Significant change

Zhao Yinong, a 32-year-old sports and fashion blogger who has about 3.66 million followers on Sina Weibo, said beauty tanning enables women to stop being self-conscious and ashamed of their bodies.

"I have witnessed a significant change in the appreciation of skin color. When I was 12, I was told that beautiful women should have fair skin, so I started to lose weight. When I was 22 and living in the United Kingdom, I regularly went to the gym, and when I was 30, I took part in outdoor sport events," she said.

"When I was in the UK, I posted selfies of my shoulder muscles, but my family members messaged me to say that I looked ugly and that women shouldn't be that strong.

"I then took up outdoor activities, which darkened my skin, but I was told by women about the same age as myself that my skin was too dark. When I had a short haircut, my husband's friends even jokingly asked whether he could tolerate a wife without any feminine charms."

Zhao said she viewed herself as an "experiment" in the struggle to free herself from traditional perceptions of feminine beauty, adding: "I feel extremely good now and fully accept myself. I live my way and follow my own will.

"But many women still adhere to the mainstream concept of beauty — dressing well and wearing fine makeup to find a good job or even a husband.

"There are women who try to pursue the lifestyle they really want, but fear that no one will love or accept them if they have a tanned skin. Then there are the women who don't care about comments or judgments from the public, and who are determined to find their real selves.

"I've gone through all these exacting experiences. Skin color is a good way to test whether you can follow your preferred lifestyle."

Zhao added that women worry much more about their bodies and appearance than men, and she hopes the public can accept a more diversified form of beauty.

"I really wish that different lifestyles and skin colors win respect and praise," she said.