Behind the 30-yuan underground mall renovation, the "county style" that became popular on the Internet

What is it like to spend 30 yuan on a renovation in an underground mall? This article will show you the reasons behind the renovation. Of course, this article is recommended for companies or individual business owners.

What is it like to get a make-up done in an underground shopping mall for 30 yuan?

Recently, a type of content about the explosive renovation of underground shopping malls in Northeast China has become popular on short video platforms. Bloggers such as @遥遥小宝 and @吹一下粥 have taken on related challenges and attracted a lot of attention.

In the beauty industry, which is constantly attracting professionals, hard-core information, and even celebrities, why can this type of content become popular? How is this related to the endless emergence of keywords related to "street underground" on the Internet in recent years?

1. You can get a makeup look for only 30 yuan

Nowadays, when searching for "underground shopping mall" on Baidu, the most popular news is "A once bustling underground shopping mall closed down, who still remembers it?"

As the times and e-commerce continue to develop, many underground shopping malls have gradually declined and the bustling scene no longer exists. More people tend to choose to shop online or in more famous ground shopping malls. The underground shopping malls that still exist today are more likely to be filled with some kind of nostalgia.

Underground shopping malls, which were gradually forgotten, have been frequently mentioned in the beauty industry recently. On Xiaohongshu, under the hashtag #underground-shopping-makeup-challenge, many popular videos have appeared. When searching for "underground shopping mall makeup" on Douyin, relevant content is everywhere, becoming the focus of users' attention.

Specifically, in February, @遥遥小宝 released a video titled "Even the underground street makeup sketches for the New Year's good luck would not dare to act like this", officially launching the "underground street" makeup challenge. Since then, it has released several episodes of roadside shop makeup challenge content.

Image source: TikTok

It is observed that this type of challenge first became popular among Northeast bloggers who visited underground shopping malls in Northeast China, and then extended to underground shopping malls and street shops in various places. These small shops often charge lower fees and their techniques are also uneven, which together with the cheap prices constitute the video effect.

@吹一下粥's experience of putting on makeup at a small underground shop in Northeast China was a bit of a failure. The techniques of eyeliner, eyebrows, and lipstick need to be improved.

Image source: Xiaohongshu

Although the skills are limited, the store owner is honest. "Sister, have you learned makeup?" "No, I'm thinking of learning it later." The store owner kept encouraging the blogger, saying that no matter what the effect is, the emotional value should be maximized. After all, the price of 30 yuan is really the "lowest price" when makeup can easily cost hundreds of yuan a time.

Coincidentally, @闪闪闪斜眼 is a beauty blogger who did this challenge and the result was also disappointing. Netizens commented, "Although 65 is not expensive, it is not much different from stealing." The blogger herself also commented, "After putting on the makeup, I wondered why I did this makeup."

In short videos, most of the challenges of various bloggers have failed, but not all makeup services in underground shopping malls are disappointing. In a video titled "The Underground Street Makeup Series Finally Made Me a Success" released by @遥遥小宝 in March, the store owner showed his extraordinary makeup skills. The creative makeup for 88 yuan is very realistic, and the store owner is very creative. The techniques are close to those of many beauty bloggers, which makes people say "there are masters among the people". The number of likes for this content has reached 2.051 million.

Image source: TikTok

I thought it was the same old "explosive change" style, but I didn't expect it to be so creative and well-made.

In addition, most of the accounts that have gone viral have a certain amount of accumulation. Accounts such as @遥遥小宝 and @闪闪闪斜眼 are all beauty bloggers on Douyin. Under the influence of the celebrity effect, this type of content will go viral faster.

2. "Underground" genes ignite more than just makeup

Different from the style of @一个生活设计艺人在Banna that became popular some time ago, this “underground shopping mall renovation” is more focused on the background of the underground mall.

An unknown town, a roadside shop, and displays with a sense of age... The underground mall's makeup transformation is very contrasting. The audience is attracted by this and is guided by the makeup results, which drives the account to increase its followers.

Coincidentally, in recent years, more and more "down-to-earth" content has attracted the attention of the entire network. From literature, film, music to content platforms, more and more creators have begun to focus on areas that are ignored or marginalized by mainstream culture, such as county towns and rural areas.

In May, @郭有才’s fans exceeded 10 million in 10 days, becoming a phenomenal internet celebrity. In 2023, @东北雨姐, who focuses on rural life, became a hit.

As more and more creators return their attention to county towns, rural areas, and underground shopping malls, this change in the trend is gradually spreading. In the past two years, the popularity of county towns on the Internet has continued to rise, and keywords such as county town Brahmins and county town economy have frequently appeared on hot searches.

Some time ago, "county town literature" became a keyword on the Internet. On Xiaohongshu, searching for the keyword "county town literature" yielded more than 20,000 notes, most of which were portraits with the theme of "county town". A group of photographers emerged, taking a series of photos with the theme of county town, which attracted a lot of attention and discussion.

Image source: Xiaohongshu

By observing this type of content, we can see some common features: yellowed image quality, slightly dated clothing, relatively dark environment, and men and women with unwillingness in their eyes, which together constitute the "county town aesthetics."

However, as these photos became popular on the Internet, related doubts also arose. Many netizens who are in or have been in county towns believe that these photos are one-sided and offensive. "Why do we always think of county towns in such a depressing and melancholy tone?" "This is completely different from the county town I imagined" and "I've seen enough of this kind of content."

In this context, a group of talents represented by @壶提提 created another side of county literature. In one of her videos in May, @壶提提 recreated the barber sister in the county. Different from the gloomy and depressing county literature in the past, @壶提提 recreated the people in the county who were at the forefront of fashion trends.

Image source: Xiaohongshu

"In that relatively information-blocked and backward environment, there was a group of unrestrained and reckless people. They wore the most popular clothes and the most fashionable eyeliner of the time, and grew up wildly and freely in their own corner of the world."

Fashionable or closed, repressed or free and easy, these are actually the true appearance of the county town in the past and present. The emergence of different voices just proves the diverse composition of Internet users.

In fact, whether it is county literature or underground shopping malls, the retro trend on the Internet is inseparable from the popularity of short videos. Nowadays, users in third- and fourth-tier cities and even county towns are becoming the main contributors to short videos. The "2022 Douyin Downstream Market Data Insight Report" shows that the downstream market has provided Douyin with 61% of content and more than 55% of views.

As different groups of people are gradually being seen, the right to speak on the Internet is also being mastered by more people. It is like a cultural revival from top to bottom. From the Northeast Rain Sister to the underground mall explosion to the county town literature, this kind of "underground" content, with a concrete memory, is a shot of stimulant for the rapidly evolving present.

3. Online traffic diversion and offline monetization

Commercialization is a necessary factor for a blogger to develop over the long term and is also an important condition for content production.

After @遥遥小宝's video went viral, it attracted a large number of fans. This cosmetics store also gradually became popular and attracted many consumers to check in.

Every day at 4pm, @柳柳姐 will start a live broadcast on Douyin and promote products such as foundation, false eyelashes, and concealer. During the live broadcast, she often uses herself as an example to teach makeup tips in conjunction with the products she promotes. The prices of the products she promotes are mostly below 100 yuan, and most of the products are domestic brands, which are relatively affordable. According to Feigua data, @柳柳姐's recent sales are 50,000-75,000 yuan, with an average of about 1,000-2,500 yuan per session.

As the video went viral, @柳柳姐's offline makeup store business was also boosted. After becoming popular, the price of her makeup did not increase, and it remained at 40 yuan for daily makeup and 88 yuan for creative makeup. It is observed that bloggers often shoot videos with her, and many Xiaohongshu users also post check-in records.

Compared with other makeup artists who have become popular on the Internet, this street-side makeup shop is obviously more conducive to checking in. After all, it is rumored that a "dinner makeup" in Guo Jingming's makeup room costs 1,180 yuan, and a creative makeup of 88 yuan per session is obviously more cost-effective.

However, although business has improved, it remains to be seen whether this type of content can truly achieve commercial success.

With the development of the industry, more and more professional makeup artists have joined the beauty track, such as @唐毅TangYi, @毛戈平, and celebrity makeup artists @春楠, @杨单, etc. These professional makeup artists have attracted a lot of fans at the level of professional skills.

Image source: TikTok

From the perspective of the main "explosive reform" track, the term "explosive reform" has become popular again since the beginning of this year. A series of "photo makeup artists" led by @一个在百兰的妆师兔子 have become popular, and their drastic and explosive reform style has driven the entire "explosive reform" content out of the circle. Some people even call makeup artist Rabbit, Guo Jingming, and Mao Geping the "three great masters of explosive reform".

From an industry perspective, as the beauty blogger community is moving towards becoming more professional, how to find their own path to commercialization still requires continuous exploration, and “underground” may not be the best answer.

Author: TopKlout

Source: WeChat public account "TopKlout (ID: TopKlout)"