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Thread: Sissy Men

  1. #1
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    Sissy Men

    I was going to post this on the Sissy Fights!! thread as y'all know my penchant for ttt-ing ancient threads (it's all about necromantic-fu). But this topic was just too special so let's just launch something fresh for it.

    Apparently 'sissy men' is trending in China. Anyone know how to say 'sissy man' in Chinese?

    The delicate ‘sissy man’ look isn’t new – it’s been flaunted for centuries by some celebrated Chinese figures
    History has recorded men who have flaunted this image from as far back as the Three Kingdoms period; here’s a look at the four considered the most beautiful

    PUBLISHED : Sunday, 30 September, 2018, 11:03am
    UPDATED : Sunday, 30 September, 2018, 3:01pm
    Phoebe Zhang
    https://twitter.com/dustguest



    Discussion of China’s “sissy men” has gained considerable attention in recent weeks, taking over Chinese social media as internet users debate the trend.

    The phenomenon in Chinese society towards the idolisation of more effeminate-looking male celebrities with delicate “pretty boy” features, as well as a growing openness towards the use of beauty products among men, have been attributed to a range of factors – from fashion to masterful positioning by the cosmetics industry, and empowered modern women driving the trend.

    But did you know that Chinese history has long documented records of others who have flaunted this image from as far back as the Three Kingdoms period?

    Back then, these men were celebrated, and some even had large fan bases.

    Here are those historically recognised as the four most beautiful men in ancient China.


    A rendering of Ji Kang. Image: mafengwo.cn

    Ji Kang (224-263)

    There are many essays recording the life of the thinker, musician and writer in the Three Kingdoms period, describing his good looks and elegant demeanour. They include phrases such as “He has the looks of phoenix and dragons, even though he did not dress up intentionally, his magnificent demeanour can be spotted at once”, and “He has a pretty face, beautiful voice and literary talents.”

    People said that when seen in a crowd, Ji stood out like a crane among hens. Another story said while he was gathering herbs in the mountains, woodcutters who met him thought he was a god.

    A renowned general sentenced Ji to death for refusing to cooperate with him. On the day of the execution, 3,000 students gathered in the square asking the government to pardon Ji and let him teach at the university. Their request was denied. Before being put to death, he asked for his guqin, an ancient seven-stringed plucked instrument, and played his famous song, Guanglingsan. When finished, he said: “A friend pestered me to learn this song and I insisted on not teaching him. Now the song will be lost forever.”


    An illustration of Pan An. Image: mafengwo.cn

    Pan An (247-300)

    He was also known as Pan Yue, a famous littérateur in the Jin dynasty. His looks were recorded in history books, which said he had a beautiful face and great posture. He was said to be so attractive that the public coined a phrase that’s still in use today to describe pretty men, “Looking like Pan An”. Pan has quite a fan base too.

    According to A New Account of the Tales of the World, a collection of essays about prominent families and figures at that time, every time Pan came out of the house, he was chased by his fanatic fans, most of whom were young women. They even threw flowers and fruit into his cart to show admiration, and Pan came home with a harvest every time.

    Pan was also known for his literary talent and loyalty to his wife. After his wife died, he wrote three poems commemorating her, a rare act in China’s feudal patriarchal society.


    Wei Jie. Image: mafengwo.cn

    Wei Jie (286-312)

    The official and metaphysicist of the Jin dynasty was recognised to be pretty as early as age five, when his grandfather said he was sorry he wouldn’t be able to see Wei as a grown-up. When he rode a goat cart to the markets as a teenager, people said they thought they had seen a statue made of jade. His uncle Wang Ji, a general, said he felt ugly compared to Wei. He told others when he travelled with Wei, he felt like he was being accompanied by a shiny pearl.

    Wei was not only celebrated for his good looks, but for his deep thoughts. He suffered from poor health, so his mother forbade him from talking too much. But sometimes during gatherings, families and friends would ask him to discuss his views on metaphysics.

    Later in life, Wei sought a job in what is now eastern China’s provincial capital Nanjing. When he reached the city, crowds who had heard of his reputation flooded the streets to see him. Wei, who was already weary from travelling, developed an illness and died at 27. Many say he was killed by the onlookers’ gaze, and an idiom was created: “killing Wei Jie with a stare”. People wrote poems about it, even some 400 years later during the Tang dynasty, saying: “The women in the eastern parts were so ignorant, they did not even realise they had killed the jade man with their stares.”


    Prince Lanling. Image: mafengwo.cn

    Prince Lanling (541-573)

    The warrior prince, whose real name was Gao Changgong, was the fourth son of Emperor Wenxiang in the North Qi Kingdom of the southern and northern dynasties. He was granted a fiefdom in Lanling, which is now part of eastern China’s Shandong province and became known as Prince Lanling.

    Books have described him as “gentle in appearance but strong in heart”, “with strong military might and a beautiful face” and “as white and beautiful as women”. Legend even has it that because the prince looked so effeminate, he couldn’t scare off his enemies, so he wore an ugly mask into battle.

    His reputation and battlefield glory also led to his end. His cousin, who later became the emperor, told him after a magnificent victory: “It’s too dangerous for you to get close to the enemy. If you lose, you won’t even have time to regret it.” Without realising it was a trap, the prince replied, “It’s all for the family.” The emperor then suspected the prince wanted to stage a coup.

    Noticing the emperor’s intentions, the prince started staying away from wars and politics. But he still could not escape. In 573, his cousin sent a messenger to him bearing a bottle of poisonous wine. He was forced to drink it and died in his 30s.
    Gene Ching
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  2. #2
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    Or 'luxury pig men'...

    The real power behind China’s new trend of ‘sissy men’ ... is the empowered modern woman
    The ‘luxury pig men’ are challenging traditional gender stereotypes, and some commentators believe greater empowerment for women is helping them to do so
    PUBLISHED : Wednesday, 19 September, 2018, 8:01am
    UPDATED : Wednesday, 19 September, 2018, 10:58am
    Laurie Chen
    https://twitter.com/lauriechenwords
    laurie.chen@scmp.com



    In recent weeks, a new buzzword has emerged on the Chinese internet to describe a new breed of make-up loving young men: “luxury pig men”.

    These skincare-savvy jingzhunan, as they are known in Chinese, have gathered widespread attention for their intricate and time-consuming beauty regimes in a stark contrast to the traditional macho ideal.

    But the trend may be driven not just by fashion but by greater female empowerment and the increased attention to what women want.

    The younger generation of Chinese male heartthrobs, the “little fresh meat” whose appearance is much more like that of their counterparts in Japan and South Korea than previous generations of Chinese stars, are at the forefront of the phenomenon.

    But young, affluent millennials are increasingly copying their look, characterised by dewy, porcelain skin and delicate, elfin features.

    The trend has, perhaps predictably, upset some traditionalists – a recent appearance by a boy band on a national back-to-school television show saw them denounced as “sissies” by the state news agency Xinhua.

    That triggered a backlash in other sections of state media as commentators and women’s groups weighed in to support the right to adopt different forms of masculinity.

    A similar debate was triggered by the first “luxury pig man” – a 25-year-old from the eastern city of Hangzhou who spends up to 30,000 yuan (US$4,380) a year on his beauty regime.

    Although local media criticised Xu Tao’s “excessive” grooming routine – he spent around 30 minutes each day doing his make-up – this soon triggered a heated debate as the story went viral on social media.


    Actor Hu Ge represents the older masculine ideal for Chinese celebrities. Photo: EDKO

    “They embody a new trend of male beauty that appeals more and more to female millennials,” said Matthieu Rochette-Schneider, China general manager of French brand consultancy Centdegres. “It is becoming the new beauty standard for Chinese men.”

    Professor Geng Song, who researches Chinese masculinity at the University of Hong Kong, agreed.

    As women have gradually improved their social and economic standing, “their tastes and desires in terms of masculinity have become increasingly important”, he said.

    Programmes starring “little fresh meat” – with their huge female fan base – are more likely to get commissioned by TV stations, according to Song, especially since Chinese television drama audiences are dominated by women.

    “I think this shows that women’s purchasing power speaks loud as to desirable masculinity today,” he said.

    As a knock-on effect, men are feeling more pressure to take care over their appearance and use it as a form of social capital – as women have traditionally done for centuries.

    Advertisers are cottoning on to the trend with singers such as Wang Junkai and Lu Han fronting multimillion-dollar advertising campaigns for Western beauty giants such as Chanel and L’Occitane.

    “It’s not that all women in China particularly like this type of young, handsome, effeminate man – it’s that men have begun to realise that appearance could be important for them in terms of career success,” Song said.

    In this way, China is slowly beginning to mirror South Korea in its oemo jisang juui – or “looks are supreme” – culture of workplace advancement.


    Celebrities such as the TF Boys offer a very different form of masculinity compared with earlier Chinese stars. Photo: Handout

    Besides celebrities, many young men in China are first coming into contact with make-up through a growing number of male beauty bloggers or their friends and girlfriends.

    Video producer Zhang Dayu, 28, was first introduced to make-up and skincare four years ago through his beauty-conscious girlfriend Christine while they were living in Beijing.

    “At the time, he didn’t pay much attention to his appearance, and never got into the habit of skincare,” Christine said. “His skin was coarse, his pores were obvious and his eyebrows were growing wild.”

    Before long, she recommended him a skincare set and regularly urged him to get his hair cut and eyebrows groomed, hoping to introduce these grooming rituals into his lifestyle. “After all, this is a looks-focused society,” she added.

    “Back then, I had very little idea of cosmetics and she complained that my skin was too oily,” Zhang agreed. “I do it now mostly because it makes me feel better.”

    He uses toner, moisturiser, aftershave lotion and cleanser occasionally.

    While Christine asserts that “feminised” men can be “very beautiful”, for her, true attractiveness does not rest on looks alone.

    “There’s nothing wrong with using make-up to improve one’s appearance, like some of my male friends,” she said. “But for a man to be truly handsome, one must see his true colours.”
    continued next post
    Gene Ching
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  3. #3
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    Continued from previous post


    Zhang Dayu wears a face mask. Photo: Handout

    One 29-year-old Beijinger nicknamed Xiaoyu said he had started using make-up two years ago because he was suffering from bad acne. Thanks to product recommendations from his male friends, the Beijinger quickly fell down a make-up rabbit hole and now spends 800 to 1,000 yuan (US$117-US$146) a month on cosmetics and skincare.

    “Society’s increasing acceptance of men wearing make-up is a definite trend,” he said. “After putting on make-up I feel more confident.”

    Xiaoyu normally spends an hour per day on his make-up and skincare routine, and uses a variety of products including BB creams (also known as beauty balms), foundation, face masks, sera and cleansing oils.

    In recent years, male cosmetics and skincare have come to represent a small but fast-growing segment of China’s lucrative beauty industry, worth 20.13 billion yuan in total as of May 2018, according to data from Statista.

    Research from Euromonitor predicts that annual growth rate for male cosmetics sales in China will hit 13.5 per cent by 2019 – well ahead of 5.8 per cent for male beauty products worldwide.

    A similar recent study by online retailers Vipshop.com and JD.com found that sales of male beauty products on these platforms have doubled year on year since 2015. Face masks, BB creams, lipsticks and brow products were especially popular.


    Lu Han features on an advertising hoarding in Beijing. Photo: AP

    Asia’s appetite for male cosmetics is not only fuelled by viral beauty bloggers and K-pop aesthetic ideals, but also the beauty industry’s keen desire to capitalise on this relatively new audience.

    “As there is an increase in male beauty vloggers and men who wear make-up, cultural ideals of who can and how to wear make-up will definitely change,” said Babette Radclyffe-Thomas, a PhD researcher in Asian fashion trends at the London College of Fashion.

    “Skincare trends also hold different cultural significance in Asia compared to other regions. Notions of skincare and grooming ideals in this region are interlinked with ideas surrounding cleanliness rather than gender or sexuality.”

    But it may still be a long while before wearing full facial make-up will become the norm for Chinese men across all ages, social classes and regions.

    “Whether among LGBT or straight people, it is a common perception that men who wear make-up are ‘sissies’ or ‘will scare women’,” said Duan Shuai, media director of the Beijing LGBT Centre.

    As a result, many ordinary men who use make-up and skincare prefer a more “natural” look in contrast to male beauty bloggers, whose audiences are largely made up of women and gay men.


    Beauty bloggers are helping to promote the trend. Photo: AFP

    “These practices are adjusted according to … societal context so that their facial appearance would neither undermine their sense of masculinity nor incur any perceived femininity,” said Simon Chan, a gender studies doctoral student at the Chinese University of Hong Kong.

    As for Zhang, using these products “definitely” makes him feel more attractive to women, but he prefers not to go overboard.

    “I think the magical part of make-up is that you do it to a degree where people don’t notice, but they’re like ‘looking good today!’,” he said.

    Too many men: China and India battle with the consequences of gender imbalance

    While “luxury pig men” may be the extreme end of the phenomenon, ordinary men taking more care over their appearance have increasingly been welcomed in Chinese society.

    For instance, the top-rated online comments in response to the “luxury pig men” controversy were overwhelmingly supportive.

    “Can the entitled straight men in the comments just blow up on the spot?” wrote one user on Weibo, China’s Twitter. “I can just imagine what this kind of person looks like in real life …”
    Luxury pig men - just in time for next year's Year of the Pig.
    Gene Ching
    Publisher www.KungFuMagazine.com
    Author of Shaolin Trips
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  4. #4
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    When I lived in Taiwan, there were a lot of young males in the cities that acted effeminate. I'm talking about exaggerated effeminate mannerisms. I asked a Taiwanese friend (who was definitely not like that) why that is, and he told me that many Chinese people believed that acting 'manly' meant that a man was coarse and unrefined, so many boys developed more girlish mannerisms than the girls themselves. He didn't like the trend, either. I'm certain it's the trend all over East Asia.

    IMO, this trend (that has now grown to worldwide notoriety through the popularity of the "boy bands" from South Korea in particular) has even worsened the already low image and further emasculation of males of East Asian descent in the western world. There really aren't enough (or any) manly images of Asian males to counterbalance the overwhelming flood of Asian male sissiness in pop culture.

    People who complain that Bruce Lee created such a bad Asian stereotype need to look at K-pop and other sources today and reconsider if the Bruce Lee stereotypical image was really that bad in comparison. At least BL presented a masculine image.

    *Edit to add:

    I've had a suspicion for some time now that Asian male sissiness (in Asia) is at the highest levels directed and encouraged by governments to keep the general population more compliant, and less likely to question or rebel against authority.
    Last edited by Jimbo; 10-01-2018 at 10:41 AM.

  5. #5
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    This calls for a national day for girly men, effeminate lads, effete wankers, sissies and casualties of the gender identity politics wars. lol

    I mean, may as well, if cats can have a day, why not sissy men? At least sissy men contribute to the economy. But cats? Barely!
    Kung Fu is good for you.

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    "Sissies" or "straight-man cancer"?

    A Fiery Debate Over 'Sissies' Vs. Macho Men In China's Social Media
    September 30, 20187:00 AM ET
    YUHAN XU


    YouTube

    What's the greater threat to Chinese society: "Sissies" or "straight-man cancer"?

    Chinese social media has seen heated debate this month over what masculinity is supposed to look like.

    It all started with the state-owned Chinese Central Television's annual back-to-school special, which aired on Sept. 1. The show prominently featured a popular boy band called New F4.

    Watching the program, "The First Class of School," is mandatory for more than 100 million Chinese primary and middle school students as well as their parents. Children are expected to share thoughts or write essays about it. This year's themes are "dream, endeavor, exploration and future."

    "I was asked to write down my thoughts after, but I didn't expect New F4 would be in it!" commented one student on Chinese social media. Another said "Wang Hedi [a member of the band] is so cute!"

    While some Chinese kids were thrilled to see their favorite group, not all parents were impressed.

    "Four sissies opened the program with singing and dancing. Can't you find masculine boys? If the youth are effeminate, the country will be weak. The director of the program should be fired," wrote an angry parent on Weibo, the Chinese equivalent of Twitter.

    Another commented, "I can't believe the ministries of education and propaganda are promoting sissy culture .... They let a bunch of sissies wearing lipstick, ear studs, dyed hair, groomed brows and bracelets represent Chinese youths!"

    An op-ed from Xinhua, China's state-run media outlet, bashed "fresh little meat" — internet slang for young, feminine-looking male celebrities who have porcelain skin and tiny waists.

    "The kind of pop culture a society embraces, rejects or promote relates to the country's future. In order to cultivate new talent who will be bearing the responsibility of rejuvenating the nation, we need to boycott harmful culture and be nurtured in good culture," the op-ed's author wrote.

    Communist Party mouthpiece People's Daily was on the other side of the discussion, calling for respect of diverse aesthetic standards and an appreciation of inner beauty.

    Influenced by Japanese and Korean pop culture, China has developed a growing appetite for "fresh little meat"-type stars. Lu Han, a former member of Korean boyband EXO, has 52 million fans on Weibo and is seen in numerous commercials and on billboards in China. When Wang Junkai of TFBoys posted a note to fans on his 15th birthday in 2014, it was shared more than 355 million times, setting a Guinness record for most-shared Weibo post.

    Beautiful, gentle men have existed throughout Chinese history, too. Traditional Confucian values appreciate intellectuals with polished looks, refined manners and pure morals.

    After the Cultural Revolution, actor Tang Guoqiang won hearts with his fair skin, pretty face and sweet nature in Chinese movies, earning the nickname "Cream Boy." In the 1990s, other "cream boys" in film and music continued this trend. Singer Mao Ning's love songs were sung over and over in karaoke booths. The early 2000s saw the term "flower men," exemplified by Taiwanese boy band Flower Four.

    So why are some crying out for masculinity now?

    Despite a patriarchal society in which men outnumber women, Chinese women's self-awareness and status is improving. Chinese women's workforce participation rate is 63.4 percent, higher than any other country in the Asia-Pacific region, according to a 2017 Deloitte report. Some 62 percent of women value career and family equally, and most Chinese mothers have jobs, the Deloitte report said.

    The stereotypical "masculine" Chinese man believes a woman's place is in the home, producing offspring. These men don't value women with a college degree; they always pick up the check after a meal. Some want to marry virgins even though they're not virgins themselves.

    Such men are considered to have "straight man cancer," a Chinese expression to describe conservative, entitled male chauvinists.

    Some Weibo users attribute the viral debate to male insecurity and China's gender imbalance.

    "Why can't effeminate men be respected?" argued a Weibo user. "It shows aesthetic diversity, a sign of our progressing society .... Those who criticize 'sissies' are not open-minded!"

    "Those who think we're facing a masculinity crisis are living under the shadow of patriarchal mechanism. It only shows the country's gender inequality," commented another.

    Said another, "I'd rather date a sophisticated sissy rather than a sloppy man with 'straight-man cancer.'"
    These slangs are killing me. Too funny.
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  7. #7
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    "Cream Boy". Lol!!!

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    These sissy narcissists better be careful. Mainland China has a long tradition of eunuchfication processing of such volunteers of this genderbender class of males, one more way to control population growth. No weener = less competition for available females.

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    The reaction

    I've been wondering if there would be some sort of backlash. That seems to be the way of the world nowadays.

    Inside China’s training camps, where boys are learning how to be men
    Former physical education teacher is helping soft sons find their lost masculinity
    More than 20,000 children have taken part in the courses
    PUBLISHED : Sunday, 04 November, 2018, 7:02am
    UPDATED : Sunday, 04 November, 2018, 10:59pm
    Zhuang Pinghui



    On a chilly autumn morning, 18 young boys braved strong winds for a day of training at the foot of Fenghuang Mountain in western Beijing.

    Wearing headbands reading “Tough Guy” and chanting slogans such as “Who is the best? I am the best”, “Who are we? We are the man”, they were there to learn all about focus, cooperation and competition through lectures, games and American football.

    It was the fifth day of an 18-day course held on weekends for boys aged seven to 11 that aims to rescue them from their day-to-day, all-female environment and prevent them from being “oversensitive, vulnerable, whiny, petty or irresponsible”.

    Members of the Boys’ Club recite declarations of manhood at the beginning of lectures, which include subjects such as safeguarding their country, honour and dreams.

    They make vows to be ambitious and competent as an eagle, smart and kind as a dolphin and persistent and down-to-earth as a horse.

    The boys address each other as “comrade” or tongzhi, which literally means to share the same ambition.


    Tang Haiyan’s China’s Boys’ Club has taught more than 20,000 boys how to be more manly. Photo: Simon Song

    Boys’ Club founder Tang Haiyan was a physical education teacher in Beijing before starting his specialised training centre in 2012. Since then, more than 20,000 children have taken part in his courses, including some who travel from far outside Beijing to follow his unique programme.

    “There is a crisis in boys’ education and I threw myself into practical actions to save them and help them find their lost masculinity,” Tang said.

    This was long before state media became concerned about the softer, more androgynous physical appearance of modern male celebrities and their potential impact on society and young children.

    When a nationally televised show for school pupils caused a public outcry in September this year, many parents of boys realised their sons were just not man enough and since then have been spending big bucks on a mission to reverse the trend.

    For about 10,000 yuan (US$1,400) parents can sign up their sons for 18 sessions of weekend training. There are other, shorter themed activities such as running topless in winter, climbing a mountain in temperatures of minus 30 degrees Celsius in Heilongjiang, China’s northernmost province, or trekking for a week across a desert.

    Last weekend some of the children dressed up as soldiers and played a real-life version of the popular video game Counter-Strike on the set of patriotic military film Wolf Warrior.


    For about US$1,400 parents can sign up their sons for 18 sessions of weekend training. Photo: Simon Song

    Zhang Haiwei, mother of 12-year-old Tong Tong in Qingdao, in the eastern province of Shandong, was determined to send her son for 14 days of military-style training in Beijing after hearing a lecture by Tang five years ago.

    “Tong Tong’s father was busy and not around much. I looked after my son and he had been surrounded by women all the time. He was weak and wept whenever there was some difficulty,” Zhang said.

    “It might be that we were too attentive to him and deprived him of the opportunity to be independent. He was not confident and wept at setbacks. He was like a sensitive girl.”


    Boys’ Club trainees wear headbands reading “tough guy” and chant slogans such as “who is the best? I am the best”. Photo: Simon Song

    While she would have settled for her son finishing the summer course without quitting, she was taken by a nice surprise – the boy not only completed the training but also took the initiative to wash his own socks.

    “He could not even take a bath without my help. He did not poop in school because he needed us to wipe his butt after the business. Then [after the course] he would wash his socks. I was thrilled!” Zhang said.

    Since then she has sent the boy to Tang’s camp for two weeks every summer and winter, convinced the closed, all-boy training environment has contributed to his growth.

    Zhang said Tong Tong had to depend on himself in the camp and learned everything about discipline, which showed its benefits in his studies.

    “I am relieved of all the duties after so many years of attending to him. He is completely independent in life and in study. If he plans to play video games for 30 minutes every week, he will put away the game when the time is up. I don’t need to remind him at all,” she said.


    Boys’ Club trainees learn focus, cooperation and competition at the intensive weekend training camps. Photo: Simon Song

    Tang said most boys were raised by their mother and grandmothers, and surrounded by female teachers in school who, in turn, set the same standard for boys as girls – such as to be quiet, behave and not to be naughty all the time.

    This, Tang said, was unfair and put boys in a disadvantaged position.

    “Boys behave differently from girls and they develop at a different pace, but I have been to many schools, top or average, and it has become a crisis in society that boys are overshadowed by girls,” he said.

    “Their confidence has been shattered. We must help boys regain the true colours of men, their masculinity.”

    Tang’s ideas are popular among parents like Zhang Xiansen, who was discharged from the army more than 10 years ago and has a 14-year-old son.

    Zhang, from Qinhuangdao in north China’s Hebei province, said he was upset that his son was a chubby boy with a fat stomach, but could not do much about it because his words fell on the deaf ears of the child’s grandparents.

    He felt the boy was being spoiled and would not be able to handle a life like his own in the army, with its long and hard physical exercises.

    So two years ago, when he learned Tang was coming to his city, Zhang signed the boy up for two weeks of military style-training that included walking weights across sand, carrying cabers – the Scottish long pole – wrestling, and American football.

    “My son Ming Ming came back a changed person,” he said.

    “He knew what discipline was and followed rules strictly. He understood the meaning of persistence, team cooperation and competition.”

    He signed up for more courses.


    China’s Boys’ Club participants learn to be disciplined and self-reliant. Photo: Simon Song

    Like Tong Tong, the training had a positive effect on his son’s study, said Zhang Xiansen.

    Ming Ming decided to go for a top military-style middle school in Hebei and was the only one among his friends to survive the challenge of being admitted and was enjoying school life there.

    “No more crying at setbacks. No belly weight any more after he understood the importance of physical exercise,” Zhang Xiansen said proudly.

    Liu Junsheng, a professor at the school of psychology and cognitive science at East China Normal University, said a role model in life would usually be enough to encourage “masculinity” in boys, rather than forced education in childhood.

    “It is unclear whether such forced education would have any adverse effects, but generally masculinity does not need to be reinforced. It is enough for boys to have a role model in life,” Liu said.

    While the public is still debating whether state media should be more critical or open-minded about some modern men’s “sissy” appearance, Tang said they did not represent the accepted image of manliness and the mass media should not be putting them under the spotlight.

    “It is fine that they are part of a diversified society but boys are prone to be influenced by the media and they must not be misled,” Tang said.

    “Men are tough, gentlemen, full of spirit. They speak in a loud, clear voice and they stand firm. They are not shy of public speaking and, more importantly, they are ready to shoulder responsibility.

    “Society still requires grown men to shoulder more obligations and provide the major source of income.

    “We need to prepare boys to take more social responsibility in future,” he said.
    I wanna play a real-life version of the popular video game Counter-Strike on the set of patriotic military film Wolf Warrior.
    Gene Ching
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  10. #10
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    Make UP!

    Chinese men using make-up a logical response to being judged on looks, bloggers say
    All the men in Gen Z student and blogger Vincent Liu’s college class wear make-up, he says. Chen Yueqiang says his beauty tips help boost men’s confidence
    Between them the pair have two million online followers
    PUBLISHED : Wednesday, 07 November, 2018, 7:19am
    UPDATED : Wednesday, 07 November, 2018, 2:28pm
    Rachel Cheung
    https://twitter.com/rachelcheung1



    Chen Yueqiang, better known among his fans as KK the king of make-up transformation, remembers the first make-up product he ever bought – a two-yuan eyeliner so shoddy that the pencil irritated his eye.

    He was emulating the look of his idol at the time, Japanese artist Miyavi, who epitomises the “visual kei” movement that emerged from the underground scene in Japan in the 1980s. Characterised by flamboyant costumes, heavy make-up and outlandish hairstyles, the sub-genre bears a resemblance to the glam rock look that originated in the United Kingdom in the 1970s.

    Chen was a high school student in Shanghai in the early noughties, and his heavily lined eyes earned him stares, teases and taunts from his peers. Fast forward to today, and young men and teenagers wearing make-up are a common sight.

    Vincent Liu Pan-meng, a second-year student at the Shanghai Academy of Fine Arts, spends each morning putting on make-up before heading to school.

    His regular routine consists of facial cleansing, applying sunscreen, foundation, eyeliner and coloured contacts, and a bit of contouring to enhance his features. How many of his male classmates also wear make-up? “10 out of 10,” came his reply.



    Liu’s cosmetic habit arose out of a need to conceal his acne while he was a teenager three years ago, and he was certainly not the only one. “My peers, both male and female, are starting to pay attention to the way they look. Even if they don’t wear make-up, they would use tools such as blotting paper or a bit of face powder to keep their face matte,” says Liu.

    Some point to the flower boys of South Korea and “little fresh meat” of China as major influences. Both phrases refer to celebrity men with flawless skin and feminine features.


    For one of his shoots, Chen matched his hair colour to cherry blossoms.

    But good-looking famous men are hardly a new phenomenon. Liu and Chen believe the men’s make-up trend has gone mainstream in China not because of changes to the masculine aesthetic promoted by the entertainment industry, but because Chinese society increasingly values personal appearance. While appearance might always have been a concern for women, men are now under the same pressure to polish themselves up.

    “It builds your confidence. I have fans who tell me they could not find a girlfriend and ask for advice on how to improve their image,” says Chen, who spent nearly a decade as a salesman at beauty counters and acquired certification as a professional make-up artist before going it alone and becoming an influencer.

    Through make-up, he transforms himself to look like male celebrities such as Chinese artists Lu Han and Kris Wu, Portuguese soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo, and comic characters. A 15-second clip can take up to eight hours to film and edit.


    Chen transforms himself to look like celebrities through make-up.

    Apart from these theatrics, intended to attract eyeballs, he also posts useful tutorials for men – on how to draw manly brows, how to contour your face and how to build your skincare routine.

    In the space of less than a year, Chen has gained 989,000 fans on the Chinese social media platform TikTok – a figure that is telling of the growing interest in such information.

    As well as fans, Chen has attracted haters who make vitriolic comments about him, calling him a dandy, sissy and sometimes even a ***got, wrongly assuming that because he wears make-up, he must be gay.

    He was initially taken aback and felt wounded by such hurtful comments. “I even tried replying to them one by one, reasoning with them,” he says. But now he leaves the task to his legions of fans, who rush to defend him.

    The backlash comes not only from people online, but the Chinese authorities. “If we set no limit to this trend,” read a commentary in the Beij ing Youth Daily, referring to Chinese male idols that challenge rigid definitions of masculinity, “more people will be proud of this effeminacy and our society and our country's masculinity will be in crisis.”

    The official Xinhua News Agency lambasted men in make-up in a commentary last month that said: “They look androgynous and wear make-up; they are slender and weak. The impact this sick culture will have on our young generation is immeasurable.”


    Beauty blogger Chen touches up his make-up.

    Chen disagrees, saying: “Just as our maturity is not determined by our physical appearance, I do not think that our masculinity should be defined by how we look.”

    As for Liu, he belongs to Generation Z, and his peers have so readily embraced make-up and a more diverse gender expression that he does not understand what the problem is. “I don’t interact much with the older generation, so I don’t really know what they think,” he admits.

    And even if he did know, he would not care. How he expresses himself and his personality are none of anyone’s business, he figures, and he has over a million followers on Weibo – China’s answer to Twitter – cheering him on. He has learned to use the controversy to his advantage. After all, there is no such thing as bad publicity.

    “I don’t mind the opinions that are against me. The more commotion they cause, the more exposure I get,” says Liu.


    Liu says the make-up he wears is part of his creative expression.

    Chen advises the men in his audience to keep their eyeliner subtle by only filling in the inner rims, not to wear foundation too light for their skin tone and not to go overboard with their make-up. For Liu as a fashion blogger, the make-up he wears is part of his creative expression as much as his outfits are. So there are no rules or boundaries.

    For a recent photo shoot under cherry blossoms, he matched his pink hair with rose lipstick and eye shadow. At a comic conference, he complemented his glittery blouse with tangerine smoky eyes.

    Not everyone defies norms like Liu does, but the younger generation in China is being liberated from traditional gender roles. Could the pendulum swing to the other extreme, to one where men have to confront unrealistic expectations to look pretty?


    Chen turns 30 this year, and is still working on keeping up his youthful appearance.

    Chen, who turns 30 this year, is already feeling the pressure. He has had a nose job and injected natural fillers several months ago to keep up his youthful appearance.

    Despite earning a decent income from advertisements and sponsors, Liu plans to go from the front line to behind the scenes.

    “In this industry, you are basically making a living by selling your youth,” says Liu. “You will grow old one day or your face is no longer the trending look and people won’t like you any more.”
    What Chen needs to hawk is WU-TANG X MILK MAKEUP LIP COLORS.

    Just kidding.
    Gene Ching
    Publisher www.KungFuMagazine.com
    Author of Shaolin Trips
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  11. #11
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    toxic masculinity & sissy men?

    Here's the ad if you haven't seen it.


    01/16/2019, 03:48pm
    Gillette is not wrong


    In a new ad campaign, Gillette challenges "toxic masculinity" by playing on its 30-year-old tagline "The best a man can get." | screen grab via YouTube

    By Mona Charen

    Is the new Gillette razor ad a radical feminist attack on masculinity — the commercial embodiment of a woke sensibility?

    I was prepared to think so. But having watched it twice, I find a lot to like.

    The ad has been panned by some conservative commentators. With all due respect, I think they are falling into a trap. They seem to have accepted the feminist framing. Feminists see culture as a Manichean struggle. It’s women versus men. Women are benign and men are malign. For society to progress, men must change. We must extirpate “toxic masculinity.”

    Understandably, this rubs conservatives the wrong way. I’ve risen to the defense of masculinity many times myself. But is the Gillette ad really “the product of mainstream radicalized feminism — and emblematic of cultural Marxism,” as Turning Point USA’s Candace Owen put it? Is it part of “a war on masculinity in America,” as Todd Starnes argued on Fox News?

    Conservatives stripping off their coats to get into this brawl are like the man who, seeing a bar fight unfold, asks, “Is this a private quarrel or can anyone join in?”

    Let’s figure out what the fight is about before taking sides.

    There were a couple of undercurrents in the Gillette ad that suggested feminist influence — the term “toxic masculinity” should itself be toxic — but overall, the ad is pretty tame, even valuable. I have no idea if it’s the best way to sell razors, but as social commentary, it’s not offensive.

    “The Best Men Can Be” begins by showing men looking the other way as boys fight, shrugging “boys will be boys.” It shows men laughing at a comedy portraying a lout pantomiming a lunge at a woman’s behind. It shows kids teasing a boy for being a “freak” or a “sissy.” These are followed by more uplifting images of men breaking up fights, interfering with men who are harassing women and being loving fathers to daughters. We hear former NFL star Terry Crews saying, “Men need to hold other men accountable.”

    These images didn’t strike me as a reproof of masculinity per se, but rather as a critique of bullying, boorishness and sexual misconduct.

    By reflexively rushing to defend men in this context, some conservatives have run smack into an irony. Imaging themselves to be men’s champions, they are actually defending behavior, like sexual harassment and bullying, that a generation or two ago conservatives were the ones condemning.

    Sexual license, crude language and retreat from personal responsibility were the hallmarks of the left. Liberals were the crowd saying: “Let it all hang out.” And “If it feels good, do it.” And “Chaste makes waste.” Feminists were the ones eyeing daggers at men who held chairs or doors for them, and insisting that a “woman needs a man like a fish needs a bicycle.”

    The left won that cultural battle. Standards of conduct for both sexes went out the window. Whereas men had once been raised to behave themselves in front of women — “Watch your language; there are ladies present” — they were instead invited to believe that women deserved no special consideration at all.

    As I’ve written many times, the #MeToo movement may conceive of itself as a protest of “traditional masculinity,” but that’s only because memories are short. It’s actually a protest against the libertine culture the sexual revolution ushered in.

    Some men are behaving really badly — harassing women, bullying each other and failing in their family responsibilities. Some women are, too, though the #MeToo movement doesn’t acknowledge that. But these behaviors are not “traditional.” They’ve always existed, of course, but they went mainstream with the counterculture, which is now the culture.

    In any case, everyone, left and right, who values decent behavior should be able to agree that encouraging men to be nonviolent, polite and respectful is not anti-male. It’s just civilized.

    Conservatives should applaud that aspect of the Gillette message. Progressives, in turn, should grapple with the overwhelming evidence that the best way to raise honorable men is with two parents. We may wish it were otherwise, but fathers — as disciplinarians, role models and loving husbands — are key to rearing happy, healthy and responsible sons, as well as self-confident, happy and high-achieving daughters.

    That’s the cultural reform we so badly need. Any corporate volunteers? Apple? Google?

    Mona Charen is a senior fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center.
    THREADS
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    Gene Ching
    Publisher www.KungFuMagazine.com
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  12. #12
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    There's two embedded vids in this article.

    THE RISE OF MALE BEAUTY IN CHINA
    ALIZILA STAFF | MARCH 27, 2019



    In China, the hottest lipstick salesperson is not a woman. It’s a man.

    Li Jiaqi, better known as “Lipstick Brother,” is an internet celebrity and the number 1 seller of lipstick online. He even took on Alibaba Chairman Jack Ma to see who could sell the most lipstick – and won.

    “When I first started livestreaming, there was a lot of negative feedback, questioning why a guy was doing makeup,” Li said. “But recently, when I go on live, many people say that I have become more beautiful, sophisticated and handsome. I think they are accepting that can wear makeup.”

    Li represents a new generation of young Chinese men who care a lot about how they look. He applies base makeup and draws his eyebrows – every time – before he goes out. And from where he stands as a popular makeup expert in China, he knows he’s not alone. Li says there is definitely a growing trend in male beauty happening in the country.

    “Although most of my viewers are female, I found that since last June, my male followers are also growing,” Li said. “Now they account for almost 20% of my audience. I think the demand for male beauty is huge.”

    Li Haoyuan, a 29-year-old livestream host living in Hangzhou, China, is part of that growing demand. Li (no relations to Li Jiaqi) never leaves the house in the morning until he’s done with his daily grooming regimen. Not too long ago in China, this ritual would have been considered strictly a woman’s routine. But not anymore.

    “Chinese people used to describe men who pay too much attention to their appearance as ‘feminine,'” Haoyuan said. “But now, more and more people are using positive words like ‘clean,’ ‘refreshing’ and ‘delicate.’ Some friends of mine are also realizing that women prefer men who look clean and nice.”

    In fact, Alibaba’s Tmall shopping site calls this the “Male Beauty Era” in China. The total number of Chinese men who are buying personal-care products is growing faster than that of women (31% year-on-year in 2018 versus 29%, respectively). The total value of the personal-care items that men are purchasing on Tmall is soaring across all categories – even makeup (See graphic below). Makeup purchases on Tmall by men have doubled over the past year, while guys are actively seeking out premium brands. And if there are products made especially for men, then China’s male consumers want them.

    “Those born in the 1990s have grown up and become one of the backbones of consumption,” said Ling Duan, general manager of brand marketing at Alibaba’s B2C shopping site, Tmall. “It is easier for them to express themselves and they pay more attention to themselves. As the saying goes, ‘Everyone wants to be beautiful.'”



    Helping to drive this male-grooming trend is easy access to products. When Haoyuan first started to take grooming seriously in high school, he could only buy his products at the supermarket, where selection was limited. But now, he’s a far more sophisticated shopper of male-beauty products. In large part because he can shop on Taobao and Tmall to get the things he needs from all over the world. And more importantly, he can continue to learn about products and techniques from key opinion leaders, or KOLs, online.

    “If I want to become beautiful and express myself, I can easily find product information on the internet,” Ling said. “And the cost of trying new products, including price cost and also logistic cost, is very low. So, more people are willing to try. You can see the fast growth in this market.”

    But there’s a problem. Lipstick Brother Li says the market isn’t producing enough products specifically for men to meet the demand.

    “If you go to the mall, you can only find female makeup brands and none that are specialized in male makeup products,” Jiaqi said.

    Li’s advice to beauty brands: Don’t miss this opportunity.

    Beauty giant L’Oreal is taking note. But the French cosmetics company doesn’t want to just bring its existing line of men’s products to China. It also wants to develop new products – just for the Chinese market. To do that, L’Oreal has partnered with Alibaba’s Tmall Innovation Center.


    TMIC is the market-research division of Alibaba. It leverages insights pulled from the over 600 million consumers shopping on Alibaba’s e-commerce platforms to help brands find their target audience in China – and design products tailored specifically to this market.

    L’Oreal and TMIC decided that the first step was to get a better understanding of this growing consumer base. So, they crunched Alibaba’s data about male consumers in China and published a white paper with the results.

    What they found was there is no such thing as “a typical” Chinese male consumer. There were different types of guys buying different products in different cities.

    With TMIC’s help, L’Oreal was able to identify five groups of male consumers in China, each with its own distinctive consumption patterns and beauty rituals. There’s the “average guy,” who doesn’t buy much more than the basic moisturizers and body wash. “Young professionals,” who actively seek out high-quality grooming products made specifically for men. Another group focuses on facial products such as masks and toners. There’s one that buys only hair products, such as gels and dyes. The most-sophisticated group uses all kinds of beauty products, and they want premium brands, especially when it comes to oral hygiene and colognes.

    Within these consumer types, the white paper pointed to three trends playing out in China’s male-beauty sector: One, that men are getting even more sophisticated about their grooming regimen. They’re adding more products to their daily beauty routines to make sure they look their best. Male consumers in China also want products made especially for men. Unisex products just aren’t going to cut it anymore. Lastly, guys here want better products too – and they’re willing to pay up for them. So, there’s a “premiumization” playing out on Tmall as male consumers shop for higher-end items.

    “We now have a much better bait to specifically target male consumers because we know what kind of touch points matter for them and we can really go to a level of specifically targeting each different kind of Chinese consumer males,” said L’Oreal China Chief Customer Officer Stephane Wilmet.

    Jiaqi eagerly awaits these new products, he said. And he looks forward to testing them on his livestream show.
    You know, while I was watching CMAT this year, I was ruminating on how sparkly and sissy Chinese Wushu uniforms have become, and suddenly this China trend made a lot of sense. You can see pix on our facebook album here.
    Gene Ching
    Publisher www.KungFuMagazine.com
    Author of Shaolin Trips
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  13. #13
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    Fan Chengcheng

    Who is Fan Chengcheng? New face of Fenty Beauty in China and Fan Bingbing’s little brother
    Recently named the face of Rihanna’s beauty line in Greater China, Fan Chengcheng has earned a string of luxury brand endorsements in the past year
    One of a group of emerging stars dubbed ‘little fresh meat’, the singer and model is among the most in-demand young celebrities in East Asia
    Lauren James
    Published: 5:00pm, 15 Sep, 2019


    Fan Chengcheng in a promotional shot for French jewellery brand Fred. The teenager has picked up a number of brand endorsements and accolades in the past 12 months.

    Fan Chengcheng, the younger brother of Chinese megastar Fan Bingbing, has described himself as “very happy” to have been named the face of Fenty Beauty in Greater China.
    His affiliation with the company was only announced last week, but the 19-year-old singer and model – a member of pop groups Nex7 and Nine Percent (in which he is known as “Adam”) – has already featured in a video campaign for the brand, founded by pop star Rihanna in 2017.
    A clip released by Fenty Beauty shows Fan waking up, showering, hopping into a car and heading to perform at a nightclub to an audience of women, who are pictured getting ready for the gig with Fenty products. In another video, this time posted on social media app Tik Tok, he demonstrates the brand’s highlighter by flicking it at the camera.
    Fan is following in the footsteps of Naomi Wang Ju – dubbed “China’s Beyoncé” – who was announced as the brand’s first spokesman for China earlier this summer.

    𝚔𝚊𝚖𝚒
    @gonrises
    fine i understood m putting my fenty foundation tomorrow u got me fan chengcheng

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    The cruelty-free brand has earned praise for its range of foundation shades and refusal to test on animals; in China it sells products through online retailer Tmall, which ships items from outside the country to circumvent the law that requires all cosmetics sold there to be tested on animals. (Tmall is a unit of Alibaba, which owns the South China Morning Post.)

    Fenty is expanding to several Asian markets, including South Korea, where the brand has hinted at a collaboration with K-pop singer Kai.


    Fan Chengcheng, the younger brother of actress Fan Bingbing, has enjoyed a rapid rise in China since his appearance on a TV talent show in 2018. Photo: Weibo

    “The increasing demand for make-up among young Chinese consumers, a high sensitivity towards social media and a preference for online shopping has pushed Fenty Beauty into the Chinese market,” a spokesman for Fenty Beauty’s Tmall shop told Chinese newspaper Global Times last week.
    Fan, a talented singer and rapper, is showbiz-savvy. In 2018 he was catapulted to fame at the age of 17 after becoming one of the final nine contestants on the hit Chinese television talent show Idol Producer. In November, he wrote the Nine Percent song I’m Here, which sold more than a million copies in its first five minutes of release.
    From then on, he began collecting a string of accolades, which so far have included being honoured as the “most influential fashion male celebrity of the year” at the Sohu Fashion Awards in Beijing.


    Fan Chengcheng models a Versace look.

    The exposure won him attention from luxury fashion brands Louis Vuitton and Loewe, and he soon found himself tagged by Chinese internet users “little fresh meat” – a term used to describe young, attractive, up-and-coming male celebrities.
    In a market where celebrity endorsement has a big influence on retail sales, Fan and other “little fresh meat” stars, including rapper Kris Wu, found themselves bombarded by brands looking to tap their large social media followings and ability to reach young, mostly female consumers.
    Adding to an already impressive roster of brand signings, Fan was also revealed earlier this year as the first China spokesman for French jewellery retailer Fred, which praised his “talent as a composer” and “enthusiasm towards life”.
    .
    Fan Chengcheng models jewellery by Fred. The French brand announced him as its first China brand spokesman this year.

    As the beauty industry shifts towards inclusivity and embraces the gender spectrum in its marketing, Fenty Beauty is one of several brands to actively promote its products to a male audience, posting tutorials aimed at men and selling a “Gentlemen’s Fenty face” kit, which includes foundation and oil-blotting tools.
    Although “little fresh meat” are noted for their feminine features and personalities, the brand does not appear to have lined up Fan to model its products on his own skin. In a promotional image, he is shown brandishing a tube of crimson lipstick, but does not wear any.
    Fans of the singer have flooded Weibo, China’s Twitter, with messages applauding the brand for its newest hire and urging others to buy Fenty Beauty products. “Thank you very much for choosing Fan Chengcheng as the brand spokesperson! A great honour indeed!” one fan wrote. Another posted: “I don’t know why, but I suddenly need to buy buy buy!”


    Fan Chengcheng is promoting Fenty Beauty lipstick, but isn’t shown using it himself. Photo: courtesy of Weibo

    Fan is 19 years younger than his sister, and his family have long fought off rumours that he is Fan Bingbing’s son, not her brother. The actress has addressed the gossip in interviews, claiming she was the one to convince her mother to keep the child and that they had to pay a fine due to China’s one-child policy.
    Fan Chengcheng’s nascent career seems not to have been affected by his house arrest in 2018, along with his sister, in connection with her tax evasion, a scandal that saw several luxury brands terminate their contracts with her. He is quickly emerging as one of the most in-demand young faces in East Asia.
    Rihanna, through her own newly created Weibo page, heralded the arrival of her brand’s newest spokesman, saying: “Welcome to the Fenty Beauty Global Family!!”
    THREADS
    Where in the world is Fan Bingbing?
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  14. #14
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    And women like this?
    Kung Fu is good for you.

  15. #15
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    Quote Originally Posted by David Jamieson View Post
    And women like this?
    A year to two ago, as I was skimming channels one day, I came across the Ellen Degeneres show, and the main featured guests was some extremely popular Korean K-pop boy band, and all the young women in the audience were standing up and screaming for them, almost like Beatlemania. They were rapping and doing the usual K-pop thing of synchronized dancing. But afterwards, during their interview, it was clear they were ALL wearing makeup and extremely effeminate. Yet the girls in the audience were going wild for them.

    I get annoyed at the current popular phrase “the new normal,” but I guess that nowadays, lots of young women and girls are attracted to the sissy boy image. Or at least the Asian sissy boy image. Personally, I hate it. The movement to sissify Asian males has been a rousing success. What people do in their own lives is nobody’s business. But this pop culture movement is extremely insidious, because there is little to nothing to counterbalance it. I don’t know, and don’t care, if these K-pop and other Asian male boy bands and “cream boy” celebrities are really the way they present themselves, or if they’re only living up to an image. But this whole thing is an (IMO, purposeful) emasculation of East Asian males. East Asian males in general had already been presented and seen in the West as less manly than others. Now it’s actively being promoted in many Asian countries as the ideal image of a “man.” At least when it occurs within other racial/ethnic groups, there are always strong images to counterbalance it.

    I probably already mentioned in an earlier post that it’s obvious that some Asian governments are doing this to make people, especially men, easier to control.
    Last edited by Jimbo; 09-17-2019 at 08:23 AM.

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