“美人紙”這個令人毛骨悚然的名詞，源自明朝嘉靖年間，由權傾一時的嚴世蕃——嚴嵩之子——所發明，其背後折射出古代封建社會對女性極端殘酷的壓迫。嚴世蕃借助父親嚴嵩的權勢一路升遷，先後擔任尚寶司少卿和工部左侍郎，其奢靡與殘虐幾乎達到病態程度。據野史記載，嚴世蕃嫌棄普通草紙粗糙，認為無法符合自己的“尊貴”需求，竟設計出一種丧心病狂的做法——讓府中年輕丫鬟在他如廁後，用口舌直接清理排泄物。這些無辜女子從此被稱作“美人紙”，用人性的尊嚴換取權貴的便利，成為封建特權下的活生生犧牲品。

這種對女性的徹底物化與侮辱，不僅沒有因嚴世蕃的倒台而消失，反而在明朝權貴階層中蔓延開來。六部堂的官員、地方豪紳，甚至商賈，為彰顯身份和財力，紛紛效仿這種殘酷行為。在揚州，鹽商家規中甚至明文規定挑選“美人紙”要齒白唇紅，還需每日以蔷薇露漱口三次，將這種極端行為“精緻化”，可怕的是，這竟然發生在當時自稱文明的社會中。

被迫成為“美人紙”的女子，大多出身貧寒，或被賣入府中；亦有身份卑微、無力反抗的女子，只能任由權貴任意踐踏尊嚴。她們不僅失去了基本的人身權利，還需接受專門訓練，一旦表現出絲毫不情願，等待她們的便是毒打、折磨，甚至死亡。活著對她們而言，幾乎就是無盡屈辱的代名詞。

“美人紙”不只是明朝某一個人的畸形創意，它象徵著封建社會中女性被徹底物化和壓迫的極端案例，是歷史上權力對人性冷酷肆虐的血淚記錄。提及這個名詞，就像撕開歷史的溫情面紗，讓人直面那段女性無法言說的深淵與痛苦，也提醒後人對歷史的反思與警醒。

The term “Beauty Paper” (美人紙) evokes a chilling image from the Ming Dynasty, specifically during the reign of the Jiajing Emperor, and is historically associated with Yan Shifan, the son of the infamous official Yan Song. Yan Shifan leveraged his father’s immense political influence to rise to positions such as Shaoqing of the Imperial Treasury and Left Minister of Works. His life was marked by luxury and excess, and accounts from historical anecdotes depict him as approaching sadistic extremes in his indulgences. One of the most notorious practices attributed to him was the creation of “Beauty Paper”: dissatisfied with the coarse texture of ordinary paper, he forced young maidservants in his household to use their mouths to clean his excrement after he defecated, effectively substituting their mouths for toilet paper. These unfortunate women were thus cruelly objectified, reduced to living instruments serving the whims of a powerful man.

The cruelty of this practice did not vanish with Yan Shifan’s downfall. On the contrary, it reportedly spread among the upper echelons of Ming society, becoming a perverse status symbol. High-ranking officials in the Six Ministries, local gentry, and even wealthy merchants sought to imitate it, turning the abuse of women into a marker of wealth and social rank. In Yangzhou, salt merchants codified the practice in family rules, specifying that the “Beauty Paper” women should have white teeth and red lips, and should rinse their mouths with rosewater three times a day—an attempt to refine a grotesque act into something superficially “elegant.” That such behavior occurred within a society that considered itself civilized underscores the depths of moral corruption tied to power.

The women forced into serving as “Beauty Paper” were mostly from poor families or low social standing, sold into households or otherwise powerless to resist. They lost basic human rights and were subjected to rigorous training; any hint of reluctance could result in beatings, torture, or even death. Survival for these women often meant enduring endless humiliation, their very existence consumed by the degradation imposed upon them.

“Beauty Paper” is not merely the result of one man’s perverse imagination; it is a symbol of the extreme objectification and oppression of women in feudal society, a grim reminder of how power could ruthlessly trample human dignity. The term itself tears away the veneer of historical civility, exposing a dark abyss of untold suffering and bloodshed endured by women, and serves as a cautionary reflection on the cruelty embedded in hierarchical and patriarchal systems.