowledge about how to get healthy skin. They also maintain a healthy diet to stay physically fit.

Why Chinese skin is flawless? ›

The secret is that Asian skin has a thicker dermis (the layer of skin that contains collagen and elastin). And the more collagen and elastin you have, the fewer wrinkles you get. But it's important to use beauty products that take special care to preserve this innate anti-aging property.

What are the 4 types of Chinese face? ›

The 4 faces of Chinese people (women, really)
  • guāzǐ liǎn 瓜子脸 = Mellon-seed Face.
  • é dàn liǎn 鹅蛋脸 = Goose-egg Face. ...
  • guó zì liǎn 国字脸 = “Country”-character Face.
  • bǐng liǎn 饼脸 = Flat-cake Face.
May 17, 2020

What is the most attractive face shape in Asia? ›

Although the oval face shape is accepted as the female ideal in East Asia, the inverted triangular shape (i.e., heart shape) is also popular.

Who are the top 4 beauty in China? ›

The Four Beauties or Four Great Beauties are four Chinese women who were renowned for their beauty. The four are usually identified as Xi Shi, Wang Zhaojun, Diaochan, and Yang Guifei.

What is Chinese physical appearance? ›

In almost all cases Asians have straight, black hair and dark eyes. They also tend to have less body hair, less facial hair, flatter faces, smaller noses, wider cheekbones, and "shovel-shaped" incisor teeth (front teeth whose back side has a slightly scooped out shape)..

What does it mean to be the face of a fashion brand? ›

The face of the brand refers to an individual, usually an actor or a hired brand advocate, tasked with representing a company and doing everything a brand would do. The face of a brand is responsible for creating awareness for your business, generating leads, and making sales.

What is high fashion model look? ›

High Fashion models are the ones you see on the catwalks. They work with all the high end designers and walk in all the fashion shows for the famous Fashion Week. This type of model is usually very tall and slender. They have small measurements and are very lean.

How to look like high fashion? ›

9 Tips On How to Look Expensive
  1. Wear a long coat. Adding a long coat to your outfit is the easiest way to get that expensive look! ...
  2. Wear tailored pieces. ...
  3. Buy a structured bag. ...
  4. Wear pointy shoes. ...
  5. Tuck it in. ...
  6. Add tasteful jewelry to your outfit. ...
  7. Throw on some sunglasses. ...
  8. Don't forget skincare + beauty.
Jan 16, 2018

What defines an attractive face? ›

Big, alert eyes, a small, proportional nose, perky cheeks, a well-defined jawline, or full lips usually grab people's attention and strike them as beautiful. A lot of people are dissatisfied with how their faces look and often look for ways to look prettier, younger, and healthier.

Why do fashion models not smile? ›

Rising young star Matthieu Villot told AFP the reason for the unspoken ban on smiling was clear. "They want to show the clothes and not our faces. If we smile we focus attention on our faces and not the clothes," said the 22-year-old medical student.

How does fashion reflect who you are? ›

Your dressing sense reflects your personality, character, mood, style and what actually you are as an individual. People wearing gaudy clothes with loud make up are generally extroverts and love partying. You really can make out what sort of person an individual is by his/her dressing.

Why is the face of a brand important? ›

Being the face of your brand allows you to build that connection with your audience; more so, it makes your company more familiar, approachable and authentic. If you are able to control your brand's image and the narrative around your story, that puts you in an incredibly powerful position.

What is the average age of a high fashion model? ›

Runway (cat-walk) modeling – High-end models typically shooting for editorials, high-end designers, runway and fashion campaigns. Fashion models have very particular age, height, and measurement standards. The typical age is 16-21.

Why are high fashion models so tall? ›

A taller stature offers a commanding presence at runway shows, and so this is ideal for designers who want their work to be noticed. Longer legs, a tiny waist and relatively small breasts have become the industry standard for runway models.

What are the characteristics of high fashion model? ›

As a Model, you will need to be:
  • fit, healthy and energetic.
  • reliable, organised and punctual.
  • confident, positive and persistent.
  • able to handle criticism and rejection.
  • patient; you might have to hold a certain pose, or wait around, for a long time.
  • able to get on well with people.

What makes a woman look expensive? ›

The key to looking expensive is actually pretty simple: Confidence, a couple of tailored pieces, and good fit. “If you're unsure of your outfit, everyone else around you will be too,” says wardrobe stylist, Noah Diaz. Britt Theodora, celebrity fashion stylist, also suggests focusing on texture and fabric.

What colors look expensive? ›

7. Color combinations of black, beige, brown, gray, white and pastel colors. We believe that the colors listed above can be the easiest way to instantly change your outfit so that it looks more expensive.

What makes you look rich? ›

Take care of your clothes: Polished always looks expensive

Taking care of your clothes regularly is one of the best ways to look rich. Messy will never equal 'wealthy' at first glance, so keep things polished with clean lines, polished accessories, and neat hair and makeup.

What makes a face look younger? ›

Incorporate foods high in vitamin C like citrus fruits, which studies have shown may promote younger looking skin. Have food high in essential fatty acids, such as walnuts or olive oil, to keep skin cells hydrated. Avoid food high in unhealthy fats, which could make your skin appear less youthful.

What makes a woman physically attractive? ›

Facial symmetry has been shown to be considered attractive in women, and men have been found to prefer full lips, high forehead, broad face, small chin, small nose, short and narrow jaw, high cheekbones, clear and smooth skin, and wide-set eyes.

How do you know if you look attractive? ›

So, if you want to know if you are truly attractive, take a close look at both your physical appearance and your personality traits. Chances are that if you are confident and kind and use positive body language, like maintaining good eye contact and posture, others will find attractive qualities in you.

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