Hao Lu Lu's office is tucked in a corner wing of Evercare's plastic surgery hospital in Beijing. It's a standard office with dark carpets and modular furniture. Lu Lu arrives early at work, bouncing in her chair with excitement about "having her first real job". She takes fifteen minutes before everyone arrives to apply mascara and check her makeup.
A native Beijinger, Lu Lu became famous in China in 2003 for undergoing extensive plastic surgery, sponsored by the Evercare cosmetic surgery clinic. At the time, it was an extravagant cost of $36,000 USD. Her transformation was known as "The Beauty Dreamwork Project" 治造美人. At the time, she had surgery to her eyes, nose, chin, breasts, buttocks, abdomen, legs, and skin. She would have a new appearance for three to five years.
As a well-publicized transformation, Lu Lu and Evercare received a great deal of criticism.
"When I first got surgery it was the biggest deal ever. But it was my decision, it's not like I hurt anyone else. Now as society is opening up, it's more accepted. Everyone thinks it's normal. After my surgery, a lot of my friends really thought I was brave. but I think I'm brave in that respect but in others, like if there's a mugging on the street, maybe I'm not."
A native Beijinger, Lu Lu became famous in China in 2003 for undergoing extensive plastic surgery, sponsored by the Evercare cosmetic surgery clinic. At the time, it was an extravagant cost of $36,000 USD. Her transformation was known as "The Beauty Dreamwork Project" 治造美人. At the time, she had surgery to her eyes, nose, chin, breasts, buttocks, abdomen, legs, and skin. She would have a new appearance for three to five years.
As a well-publicized transformation, Lu Lu and Evercare received a great deal of criticism.
"When I first got surgery it was the biggest deal ever. But it was my decision, it's not like I hurt anyone else. Now as society is opening up, it's more accepted. Everyone thinks it's normal. After my surgery, a lot of my friends really thought I was brave. but I think I'm brave in that respect but in others, like if there's a mugging on the street, maybe I'm not."
In 2003 Lu Lu was dating a Chinese-American man who supported her through the surgery. "My boyfriend thought it was great...I don't have to spend money and my girlfriend will be more attractive. How can there be such opportunities in the world? Every man would want it."
Giddy femininity comes to mind when meeting Lu Lu. She's flattering and chatty at once, offering warm advice to anyone she encounters. She only wears dresses, and loves shoes and bags. Upon finding out she had 300+ pairs of shoes, her boyfriend at the time asked a mutual friend to find out how much Prada shoes cost, to see if he could support her.
He was 19 years older and very well-off. He told Lu Lu that she didn't have to go to work, she could just do whatever she wanted. Soon after her transformation, they parted ways. "The most important thing is fate. I used to have a boyfriend but we weren't able to get married, I think, because it wasn't meant to be. I think I'm still unmarried because my fate might not have found me yet."
Lu Lu now works for the Evercare company as a sponsored personality. She spends most of her time on Weibo, giving advice to anyone interested in plastic surgery. She goes through company-sponsored regimens to diet and lose weight, and injections to make her facial muscles smaller. To maintain her current status, she takes Chinese medicine and specially prepared herbal teas to slim down and cure her pimples. The tea makes her intestines gurgle while the doctors give her a stomach massage.
"I'm the kind of person who is very self protective. I'm slow to warm up to someone. By the time I'm warm they'll be cold. I don't meet strangers. I use these dating websites sometimes. I usually try to chat with them first. Some people are eager to meet face to face, but it's waste of time if you can't talk together."
"I don't have many pressures, but I would like to marry. You can't buy true love, contentment, friendship, family, but with money you can buy more experience, more world views. I have no parental pressure to marry. My dad says two people together being miserable is not better than one happy person alone. "
Giddy femininity comes to mind when meeting Lu Lu. She's flattering and chatty at once, offering warm advice to anyone she encounters. She only wears dresses, and loves shoes and bags. Upon finding out she had 300+ pairs of shoes, her boyfriend at the time asked a mutual friend to find out how much Prada shoes cost, to see if he could support her.
He was 19 years older and very well-off. He told Lu Lu that she didn't have to go to work, she could just do whatever she wanted. Soon after her transformation, they parted ways. "The most important thing is fate. I used to have a boyfriend but we weren't able to get married, I think, because it wasn't meant to be. I think I'm still unmarried because my fate might not have found me yet."
Lu Lu now works for the Evercare company as a sponsored personality. She spends most of her time on Weibo, giving advice to anyone interested in plastic surgery. She goes through company-sponsored regimens to diet and lose weight, and injections to make her facial muscles smaller. To maintain her current status, she takes Chinese medicine and specially prepared herbal teas to slim down and cure her pimples. The tea makes her intestines gurgle while the doctors give her a stomach massage.
"I'm the kind of person who is very self protective. I'm slow to warm up to someone. By the time I'm warm they'll be cold. I don't meet strangers. I use these dating websites sometimes. I usually try to chat with them first. Some people are eager to meet face to face, but it's waste of time if you can't talk together."
"I don't have many pressures, but I would like to marry. You can't buy true love, contentment, friendship, family, but with money you can buy more experience, more world views. I have no parental pressure to marry. My dad says two people together being miserable is not better than one happy person alone. "
