I'm interested on perceptions of beauty in China pre and post western influence. I was thinking of comparing ideas of beauty during 1920's-1930's (shanghai 30's period) to more contemporary ideas of beauty. However I'm wondering if during the 30's the west already had a significant influence on Chinese society.
the disturbingly high numbers of plastic surgeries in China (and east asia in general) are really concerning to me. And I'm curious whether these ideals of beauty that people are trying to achieve have more to do with traditional ideas of beauty, or if they are an attempt at a westernized standard of beauty (border line racial transformation)
Wen Hua's "Buying Beauty: Cosmetic Surgery in China" claims that Western influence in 1920s Shanghai led to a spate of double lid surgeries, rhinoplasties, and breast augmentation procedures. In that, you are correct in saying that Western aesthetics did influence the women and their perception of beauty in cosmopolitan Shanghai.
This, however, may no longer be the case in contemporary China. I mean, the same surgeries are popular, but for entirely different reasons.
A survey of Western media will always refer to the increase in cosmetic surgery procedures in China as a result of Chinese women wanting to look more "Western". However, a review of Chinese news reports and interviews will show that this is not how the Chinese themselves view the surgeries.
The procedures are not designed to make the women look more Western. They are redefining beauty -- combining China's common elongated/almond eyes with slight enlargement (through the double eyelid) to achieve a modern aesthetic. Fan Bing Bing is an example. She does not look Western in any way, but her eyes are definitely larger than the average Chinese woman's. Source. Many of those who undergo eyelid surgery are trying to emulate her.
Another example is actress Vicky Zhao, who is well-known for her big eyes. She is the epitome of 眼睛大大的. The "big eyes" ideal is not alien to China. In fact, it is commonly seen as a feature of youth and innocence. (I believe there is a universal, scientific reason for this, but I cannot find my source just now.)
*Do you say "really concerning to me" because you think the women are undergoing surgery to look more Western? Because otherwise I would think such judgment seems unnecessary. This is just my personal opinion, though, and I don't wish to offend.
It is a bit outside of my area of expertise, but I can tell you that there was already a definite, and controversial, Western influence on ideas of beauty in 1920s-30s China.
To get you started on your research, allow me to point you toward 2 chapters contained in the collected volume The Modern Girl Around the World: "Who is afraid of the Chinese Modern Girl?" and "Buying In: Advertising and the Sexy Modern Girl Icon in Shanghai in the 1920s and 1930s." I have not read them myself, but I have colleagues who assign them.
If you want to do more searching on your own, two key terms you should use are "new woman" (generally refers to the earlier group of female reformers) and "modern girl" (generally refers to the more fashion oriented side of things).