[Joy Chao]

I agree with you Gerlinde, yes, in the US it's not so much different; the only difference is maybe the different types of procedures people do to look younger, such as Botox, liposuction, breast augmentations and so on and so forth. So people are conformed to the beauty standards popular in their area. That is not to say it's bad; if by doing these can help one gains more confidence then it's positive; it's just that many people are doing this for other reasons and at the expense of their own safety.  

[Joy Chao]

I have a student last year in my AP Chinese who moved here from South Korea with her family when she was in 2nd grade. She shared with me that since she was in 4th grade, her mom has been pushing her to get plastic surgery during the summer if/when they go back to South Korea to visit relatives. She resists the idea and had to convince her mom that getting the double eyelid surgery is completely against her own idea of "beauty," and she would never go with the popular trend "just so that she can look the same as every other girl walking on the street in Korea." So this confrontation went on and on until when she was a junior in high school, right about the time that her family was about to take a family trip to Korea, as you can imagine the subject of getting the surgery came up again, her mom told her not only would the surgery make her prettier, it also make the parents feel better if she could be more filial by obeying her request. The student didn't give in, but finally start to see the reason behind the request. She realized that by having a more appealing appearance, it attracts not only potential boyfriends but also others' admiration, not to her only but also the parents. Her parents wanted to be seen by others as 1) care about their daughter's future (in terms of her appearance), 2) wealthy enough to afford the payment involved the surgery and post-op care. And it's not so much about the parents are ashamed of their children's appearance per se, but they just wish them to look more "popular" by current standard. She feels bad to see her parents' failure in resisting the temptation, but she could understand where they were coming from. So from this case, we do see the link between getting cosmetic surgery and being filial to one's parents. 

[Joy Chao]

I did a bit of research on Kabuki and realized that it was first performed by a woman named Okuni. But the sensuous character of the dances (and the prostitution of the actors) proved to be "too disruptive for the government," in 1629 banned women from performing. It was at that time that young boys are chosen to dress as women for the performance and the tradition continued on until now. Kabuki has over 400 years of history and still gains popularity in present day Japan. Nowadays a new wave of street fashion focused on the androgynous look of boys (and girls) that make them appear to be nicer and more feminine. It is interesting to think that, is Kabuki an old way to display that androgynous look in the old times? While most people stereotype Japanese men being chauvinist and women being submissive, what drives the men to take on the role of playing women more than women can, according to Prof. Miyake? It is fascinating for me to think about the historic and modern aspects of how Japanese culture views androgyny and the blurriness between two genders.

[Joy Chao]

The document conveys the relationship between man and woman as it specifically relates to marriage. There are two main requirements that Swann states are prerequisite in order for a marriage to sustain itself: the husband must control his wife and the wife must serve her husband. These values represent a broader structure of control that sets to position women as inferior to men. These ideas are instilled at an early age; as Swann highlights, women must be taught at a young age that they are “lowly and weak” and must “practice labor” as her primary duty. Considered “ancient customs,” these three rituals emphasize the duties that women must carry out and ultimately, the essential duties to her husband. The behaviors that result from these values further the subjugation and inferiority of women. Named the “four qualifications,” women must have womanly virtue, words, bearing, and work in order to truly embody what it means to be a “woman.” I think this work was produced to highlight the differences between male/female roles in China and also showcase how women are in charge of more responsibilities compared to men. I think this work is effective in getting the point across: it objectively defines the role that women play in society and in the family while also emphasizing the contrast between husband and wife. This work is still relevant today but to a lesser extent – women are still deemed as inferior compared to their male counterparts, but the four qualifications and rituals aren’t as explicitly expressed.

 

[Joy Chao]

I was fascinated by the notion that after thousands of years of oppression, the status of women in the Chinese society, in most people's eyes, have reverted and liberated. In today's lecture with Prof. Yan, we learned about how moms in their 20s-40s nowadays are called the "super moms," who are the core of their families; she's the person in charge of her family life and her children's education, and on the other hand being the wife of supporting her husband by working and, very possible, taking care of her in-laws or even her own parents in many cases. So, are women in the current Chinese society really "liberated" or having even more pressure than before? Maybe their status might have been elevated and not be seen as inferior than their counterparts, but in reality, are there more expectations putting on their shoulders? Interesting lecture today that let me ponder on things and new perspectives that I've never thought about before. 

 

[Joy Chao]

Diana it's a great idea to use what we learned today to teach the chapter about family members and structure. I was also thinking that this can be coporated into the lessons on one's profession, education and gender equality. These are some topics that my students learn during their 4th year in Chinese where they have aquired a significant amount of vocabularies and their language proficiency ability have increased significantly. I think the topic of "individualism" can also be used in conflict resolution when we teach individual goals and collective effort, especially for collaborative assignments when students have to work together to reach the same goals.

[Joy Chao]

My name is Joy Chao. I'm currently teaching Chinese all levels at Woodbridge High School in Irvine, CA. Looking forward to a great week with you all!

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