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.”