No beauty duty: Why Chinese women are shaving their heads

SPOTLIGHT / They don’t owe us pretty

Young feminists are sharing before and after photos of themselves on social media.Credit: Xiaohongshu/@empowomen

When Mao proclaimed in 1968 that “women hold up half the sky”, he couldn’t have foreseen the shape of feminism in China today. Across the country, young women are shaving their heads, forgoing make-up and wearing loose-fitting clothing in a rejection of what they call “beauty duty”, the strict cultural norms that dictate how women should look. The burgeoning movement is unfolding on local social-media platforms such as Xiaohongshu and Weibo, where young feminists share before and after photos of themselves – swapping their long hair, contact lenses and make-up for buzzcuts, glasses and nude faces – using the hashtag #BeautyDuty.

Louise Edwards, professor of Chinese history at the University of NSW, says that while beauty standards in China carry echoes of those in the West, gendered expectations are more ingrained. Failing to adhere to beauty standards can hinder a woman’s career progression in a setting where it’s common for job advertisements to request photos. By rejecting beauty duty, women are pushing back against the amount of time they’re expected to devote to their appearance just to participate in society. “Women are seen as having to carry the burden of decorating people’s lives, offices and homes and there’s a lot of labour that goes into that,” says Edwards.

In an increasingly globalised world, Chinese women are swayed by international feminist movements and crusades in countries such as Japan and Korea. Also, many young women were born under China’s one-child policy. “Many singleton daughters have really supportive parents. They tell them, ‘Girls are equal, girls are good.’ They want them to succeed.” Lauren Ironmonger

A woman grieving her mother abandons her marriage and life to return to the place of her childhood.

READ / Amen to that

What does it take to forgive? Does grief ever leave you? Are despair and retreat from the world rational acts or moral failings? Award-winning writer Charlotte Wood explores these issues in her seventh novel, Stone Yard Devotional ($33), in which a woman abandons her marriage, job and city life to live in an abbey in the Monaro, in south-east NSW, where she grew up. There, she leads a contemplative existence, grieving her long-dead mother and recalling her parents’ many acts of kindness as she reflects on what it means to be good and examines the ethical implications of her own conduct. Haunting. Nicole Abadee

LISTEN / Facts of life

Stuff You Should Know has more than 1500 episodes about stuff you should know.

Debuting in 2008 and with more than 1500 episodes behind it, Stuff You Should Know is podcasting royalty. The enduring popularity of the show – which takes deep dives into subjects as wildly diverse as the workings of space stations, aspirin, dictators and itching, or quick dips into things like speed-reading, chastity belts and backyard burials – has much to do with the charm of its American hosts, professional researchers Josh Clark and Chuck Bryant. The pair’s understated style and gentle humour provide amiable company as they share the bounty of their fact-finding. Listening, it can be humbling to realise how little you know about, well, everything. But we live in hope, of course, that some of it will stick. Paul Connolly

WEAR / Summer lovin’

Forgot your towel? Not to worry, your poolside attire just became more versatile.

In my tween years, school holidays were measured out in bowls of Neapolitan ice-cream, hours spent “turning prune” in the pool and my nanna’s collection of beach towels in pops of amethyst, cyan and marigold. While my taste in desserts may have matured, I’m still drawn to terry towelling for its endless summer vibe. Plenty of homegrown designers have worked with the fabric, but few have shown the commitment of Sydney-based photographer-turned-designer Brigette Clark, whose brand is called, simply, Terry. This season, Clark sourced vintage towels from the 1960s, ’70s and ’80s to create cheeky shorts ($375) and boxy shirts ($400) that are anything but vanilla. Melissa Singer

SHOP / Yes sir, we can bougie

Scent fit for a queen: A three-kilogram candle that is an homage to Marie Antoinette’s favourite flower.

Trudon, French candle-maker since 1643, celebrates its 380th birthday with the release of the Tuileries Collection, a floral, fruity range inspired by the discovery of a notebook of fabric samples used to make Marie Antoinette’s gowns and conceived as an homage to the rose, her favourite flower. Available in four sizes – from $69 for a 70-gram Petite Bougie to $899 for a three-kilo Grande Bougie – Trudon candles are, of course, famed for their handmade craftsmanship, exquisite fragrances, Tuscan-glass vessels (here, a stunning blush pink) and original beehive emblem that bears the motto “Deo regique laborant” (“The bees work for God and king”). The collection also includes a room diffuser ($339). Frances Mocnik

DRINK / Daily grind

Home brew: be your own barista with the La Marzocco espresso machine.

Coffee-lovers the world over know that a La Marzocco espresso machine on the cafe counter is a sure sign that good coffee is at hand. Now the barista favourite has launched a home version, the Linea Micra, handmade in Florence to the same exacting standard, with a dual boiler system allowing temperature control over both brewing and steam production ($5999 – the equivalent of just 1500 coffees at your local cafe!). At selected Winnings Appliances and La Marzocco Home showrooms in Melbourne and Sydney. Jill Dupleix

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