Life isn't picture perfect

As we emerged from the dark room we were met by our own uncomfortable smiles staring back at us from the dust-covered computer screen.

"Wait. That's Photoshop she's got open," I said to my wife, point at the screen. Then, with a slightly raised voice, I asked: "What's she doing to your face?"

In the month running up to our wedding, my wife had enjoyed a long holiday in Vietnam. Her skin is naturally a deep olive and weeks spent on the beach had left her even darker - a major no-no for a Chinese bride. It didn't help that my face has a permanent pallor, setting off a stark contrast.

I watched in horror (and my wife in quiet embarrassment) as the woman whitened my wife's face in the picture using Photoshop. She didn't even do it evenly, focusing solely on the forehead and cheeks, which effectively left my bride with a five o'clock shadow.

"This photo for the license is going to look like Bluto marrying the corpse of a homeless man," I said, as I contemplated whether to angrily snatch the mouse out of the woman's hand.

Before I could act, however, the printer was whirring, and we were soon on our way back to the registry office with several copies of this monstrous photograph. After a few wallops with a red stamp, and a payment of about only 30 yuan ($4.50), we were officially husband and wife.

To this day, I still can't look at my marriage license without shuddering - not exactly the reaction you want for memories of your wedding day.

Every nation has its own standard of beauty. I get that. In Britain and United States, many admire Kim Kardashian for her curves, while in China, the likes of actresses Fan Bingbing or Angelababy are held up as examples of "perfection", lauded for their pale skin and large eyes.

While there is perhaps nothing wrong with appreciating beauty, I take umbrage at someone automatically amending an image of my wife to meet some perceived standard that, in reality, few women are able to reach without the aid of cosmetics or even plastic surgery.

That photo isn't a true reflection of how we looked on our wedding day, but it certainly paints for me a clear picture of how obsessed we've become with the idea of perfection. )