Elizabeth Tai | 戴秀铃 🇲🇾Dec 8

Honestly, I long for the days of rugged, manly, battle-hardened generals.

Give me the Zhou Yiwei's and the Zu Yawens! Give me the men with broken noses, tanned skin and imperfect asymmetrical faces.

Enough with the delicate, pale-skinned generals.

Because that's not realistic. But say this out loud in #Cdrama fan circles and you might just be crucified 😆

You may think this shift happened because Chinese tastes shifted, but not really. Not all Chinese think this way as you can see!

I believe the preference for androgynous, delicate looking men rose with the popularity of bishonen in Japanese manga, but that's my theory.

source: http://xhslink.com/o/2oSq7IMp8gh

#Xiaohongshu #Cdramas #Tv #Entertainment #China

Show threadDavid McMullinDec 8
@liztai
This aesthetic preference has puzzled me since I started watching Chinese and (even more so) Korean shows. This isn’t a complaint —I don’t presume to tell Chinese and Korean audiences what they should find attractive. But the contrast with American standards is striking. To me, the leading women in these shows look like beautiful women, and the leading men… also look like beautiful women. Which I guess must be what the fans want.
Show threadDavid McMullinDec 8
@liztai
To have that delicate androgynous look, the men also have to look very young, which often contradicts the role they’re playing. I keep seeing shows where the glamorous sexy rich guy all the women want is a CEO or a general or something, and he looks like he’s 16. It strains my ability to suspend disbelief.
Show threadElizabeth Tai | 戴秀铃 🇲🇾Dec 8

@mcmullin this video is actually a good explanation about the differences between east Asia's idea of masculinity and the west: https://youtu.be/_JTzR_7jk_Q?si=4_v15H9l77r68gqr

East Asians have always liked the scholarly, slim type (who is also a warrior).

The problem is, in the last decade, this has gotten extreme, pushing out other types of male handsomeness. And male ideals are becoming more and more effeminate. Seeing this, tv producers are casting these type of men as leads, ignoring the more brawny warrior types.

For me, my idea of male masculinity is a both scholarly and manly. I do love my warriors be convincingly brawny. Which is why I prefer actors like Liu Xueyi and Zhao Yiwen as they embody the perfect balance.

I tend to not like, as much, actors that have considerable appeal now - Cheng Yi, for eg. As much as I admire his acting skills, sometimes I think he overdoes the sickly, pale, frail male trope too much 😅

#Cdrama

Show threadElizabeth Tai | 戴秀铃 🇲🇾
@mcmullin ps I think one point missing from the video is that in the past there was just more representarion of the different types of masculinity onscreen and while the wen Wu is idealised now, it isn't always the only type of masculinity onscreen.
Dec 8 at 8:13pmWeb