Shengnü: The Leftover Woman and Changing Perspectives of Femininity in Urban China Público
Friedman, Ariel Renee (2014)
Abstract
A shengnü is a woman of marriage age who is not yet married. This project examines the emerging phenomenon of the shengnü in modern Chinese society. It discusses the extent to which changing perspectives of femininity have influenced the spread of these "leftover women" throughout China's cities, particularly after the end of the Mao era. It suggests that in the years following the Cultural Revolution and China's reform period, patterns of traditional gender roles began to reemerge. Many women found great difficulty in reconciling these gender roles with the notions of equality spread throughout the Cultural Revolution and the newfound financial independence achieved through the institution of economic reforms. It argues that when women choose a balance between career and traditional femininity that potential romantic partners deem improper, these women are unable to find a husband, and thus become shengnü. It investigates the nuances of the term, and different models of women who, for various reasons, have become shengnü.
In the second half, it examines the ways in which these women are depicted in popular media. It uses two specific examples, one episode of the reality dating show, Fei Cheng Wu Rao and a movie, Taohua Yun to discuss the portrayal of single women in urban China. It concludes that Fei Cheng Wu Rao makes the term shengnü look like a much more negative and passive moniker than the contestants on the show seem to embody. With regard to Taohua Yun, it examines the film's ambiguities to uncover its subtle message that a woman's self identity is shaped by her relationships with the men in her life. That these two examples are in seeming opposition with one another leads to the idea that the definitions of and reactions to varying types of femininity are constantly in flux. All in all, this thesis concludes that because notions of womanliness, as well as the ways in which members of society react to these different notions, are constantly changing, the shengnü has emerged as a manifestation of women's difficulties in trying to embody all of these types of femininity without deterring potential mates.
Table of Contents
Introduction.......................................................................................... 1
Chapter 1: Androgyny, Femininity and the Genealogy of the Shengnü........... 3
Chapter 2: Social Context: Post-Mao Femininity........................................ 17
Chapter 3: The Shengnü in Reality Television: Fei Cheng Wu Rao................ 34
Chapter 4: The Shengnü in Film: Taohua Yun........................................... 53 Conclusion........................................................................................... 74 Works Cited......................................................................................... 78 References........................................................................................... 81About this Honors Thesis
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