Most Taiwanese women at my age grew up in a “de-sexualized” environment. I still remember when I was still a teenager university is a place for “competition of being ugly.” Girls went out without any makeup and dress-up, and nobody has ever taught us how to take care of the appearance or express ourselves while being interested in a guy. But it doesn’t mean that there aren’t beautiful girls on campus. A lot of Taiwanese guys like thin girls with long hair and big eyes; furthermore, they got mean mouths. When guys saw an ugly girl trying to wear some makeup and a mini skirt, they laughed and exchanged strange sight with each other. Once a guy even told me: “you got fat legs and how dare you wear miniskirt?” Sometimes I wonder if girls in Taiwan are too nice to stop this kind of comments.
However, when coming to Taiwan this time I was surprised to find that girls have changed a lot. One of the informants I interviewed with for my fieldwork, who is a feminist activist, told me that women’s rights have been paid a lot of attention during the past decades, and she proudly said: "the congressmen and congresswomen are glad to cooperate with us.” I can tell women are active and brave, and it shows by their appearance: girls in miniskirts are everywhere regardless the size of their body. In addition, a lot of TV shows and magazines are teaching girls how to dress nicely, and of course, how to be confident when either being in a relationship or single. Looking at these changes, I’m so happy for girls in Taiwan. When visiting the Fengjia market in Taichung I saw two girls in anime style of makeup, and I asked them: “can I take a photo with you?” They were kind of shy, but immediately went to me and smiled in front of the camera.
The divorce rate is increasing rapidly in Taiwan now. One girlfriend of mine- Amanda- told me that she got divorced after being married for 10 years. I was kind of shocked, but after one-day chatting I totally understand her choice. Divorce is not a great thing; on the contrary, it could hurt a lot and stop a man/woman from believing in a relationship anymore. But compared to the past which a lot of Taiwanese women got married simply because of the pressure of the family or the society, it’s encouraging to see that women nowadays make every decision by themselves.
The "West Gate Town" (Ximending) where young girls go shopping and to the movies in Taipei.
No comments:
Post a Comment