Post by max23 on Mar 25, 2020 6:27:34 GMT -5
One of the national TV channels in Australia is the Special Broadcasting Service (SBS). It mainly broadcasts non-English language programs from other countries with English subtitles. One of their programs is “If You Are the One” which is a Chinese language dating show. As a person living in a western country, some aspects of the show seem strange to me, but perhaps that’s explained by the fact that in China the male population exceeds the female population by more than 30 million.
That might also explain the structure of the show. It features a male contestant (called “the candidate”) and 24 female contestants. After questioning the contestants, the candidate chooses a contestant for a date, but he often makes his choice without knowing whether or not she’s willing to go on a date with him. So ultimately it’s up to her to decide if the date happens or not. Despite the fact that he’s got 24 women to choose from, a surprising number of candidates leave the show without getting a date.
But I digress. I’m also surprised by how often periods are mentioned on the show. In one episode, a contestant commented that women have a few “uncomfortable days” a month and asked what the candidate would do to help. In another episode, a contestant said that she had been on a date and had told her date that she was on her period. He went off and bought her some type of painkiller. To do that without asking seems strange to me, but she saw it as a caring gesture. Though I can't remember the details, there’s been a couple of other references to periods in recent programs.
Surveys mentioned in this forum show that periods are a more taboo subject in China than they are in western countries, so I found the open discussion of the subject a bit unexpected. Perhaps the discrepancy is explained by the demographics of the show – the contestants on the show are young (early 20s to mid 30s) and mostly middle class with a university education, so they probably aren’t representative of Chinese women in general.
Though I don’t normally watch dating shows or “reality” TV, I find the cultural differences between east and west interesting, and of course I’m interested in any discussions about periods.
That might also explain the structure of the show. It features a male contestant (called “the candidate”) and 24 female contestants. After questioning the contestants, the candidate chooses a contestant for a date, but he often makes his choice without knowing whether or not she’s willing to go on a date with him. So ultimately it’s up to her to decide if the date happens or not. Despite the fact that he’s got 24 women to choose from, a surprising number of candidates leave the show without getting a date.
But I digress. I’m also surprised by how often periods are mentioned on the show. In one episode, a contestant commented that women have a few “uncomfortable days” a month and asked what the candidate would do to help. In another episode, a contestant said that she had been on a date and had told her date that she was on her period. He went off and bought her some type of painkiller. To do that without asking seems strange to me, but she saw it as a caring gesture. Though I can't remember the details, there’s been a couple of other references to periods in recent programs.
Surveys mentioned in this forum show that periods are a more taboo subject in China than they are in western countries, so I found the open discussion of the subject a bit unexpected. Perhaps the discrepancy is explained by the demographics of the show – the contestants on the show are young (early 20s to mid 30s) and mostly middle class with a university education, so they probably aren’t representative of Chinese women in general.
Though I don’t normally watch dating shows or “reality” TV, I find the cultural differences between east and west interesting, and of course I’m interested in any discussions about periods.