Over the top?

All right, here are recent "over the top" examples in the media:

1. "A woman should always have fair skin," she said. "Otherwise, people will think you're a peasant."

For legions of middle-class Chinese women — and for those who aspire to their ranks — solar protection is practically a fetish, complete with its own gear. This booming industry caters to a culture that prizes a pallid complexion as a traditional sign of feminine beauty unscathed by the indignities of manual labor. There is an idiom, which women young and old know by heart: "Fair skin conceals a thousand flaws."

With the pursuit of that age-old aesthetic ideal at odds with the fast-growing interest in beach-going and other outdoor activities, Chinese women have come up with a variety of ways to reconcile the two. Face masks like Yao's are particularly popular among locals in Qingdao.

In cities, the summertime parasol is a more familiar accouterment, many adorned with rhinestones, lace or sequins, and sometimes all three. Those who need both hands free are fond of the tinted face shield, the perfect accessory for riding a bike. The fashion-conscious favor a chiffon scarf draped over the face.

What about arms? A search on China's equivalent of Amazon yielded 20,000 results for "sun-protection gloves." These varied from form-fitting leopard-print sleeves that end at the wrist to arm-length gloves made of black lace.

Meanwhile, drugstore shelves across China bulge with rows of creams and cosmetic masks with names such as White Swan and Snow White, promising an aristocratic hue.

On a recent afternoon at Qingdao No. 1 Beach, the sand and surf were crowded. Beside the rows of orange beach umbrellas, people had erected dozens of camping tents, ignoring the amplified announcements that prohibited their use. Others made shelters out of multiple umbrellas or just piled on layers of fabric.

South Beach this was not. Some middle-age men chain-smoked in the shallows, their ample bellies bulging over diminutive Speedos. Under the watchful eyes of their parents, naked children built sand castles and relieved themselves in the moats. Older people were enjoying the sand, too, some using it to bury friends.

Few adults were entirely comfortable swimming in the ocean, judging by the ubiquity of inflatable armbands, inner tubes and rafts. Floating among them, looking like a flock of colorful waterfowl, were a number of women in masks. Some had even donned wet suits for total sun protection.

The masks, made of stretchy fabric commonly used in bathing suits, elicited a range of reactions from beachgoers.

"That is way over the top," said Sun Li, 43, a gynecologist from Henan province, when asked about the face masks. But Sun sat under an umbrella wearing a sun hat, sunglasses, a polka-dot surgical mask, a long-sleeve shirt and lace gloves. A shirt was draped over her legs for good measure.

- Chinese women go to extreme measures to keep coveted pale skin, The New York Times, August 3, 2012.