Chinese mom tells daughter physical appearance is meaningless, prompts debate

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A Chinese mom's pep talk to her daughter has become viral and triggered controversial waves on social media as she encouraged her to read more books by telling her that it's meaningless for women to have attractive physical appearance without cultural intelligence.

Video footage of the mom talking to her daughter has raked more than 12 million views and has been shared for over 20,000 times on Weibo, China's Twitter-equivalence.

Video of a Chinese mom encouraging her daughter to read more by saying it's meaningless for women to have an attractive physical appearance without cultural intelligence. /Screenshot of Kankan News Video

In the video, the mom, named Zhang Yan said the best impression a person could make is showcasing their knowledge and cultural intelligence instead of attractive physical appearance.

Her words have prompted debate online among Chinese netizens on whether physical appearance matters. Many were in favor of the mom's opinion while others disagreed, saying that it's important to look pretty in order to make a good impression.

A netizen's comment on Weibo. /Screenshot from Weibo

"I do find it's more comfortable to get along with girls who are well-educated and have good temperament… A person's confidence does not just come from one's appearance," commented Weibo user @changqixinxiang.

A netizen's comment on Weibo. /Screenshot from Weibo

"Without external beauty, people won't even get the chance to understand your inner beauty," commented another Weibo user, @shenqibaobao.

Amid controversy and heated debate, Zhang responded to her words in another video, clarifying that the viral video was recorded by her daughter and later shared in a WeChat group of her daughter's class.

Zhang explained in another video that she appeared to be tired in the video because she was tired after hours of driving. /Screenshot of Kankan News Video

She explained that she appeared to be frowned and constantly rubbing her eyes in the video because she was too tired after hours of driving. However, unwilling to ruin the "reading night," as it was a long tradition with her daughter for years every day, she continued to read and share her opinions with her daughter on that evening, and she told her which was later recorded and uploaded online.

Zhang, who works as a children's trainer and an anchor for audio books, said that beauty could be duplicated since medical technology is so advanced nowadays. However, the way you talk and your education can make you stand out from others.

Zhang said she would always share her personal experience with her daughter. /Screenshot of Kankan News Video

Zhang said she would always share her personal experience with her daughter.

"Sometimes I just tell her my experience, but I will also discuss it with her and ask how she thinks, treating her like a friend or an adult," Zhang told Kankan News.