Actress Zhou Xun plays teenage Princess Taiping in the 2000 costume drama Da Ming Gong Ci (left); Zhou plays the role of a teenage noble lady in the 2018 drama series  Ruyi's Royal Love in the Palace. [Photo/Mtime; screenshot of the TV drama Ruyi's Royal Love in the Palace]

Recently, 44 year-old actress Zhou Xun sparked a talk about "girlishness", as she played a girl of 15 in a costume drama that is still on the air, Ruyi's Royal Love in the Palace.

Although Zhou, with her delicate features, tried her best to portray the vivid air of a young girl, her look was still criticized by many netizens as "clumsy" and "unnatural". People wondered why the series let a woman over 40 rather than a real teenage girl play the role. Some bloggers, inspired by Zhou's acting, even wrote stories about how to face aging elegantly.

It might look silly for an older person to act as a teenager onscreen, but being "forever young" is still pursued by many.

And the "girlish look" has risen to become one of the most frequently used words on the internet in China since 2017.

News online often judges the dressing style of stars, bombarding the public with the word "girlish". Duitang, a website that shares information on lifestyle and travel that is popular among female users, also provides online courses that claims to teach you to get that "girly style".

But what on earth is a typical "girlish look"?

First and foremost, a nice complexion. There should be no visible pores, no acne and no wrinkles to prove that you have struggled in life.

Secondly, a pair of pure, bright eyes, as if you have never seen anything unpleasant or vulgar since birth.

South Korean actress Moon Geun-young plays a teenage dancer in the 2005 film Innocent Steps. [Photo/Mtime]

Thirdly, an air of vigor and freedom. This is the most difficult part for people who need to work under a lot of pressure.

Fourthly, anything but sexy. The girlish look never reminds people of sex. It can be fresh, cute or elegant, but not erotic.

Many real teenages girls, if they happen to be junior or senior school student in China, don't have the above four features. Because most of them are stuck in plain school uniforms and buried in mountains of books, busy with preparations for college-entrance exams.

However, "being girlish" has almost become a synonym for "being young", still pursued by many Chinese women, despite age or career.

Some fashion bloggers openly loath such an aesthetic and believe it is a rooted in discriminatory traditional culture towards older women.

"The girlish look doesn't work on everyone. The national pursuit of such a style implies a single beauty type, and a lack of ability to appreciate different kinds of beauty beyond the boundary of age," Chen Cangcang, a fashion blogger said in a comment about the "girlish look".

Chinese actresses are facing similar pressure due to this singlemindedness.

Yao Chen, one of the most influential actresses, shared her experience about her pregnancy and aging on Star Talks in July, a seasonal talk show given by celebrities that launched in 2016.

In her talk, The Confusion of a Middle-Aged Actress, Yao said there are fewer roles she can play at the age of 39. Her acting career has hit a bottleneck, embarrassing her with the "problem" of age.

Another actress, Yang Rong, said it is the market that needs a "girlish look", and not the true will of the actresses.

"I fear nothing about aging, yet our career can't afford us to become old. We have to keep a girly look to meet the demands of the market," Yang posted on her blog.