For years, Chinese state media have marked International Women’s Day with effusive praise to the country’s women, thanking them for their contribution and sacrifices to their family, society and nation.
But this year, a video asking specific questions about deep-rooted gender prejudices landed off the usual praise: taking Chinese social media by storm.
The video was a collaboration between Chinese skin care brand Proya and China Women’s Daily, the official publication of the State Women’s Association of China, on the occasion of International Women’s Day on Monday.
What’s in the video?
The video begins with the presenter talking to the camera and asking a question that is repeated throughout the clip: “Under what circumstances do you judge something based on gender?”
“When we see a car accident, we say,‘ Oh, a driver. ’We say,‘ You really get nervous, you’re not at all like a girl. ’We say,‘ You’re so calm, you’re not manly, ’” she says.
The video continues to highlight a number of gender norms and prejudices against women, from being bad at math to expecting to “marry well” and focus on family life.
“We ask women,‘ How do you balance your family and your career? But we never ask men the same question, “says the presenter.” We ask ourselves, ‘What does it mean to be an independent woman?’ But no one ever argues what it means to be an independent man. ”
The video also questions the norms and gender roles that Chinese men are expected to fulfill. For example, the presenter asks why “a real man” is not supposed to cry, like pink or learn ballet.
“Why don’t men have a right to be fragile? Why is it derogatory, not praiseworthy, to say ‘you’re like a woman’ to a man? Why are qualities like being kind, considerate, family-oriented, or exclusive good?” for women? Is it true that only men can be independent, brave, strong and career-oriented? ”a group of voices, both women and men, ask towards the end of the clip.
In contrast, and in keeping with tradition, other state media marked International Women’s Day by praising Chinese women for their contributions to society.
People’s Daily, official spokesman for the ruling Communist Party, on Tuesday called on the public to pay tribute to “His Strength.”
Do you make Chinese youth more “masculine”?
The campaign responds to a delegate’s suggestion to China’s top political advisory body that the country needed to prevent the “feminization” of teenage boys, which he said had become “weak, shy and with low self-esteem.”
The Ministry of Education’s call for action is not the first official effort to address what the state media has called the “crisis of masculinity” among Chinese youth.
Under Xi, China’s nationalist leader, the government has turned against male celebrities, from movie stars to music band members, who are considered too effeminate. In 2019, China’s major video streaming platforms began censoring male actors ’earrings, blurring their lobes.
But in the eyes of the Chinese authorities, the lack of “masculinity” is not just a matter of taste, but a great risk to the country.
In 2018, the state-run Xinhua news agency published a widely quoted comment that said, “For a country to embrace or reject (effeminate men) is … a serious matter affecting the future of the nation.”
Focusing his anger on the very popular male idols, the article swept away with the sickly aesthetic that had driven young men “gender ambiguous, very make-up, tall and delicate” on television and the net.
“The phenomenon of‘ sissy men ’has provoked a public backlash because the impact of this diseased culture on young people cannot be underestimated,” he said. “When critics say‘ sissy young people turn a nation into sissy, ’they may seem a little facetious,” he added. “(But) fostering a new generation that can rejuvenate the nation requires the resistance of an erosive unhealthy culture.”
In response, a growing number of so-called “masculinity programs” aimed at inculcating traditional gender roles in boys and girls through outdoor sports and classroom training have become popular in recent years. In 2018, one of these Beijing clubs drew attention (and some criticism) for their students to work shirtless in the middle of winter.
On Weibo, many users applauded the Proya and China Women’s Daily video for protesting against the trend.
“This is the best promotional material for International Women’s Day I’ve seen in 24 years,” she said in a comment. Another said, “There is no such thing as it is supposed to be. I always have the right to choose my own life.”