Beijing Doll - Rebellion may be good for cosmetics retailers
I recently finished reading Beijing Doll, an autobiographical novel by teenage writing sensation Chun Sue. The back cover says that Chun is ‘the voice of a new generation’ and that her novel will ‘take readers to the streets of Beijing, where a disaffected generation spurns tradition for lives of self expression, passion, and music.’
Chun clearly sees herself as a rebel and an idealist, rejecting the authority of school and parents, attempting to live up to her own personal set of ideals. But for Chun and her friends, the path to freedom appears to end in the shopping mall. Here’s a section of one of the final chapters:
‘I picked out a green notebook, and went to cruise the cosmetics counters whilst G paid for it. There were lots of things I wanted to buy, some of newest nailpolish by ZA, green eyeliner pencil, perfumed powder, Red Earth white eyeliner pencil, coloured mascara, and L’Oreal liquid foundation, which was cheaper and moister than other brands, so you don’t have to wet your face before you put it on. Then there were Revlon Colorstay lipsticks, since I was tired of using nothing but light colours on my lips; I might as well not use any lipstick at all in that case, and save the money.’
If she really is the voice of a new generation, it’s time to buy shares in cosmetics retailers.
If she really is the voice of the new generation, it’s time to short china. When citizens are more concerned about material wants and western culture trinkets, then china is doom. Western cultural imperialism is a tool the west will use to destroy china, much like how the US has destroyed itself.
Unfortunately, Han Han is much more likely the voice of the post-80 generation.