Advertising & Society Quarterly

In the age of mechanical reproduction and technological simulation, authenticity is in short supply. From Disneyland and imitation meats to ChatGPT and US presidential debates, one becomes constantly frustrated in searching for elements of relatively unaltered nature and humanity. Ironically, the scarcity of authenticity also makes it one of the hottest commodities in the market. In the beauty industry, Dove’s Campaign for Real Beauty harnessed global success by debunking the conventional beauty myth for women. Social media influencers, with their confessional-style discourse via personalized marketing channels, seem even better positioned to peddle “authenticity” and earn consumer trust. However, the commercial and competitive nature of influencer messaging often detracts from the claims of authenticity. As netizens grow gradually suspicious of such discourse around “natural beauty,” influencers’ attempts to be authentic sometimes lead to backlash that hurts the influencers themselves.

This inaugural piece, curated by our new global and international advertising section editors, examines this dilemma of commercial/competitive authenticity in the context of China. A nation known for strict social conformity, mass manufacturing industry, and counterfeit culture, China has long had a problematic relationship with authenticity. This research paper explores the strategic use of the #ReconcileWithPlainFace hashtag by ten beauty influencers on Douyin, the Chinese version of the popular social media platform Tiktok.¹ As beauty influencers swarm to use platform-designed templates to present themselves as “makeup-free,” they effectively enter a new competition for the most authentic face without the adornment of cosmetics. This marketing strategy occurs against a backdrop of a contemporary Chinese phenomenon called “involution.” Defined as “unproductive refinement,” involution describes the intensification of competition in China’s educational and professional spheres, which ultimately leads to diminished return for hard work. Through digital ethnography, this analysis examines the interactions between beauty influencers and their followers, focusing on the commercial and competitive construction of authenticity and its unique implications for women, digital labor, and social media economics in the context of China.