Appearance-anxious parents correct baby head shapes with helmets. Photo: screenshot of 021 Video on Sina Weibo.

Appearance anxiety, a phenomenon commonly seen among young adults who are brainwashed by the fair, good-looking celebrities on TV, has spread to months-old infants in China as parents put corrective helmets on their babies' heads in search of the "perfect head shape."

The helmets gained popularity over recent years as some organizations claim that abnormal head shapes in infants can be corrected after four to 10 months if infants at 3-8 months old can wear them for 23 hours a day. 

However, an institution in Shanghai said that before putting anything on babies, parents should consult doctors to see if  kids have severe deviations needed to be treated by helmets.

Health experts pointed out that normally, infants' head shapes will be corrected along with their growth, and the effect is no different than wearing the helmets. 

Netizens urged parents to stay rational and stop tormenting kids to meet their own vanity. "How about asking parents to put helmets on for 23 hours a day and see if they can tolerate it?" one said. 

Global Times