As appealing as the darkest corners of the internet may be to netizens, news media have always remained above the lurid and sensational by remaining impartial and loyal to the truth. But when a topic online gets enough attention, news media are forced to look at the question more seriously.
Back on June 9, user “I am a Senior Snack Food” made a post on the Tianya forums titled: “Right now on the streets of Shanghai, it is very clear that the women are one class higher than the men.” He published the pictures seen here, and asserted that:
Women are more beautiful, while you can tell the men are losers at one glance.
and
The men are all dogs that are either unattractive mongrels or whipped puppies with their tails between their legs: there isn’t one among them that gives you any confidence. On the other hand, women have bettered themselves over and over.
Over 800,000 hits later, this topic of conversation has crossed over to Weibo. Chinese netizens continue to debate the very important question of our time: “Are Chinese men suitable for Chinese women?”
Passionate discourse about this leading social issue includes sentiments like these (from the original post):
瞎了我的鱼眼:
The reason is clear: some women are carrying brand name handbags, while some men are helping (them) carry clothes and purses.
芷KISS贤:
The woman is so beautiful, but the man is clearly a loser.
一张说人话的嘴:
How are you aware of these men’s hidden talents and capabilities?
澈堇:
I’ve long since discovered this to be true. It’s the same in Wuxi as well.
Yimobaby: (referring to the above image)
Shanghai girls have always been pretty.
lebao2030: (responding to above)
People, this is called “make-up”! This isn’t natural beauty; if you don’t believe me, ask them to try going without wearing make-up! Shanghai women need to put on make-up before going outside! I’ve lived in Shanghai for five years during which I’ve had Shanghainese friends.
辣妹子啦啦啦:
This is pretty much true. I had previously gone to South Korea and had posted pictures of Korean pedestrians. Everyone theorized that they are all made-up. Women of Chinese first and second-tiered major cities have already attained the same level of fashion as that of Seoul, however, there is a huge, significant difference with the men. If Chinese men won’t pay any attention to improving their looks, then forget it; many of them aren’t even capable of maintain basic hygiene.
But while netizens argue, the Guangzhou Daily has tackled the question by conducting a survey. The paper asked 1,259 people (487 men and 772 women) this question: do you agree or disagree with the statement “Chinese men don’t look as good as Chinese women”? It turns out 56% of women agree while 68% of men disagree.
The survey also asked how much a man should spend on making himself “look better”. Again, the difference between the sexes is stark. Almost 87% of male respondents said zero to 20% of their income should be allocated to looking better, while only 43% of women suggested such a small amount should be spent. Thirty-seven percent of women said men should be spending 20 to 40% of their entire income on looking better.
With such a vast difference of opinion between Chinese men and women, we’re not sure how the two sexes can reach a consensus and get married.
Here’s some more pictures of couples below. What do you think?
Photos: Tianya, Guangzhou Daily
