The Lipstick-on-Collarbone Challenge Is the Latest Toxic Beauty Standard to Hit China

China’s obsession with finding bizarre ways to measure slimness just never ends. The latest addition to these unhealthy but enduring toxic beauty standards has netizens balancing lipsticks on their collarbones. Yes, you read that right. And yes, we’re just as bewildered as you are.

The challenge seems to have started with Chinese actress Chen Shu. On March 2, she posted photos of herself with a classy off-shoulder top and a killer smize. But the real star of the photoset? A lipstick perched delicately on Chen’s collarbone.

“New collarbone skill unlocked,” her caption reads, “Join me in this challenge.”

And join her they did. Within 24 hours, the Weibo topic attracted over 150 million views and 18,000 comments, with many netizens sharing photos of themselves attempting the challenge.

Besides lipsticks, Chinese netizens have, in the past, also experimented with balancing coins, eggs, and even fish on their collarbones.

Yes, actual fish.

Chen didn’t explicitly say that the challenge is weight-related, but like all other collarbone challenges, the connotation is clear: if you can do it, that means you’re thin enough.

There is a long-standing obsession with having a pronounced collarbone, which many associate with being skinny. However, some people actually just have naturally protruding clavicles.

One’s collarbones play a much more important role that goes beyond vanity. Its primary functions are to hold the shoulder upright, as well as protect nerves and blood vessels in the neck and shoulder.

I would go on a rant about the toxicity of these pointless challenges, but I already did. And I think we already know that another baffling measure of skinniness will make its rounds on Chinese social media soon enough.

Find Koh Ewe on Instagram.