Bizarre belly button trend in China

In China, appearance plays a major role. It is not without reason that billions of dollars worth of cosmetic products are sold online. Cosmetic surgery is also on the rise. Now there is a new and especially cheaper trend: the false belly button.

This comes as a sticker, similar to a temporary tattoo. It is stuck a few centimeters above the actual navel. This is intended to create an optical illusion. When you wear high-waisted pants or skirts, your legs appear longer and your upper body appears shorter.

“It’s completely natural and I think it looks better than my real belly button,” buyer ShiYiTongYa said in a video on the platform Xiaohongshu. “In normal situations, no one comes to me, examines my stomach and finds out if my belly button is real.” She bought these after they were presented by a Chinese influencer.

The stickers can be purchased online and come as a sheet of 16. Although buyers are enthusiastic about the Chinese network, there is also criticism. LiangBuZhengYy, one of the influencers, already warns. The tattoos should be fun and not cause fear for your own body. However, others wonder whether this is necessary. “Can’t we just like short legs?” wrote one commenter, according to Yahoo News. Others said the stickers looked “ugly” and made the body look out of proportion.