Floating people are those who left their native city to find a job or to study elsewhere. (Photo : China Daily)
Men's cosmetics are steadily gaining traction in China. According to a report by China Daily, this new trend is highly indicative of the Chinese men's perception about physical looks.
Shopping habits among Chinese men also reflect this silent change.
Gome Holdings, one of China's leading online shopping centers, revealed that Chinese men spent heavily on clothing in the first half of 2015--a stark contrast to previous years when electronics would take the lion's share of such consumption.
Sales of facial cleansing milk for men also earned over 1.5 billion yuan ($234.2 million), according to a Kantar World Panel report. This reflects a 17 percent year-on-year growth.
The sudden shift of interest has made numerous people scratch their heads in wonder. What has caused Chinese men to become more concerned with their looks?
While other people claim that Chinese men are becoming more and more feminine, others are quick to defend such trends, saying that beauty is not exclusively for women. In ancient Chinese history alone, most of the heroes and protagonists of stories revolved around handsome men.
Perhaps the change of Chinese men's perception on beauty and looks is indicative of the rise of their female counterparts' social and economic status. As more Chinese women depend less on men, men are counting on their looks to gain attention in the marriage market.
China Daily's article posits that men are now taking care of their looks more than ever as women, who can now afford their luxuries on their own, tend to look past a man's financial capacity and dwell instead on physical appearance and behavior.
While it remains unclear why Chinese men are increasingly becoming focused on their appearance, one thing remains sure: both Chinese men and women will have to make their own adjustments in the landscape of social and gender equality.
