Shaping Aesthetics and Stimulating Demand: An Analysis of “Facial Attractiveness Analysis” Videos

Abstract

In an effort to evade strict regulations and garner more attention, the cosmetic medicine industry has embraced major online video platforms as crucial marketing channels. Platforms like Bilibili in China host a plethora of videos centered around celebrity facial aesthetics. This study aims to ascertain whether the creators of these videos are professional marketers by analyzing the content features, uncovering their objectives, and gauging audience attitudes. The research, conducted on the well-known Chinese video platform Bilibili, confirms that "aesthetic analysis" videos serve as a form of online marketing in the cosmetic medicine field. Their primary purpose is to subtly shape the audience's aesthetic standards, stimulate cosmetic desires by emphasizing the gap between ideal and reality, yet the audience generally responds positively to such videos.