The New York Times shows how an American beauty brand, Mary Kay, has been impacting women in China. Value placed on individualism and self-image is taking on a new life for women in Chinese urban agglomerations like Shenzen and Hangzhou. Culturally, women in rural China raise children and take care of their families, and beauty products are more or less a luxury. The great rural-urban migration signals a major shift in attitudes and values that are indicative of a new, evolving Chinese culture.

A fascinating New York Times video explains that these products also provide lessons in “how to lead one’s life, how to be happy, and how to look good while doing it.” The simple message aims to build women’s confidence and ambition. Many women have moved from their rural hometowns to China’s urban centers without friends or family. They find Mary Kay’s community of sellers and customers, brought together in seminars and selling parties, an important part of their adjustment to city life. Mary Kay beauty classes and meetings provide these women with a “safe space” to chat and make friends.

Wang Di, left, a national sales director, Paul Mak, president of Mary Kay China, and Xiang Jun Mei, another national sales director. Associated Press

How is this representative of the cultural shift China is experiencing during an era of new economic growth? The video states that many of these women, rural immigrants, strive to “project a new self-image that is modern, urban and sophisticated.” One attendee of a Mary Kay beauty seminar said, “My teacher at Mary Kay told me that successful people are usually extroverts, so I have tried to change.” Extroversion is not highly valued in Chinese culture, where collectivism and teamwork are emphasized from a young age, and conformity is an important virtue. How drastically different is the lifestyle Mary Kay saleswomen exude?

The Asian Pacific Post found that Chinese “women are even more impressed by the way [Mary Kay] lived her life, from putting God and family ahead of her career to practicing the Golden Rule. This kind of connection is helping Mary Kay rapidly expand its sales force. And it’s transforming this army of Chinese women into entrepreneurs, in a country where private enterprise is a relatively recent phenomenon.”

Read the New York Times article and watch the video here.

RW3 CultureWizard