Abstract
This research examines a key determinant of female beauty among urban Chinese women: white facial skin color. By using Williams' "Personal Impact Assessment," (2000a) the article investigates how the use of vivid images in recent advertisements for whitening skin care products helps shape both the individual and the social values among female product users and the opposite sex. The Chinese proverb, Yi Bai Zhe San Chou (fair skin can hide three facial flaws), is also examined.