It’s no secret that there’s nothing better than to have the perfect body, the perfect face, and the perfect life all in one lifetime. Reality check! That’s just television.

“Gold and Jade on the outside, but cotton on the inside.” Is a Chinese saying meaning, outer beauty cannot be compared to inner beauty. If that’s the case, what’s with the preference for beauty being only skin-deep? In China, like many other places, being beautiful is an obsession. Snow-white skin and super model figures, is a battle Chinese women strive to win. Increasing demands in cosmetics to nip and tuck one’s flaws proves just that.

The myth of being beautiful will get you all is definitely not a myth in China. This illusion ingrained by Hollywood and Barbie dolls have caused the Chinese government to run the extra mile to assure a flawless execution in hosting the Olympics. The city transformed into wonderland over night, but it was the lip-synch performance during the opening ceremony that put the obsession of beauty to the test. Yang Peiyi was heard by a worldwide audience, but her face was never shown.
The organizers believed, the 7-year-old with bright eyes and a smile made crooked by the stubs of her first grown-up teeth, was just not cute enough to be the image representing Chinese children. Yang Peiyi sang behind the scene while a slightly cuter girl mimed the words to her voice on stage. Her family expressed that having their daughter take part in the event was a privilege, and agreed that the decision was made for the nation’s best interest.

The conclusion? It seems as if the meaning to “Gold and Jade on the outside, but cotton on the inside” has been distorted to “Inner beauty can not compete with outer beauty.”