Date:13/12/2004 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2004/12/13/stories/2004121301682000.htm

International

A facelift for ``manmade beauties"

BEIJING, DEC. 12. Nineteen finalists in China's first beauty pageant for women who have had plastic surgery took to the stage on Sunday in a parade of glittering gowns.

The contestants, heavily made up with hair expertly teased, waved and posed as they were presented to reporters before a week of preparations for the December 18 final.

The competition and its novel pitch is another sign of China's increasing fixation with beauty as the country grows more prosperous and its people more conscious about looking good at any cost.

In the larger cities, cosmetic surgery has become the norm as more women — and some men — go under the knife to improve their looks.

``Before, I couldn't imagine that was possible to have places where the old could become young and the ugly could become beautiful,'' said Liu Yulan, who at 62, is the oldest contestant. She has had a facelift and surgery on her eyelids. — AP