a) My chosen class theme (circle one): Embody | Cradle | Amplify
b) My research topic (aka sub-theme). Explain this in 1-2 sentences below.
Inequality between men and women in China when it comes to sexual freedom and slut-shaming.
c) My main research question. What is the main question you have that is driving your interest in this topic? Write the question below.
Why is there still a difference between people’s attitudes towards young men and women in China when it comes to sexual activeness in 2020?
d) Based on what you know at this point in time, answer your question above in a way that explains your own personal viewpoint about this topic. Explain this in 2-3 sentences below.
Throughout history, women’s chaste has been praised and valued while it did not matter for men. It played throughout Chinese history and culture. An example would be women who were forced to marry when they lost their virginity unwillingly to a man, and this act was very common in the old Chinese society. While men were allowed to have multiple wives, women had to fully commit to one man. This inequality is heavily embedded in ancient Chinese culture.
e) My Design Proposal (4 sentences). For instructions on how to write a design proposal, see page 2.
I am exploring why women in China are heavily slut-shamed if they express sexual desire while men’s sexual desires are accepted. I believe this inequality is created by the cultural values throughout Chinese history where women’s virtue is heavily valued, and women’s sexual desires were shamed. I plan to create a photoshoot, where a Chinese girl is dressed in a white chiffon dress decorated by classic Chinese element with red ribbons tied around her ankles, wrists, and neck. The girl would have many white lingerie around her on top of a white bed sheet that acts as a sign of purity and innocence. Her dress and everything around her would be stained by half-eaten strawberries. While the red ribbons tying her up would show the sense of being trapped and suffocated by the slut-shaming that females get, the stains of the strawberries shows the stigma females who show their sexual desire carry in China. Maybe in China believes that when you lost your virginity you would bleed and stain the bedsheets, as the strawberries stain the bed sheet and white dress it symbolizes lost of virginity and being engaged in sexual activities. The photos would later be posted mainstream Chinese social media Weibo and Tiktok to act as a conversation starter to the issue of slut-shaming in China. Through this photoshoot, while expressing the effects of slut-shaming, I hope to encourage women in China to fight back when faced with slut-shaming.
