Siyi Chen, writing for Quartz:

Women in China are obsessed with having white, flawless skin. It’s why you might catch sight of a Chinese woman hiding underneath an umbrella on a bright, sunny day—she’s avoiding getting a tan. The obsession, which has a long history, has resulted in a booming industry in skin lightening products and plastic surgery. Researchers predict the global market for skin lightening creams, gels and powders will reach $23 billion by 2020, propelled mostly by growth in the Asia Pacific region.

Now, the obsession has spilled over into the virtual world with a selfie camera that automatically perfects your face in every photo you take. The camera, made by Casio, is nicknamed zipai shenqi (which means the magical weapon for ultimate selfies) in China. It gets rid of blemishes and makes your face slimmer, skin whiter, and eyes bigger.

Find a need and fill it. Meitu, an app that does the same sort of thing, has processed more than 900 million images. This is more than a niche concept. I wonder if Apple is considering adding a mode like this to the iPhone camera app, at least in China.