China's Women Seek Extreme Plastic Surgery Makeovers in Race for Jobs, Husbands

Chinese tour guide Gao Fei last year had her eyelids cut and nose sharpened to make her look like her favorite Japanese pop singer, hoping cosmetic surgery would improve her chances of becoming an actress.

``If I'm in a job interview with someone of similar experience and qualifications, the one who looks prettier would definitely have an advantage,'' said Gao, 23, as she waited in a Shanghai clinic for a checkup after the two operations.

Plastic surgery -- outlawed by China's Communist party until the early 1980s, when it was permitted for medical reasons -- is a $3 billion business, testament to rising incomes and expanding social freedom in the world's most populous nation. The demand also underscores intensifying competition for jobs, as the once centrally planned economy becomes market-oriented.

``People these days regard plastic surgery as an investment as it will help them to get a good job or attract a man of their dreams,'' said Lee Jong Won, 48, a Korean plastic surgeon who works at Shanghai's Beauty China Medical Center, a venture between Ruijin Hospital Group and Korean investors.

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