Beijing, March 14 (Reporter Yuan Xiuyue) As a hot topic in the film and television circle in recent years, the female theme has produced many explosive dramas. But there is one that is always the "Bai Yueguang" in the hearts of domestic drama audiences. That’s Pink Girl, which is adapted from Zhu Deyong’s comic book Bitter Girl.
It makes four girls, heartthrob, man-woman, marriage fanatic and Ha Mei, become many people’s first cognition of urban women.
Recently, The Ideal Life of Love, adapted from Bitter Girl, was broadcast. Over the past 20 years, what changes have taken place in the image of astringent girls?
Cover of Bitter Girl
"In modern cities, love always belongs to yesterday and marriage always belongs to tomorrow."
The Bitter Girl was first published in 1992, and Zhu Deyong mentioned his creative motivation in the preface. He noticed that the single ethnic group in society is expanding rapidly and has developed a unique set of ideas and lifestyles, which made him have the idea of creating cartoons.
In Bitter Girl, he divides single women into four extreme types: one wants love instead of marriage, the other wants to work without love, the other wants to marry all men, and the other can’t figure out anything. The four types correspond to heartthrob, workaholic, marriage fanatic and naive girl respectively.
Zhu Deyong adopts the form of four-grid cartoons, and narrates around the personal characteristics of four single lady, focusing on the dialogue between them, with no storyline. Because of the author’s careful observation of society and unique and spicy brushwork, Bitter Girl also has a cold and humorous irony effect.
For example:
Workaholic: Women don’t need to get married to prove that they are wanted.
Workaholic: Similarly, a woman who doesn’t get married doesn’t prove that she is unwanted.
Marriage maniac: Wow, amazing, what a new woman.
Workaholic: Alas, women can only prove whether they are new women by getting married or not.
Cover of Bitter Girl
Four single lady live in an apartment, which is very fashionable today, so why are they called "astringent girls"?
The astringency here is "raw astringency". Zhu Deyong explained: "They have a unique personality on the outside, or they are often labeled as typed by others, but at heart they are a group of people who are not so sure about themselves; Whether they break through the shackles or live by tradition, they don’t really know what they want. Their breath, mixed in this prosperous era, has a particularly raw flavor. "
There are personal choices behind this, and more is the change of the times. In 2003, "single woman economy" was still a new word, and the first generation of urban women were facing unprecedented changes. In the past, women mostly lived according to the traditional trajectory, and revolved around their families all their lives, without real self. In modern society, whether it is career or marriage, they have more choices in life, but they also have more confusion.
To sum up, their ideas have changed, but the reality has not changed. In Zhu Deyong’s words: "Today’s women, under the requirements of society, still have to be as soft as silk, but they have to be as hard as king kong."
Under the humorous shell of Bitter Girl, it is full of such helplessness and contradiction.
Poster of Pink Lady
Become a heartthrob or a man woman?
By the TV series Pink Girl in 2003, the four single lady’s personalities were even fuller, and their friendship of helping each other became an important part of the TV series.
In cartoons, heartthrobs are keen to be mistresses of different men and know how to play with them in the palm of their hands with their own appearance advantages. In the fast-food love game in modern society, she comes and goes freely, which is admired by many people. Her sober attitude towards love and marriage also resonates with many modern women.
Video screenshot
In the TV series, heartthrob is more flesh and blood outside the label. Her father is a university professor, and her family wants her to have a stable job and marriage. But she likes to experience life and doesn’t accept the same life, so she went to Shanghai from her hometown to work hard. The heartthrob sees love and marriage thoroughly, and it is not gifted, but is summed up from experience after experience.
Workaholics in comics are only interested in making money, and occasionally fall in love with their partners as employees. In the play, the man and woman work hard because she wants to build a primary school for her hometown.
Video screenshot
In contrast, the marriage fanatics and naive girls in comics are not very popular. The marriage fanatic’s attitude towards marriage scared many people, but in the TV series, she became the protagonist. Although her appearance is ordinary, she is kind and persistent. Her persona is more like Cinderella, and finally the screenwriter gave her a prince charming, which brought her together with Wang Hao.
Video screenshot
Naive sister is not much different. Ha Mei in the play likes to follow the trend and is enthusiastic, but she is always in a daze.
Four single lady look at the world around them with women’s eyes, showing the unique lifestyle of urban women. However, they also have stereotypes about women from outside, such as being obsessed with work, being in love unintentionally is a man woman, being enchanting in appearance is a fox, and the value of women is reflected in whether men like them or not.
Video screenshot
Some people think that Pink Lady is new in appearance, but they are still a generation of old women in internal ideas.
This is related to the degree of social development, and also related to the way TV plays are created. The cartoonist’s perspective is an observer outside the bureau, and making a TV series requires a dominant value. The TV series pursues a warm and touching style, so it loses the humorous and spicy effect of the original. Finally, the sharp point of view is also buried in the happy family story.
Video screenshot
Break the stereotype of single women
From the industrious and gentle Liu Huifang in Desire, to the heroine in Hua Qiangu in Empresses in the Palace, and then to the urban women with different backgrounds in Nothing But Thirty in Ode to Joy. In recent years, the female images in domestic dramas have undergone weak and obvious changes — — From attachment to family to the pursuit of self-independence.
Nowadays, the most popular heroine is neither a hard-working and selfless traditional woman, nor a fool saved by the hero, as can be seen from Su Mingyu in Everything is Fine and Wang Manni in Nothing But Thirty. They are all capable, strong and independent.
"The Ideal Life of Love" stills Yin Tao plays "heartthrob"
In The Ideal Life of Love, the four heroines are also different from those in comics. The biggest change is the desalination of labels and the disappearance of stereotypes. The heartthrob is no longer a charming big wave and a proud figure, the workaholic is no longer a man-woman, and the marriage madman has no two buckteeth. Only the naive girl is still catching up with the trend, and now it is two yuan.
A heartthrob doesn’t attract men by appearance, but by changing boyfriends, it’s more about pleasing yourself. Workaholics don’t just make money, but seek self-worth at work. Marriage fanatics are not unable to get married, but want to live a standard life because they have lived a good life since childhood. Naive sister has a shallow experience, but she insists on her hobbies.
"The Ideal Life of Love" stills Xia Ruoyan plays "Workaholic"
In the play, female roles are not saved by men, and even male roles are weak. Four people are either rich second generation or strong women, and there is almost no material pressure. As for whether they are married or single, they also have clear personal positions. To some extent, this drama does provide an ideal life for contemporary urban women.
"The Ideal Life of Love" stills Yi Song plays "Marriage Mad"
However, this is also its weakness. The people in the play are glamorous, just like living in a model room. Without the complicated background of reality, women’s pain and choices are also indifferent. If "Pink Girl" is less sharp, then this drama has created a crystal ball. Although it looks beautiful, it is only a fairy tale after all.
"The Ideal Life of Love" stills Angel plays "Naive Sister"
Some netizens believe that astringent girls are an attitude that is out of date at any time. In fact, whether it is comics or TV series, they are the epitome of women in different times. Today, there are also new heartthrobs, marriage maniacs, workaholics and naive girls. Perhaps, every woman is a combination of these four people. The connotation of astringent girl is changing, and the only constant is the still confused heart and the growing pace.