Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder. So, when the winner of a beauty pageant fails to win approval from the public, I don't see anything abnormal about it. For one thing, the jury panel may not represent the broad tastes of the populace.
What I found disgusting was the mean spirit that goes with the disapproval.
I don't know how to phrase it euphemistically, but the news of Chinese-American Arianna Quan being crowned Miss Michigan for 2016 was not met with applause in the country of her birth. Judging from online feedback, Chinese netizens did not agree with the pageant judges, to say the least. Well, it's not that they believe other contestants were more qualified than Quan, but that she is "so darn ugly".
"She would not have a chance even at the first round had it been a Chinese competition," went one of the more polite postings.
Another was less benign: "She's so ugly I wept. Is this some kind of scheme to denigrate ethnic Chinese?"
Most said they could not believe she is only 23. They put her age at 43, 53 or even 63. "It shows how capitalist America quickens the ageing process," said someone who seemed to flaunt his sarcasm.
I lived in the US for more than a dozen years, so I am accustomed to the widely diverging standards that East and West apply to Asian femininity. It is very real. I once saw a billboard on a Beijing street for a giant American company. It featured three Asian women. I told my friend that it must have been designed in New York without being vetted by its Chinese subsidiary. It would never achieve its obvious goal of endearing the brand to Chinese women.
Simply put, Americans favor the supermodel type while Chinese prefer the porcelain fragile kind.
Quan was born in Beijing and emigrated to the US when she was 6. I have friends whose daughters made the same move in their pre-teen years. The funny thing is, they had exquisite looks when they first arrived Stateside, but a couple years later they turned into - how shall I put it - typical Asian American women.
The California sun is partly the reason, but it's not just the sun-kissed skin. Their whole look and feel would change, which seems to defy logic. But I found their new look healthier and brimming with self-assurance. And the way they talk and comport themselves carries charisma that goes way beyond mere appearance.
If you dig deeper, you may find traces of women's independence and equality in the Asian American look while the typical Chinese beauty, as exemplified by Fan Bingbing, could be interpreted as "objectifying women".
The notion of beauty can be shaped by group mentality. The same people who threw mud at Quan could well cheer her had they grown up on the other side of the Pacific. Matters of aesthetics are subjective. What they should learn is how to differ respectfully.
雅虎将继续剥离阿里巴巴股份
希拉里自曝曾拒绝克林顿求婚
NASA科学家 火星表面有液态水
小心,这些果蔬能让你发胖!
秋意浓 无缘赏叶的美国人网购秋叶解馋
优质电视剧成就更优质的你
还记得那条“蓝白裙子”吗?争议又来了
中国首个“商业遥感卫星”吉林一号发射成功
实现互联网的全球化
别人说thank you时该怎么回
央行推广“信贷资产质押再贷款”试点
中国送给联合国的“和平尊”有什么讲究?
习近平访美外媒报道摘录
奇才老太做出电影主题蛋糕
三大运营商推“流量不清零”
美媒推荐:最适合今秋阅读的十本小说
威廉王子府邸设禁飞区防偷拍
男性不爱化浓妆或整容的女性
iPhone 6s首周末销量破纪录 中国贡献大
什么是“TPP”?
盘点:秋色正好,全球最佳赏秋圣地
“死亡咖啡馆”助你直面死亡
百年新娘礼服变迁史
警惕!在国外旅游千万别用这10个手势
防狼利器!3D服装可根据目光变换形状
年轻人主宰的“代圈”时代
你想买下纽约大都会歌剧院的冠名权吗
太不靠谱:乘客3万英尺高空误将舱门当厕所
苹果手机陷“芯片门”风波
性感万圣节套装又添新花样:特朗普套装
不限 |
英语教案 |
英语课件 |
英语试题 |
不限 |
不限 |
上册 |
下册 |
不限 |