#LoveYourself
Happy Valentine’s Day!!!! The day to buy extremely over-priced flowers and chocolates, have your feed filled with heart-melting or cheesy af posts, and see an overload of pink and red in any given store. Don’t forget, we have the simultaneously occurring Single Awareness Day- which I’m not a fan of because it has the most depressing and degrading connotations ever. What’s wrong with being single??? Why should we have to feel bad about ourselves when we see others’ happiness?
Thankfully SK-II picked up on this ridiculous socially constructed requirement and decided to say something about it in a short film advert. SK-II is a famous and prestigious Japanese beauty brand who has taken over the skin care market worldwide. The president Markus Strobel told BBC that the advert was created as part of “a global campaign to inspire and empower women to shape their destiny” and the company was adopting “a positive approach in helping women face pressures”. Before reading any further, please watch the video.
To provide a brief recap: they introduce a few single Chinese women at different stages of their lives, and they share about the social pressures they face about being single. Some say they’ve been called “too picky and stubborn”, some are still looking for “true love” rather than a “match”, and one even says that “not getting married is the biggest sign of disrespect (to my parents).” We are then made aware of a “marriage market” where people post resumes of their single children for prospective parents and partners to look at. The women turn things around by posting personal messages of affirmation for their parents to see like: “I want to take my time to find the right person” and “I’m happy being alone”.
When I first heard the phrase “leftover” be attributed to single women in China, I was offended to say the least. Who wants to be associated with a skeletal fish hanging out of a garbage bag?! The term “剩女” literally translates to “leftover girl”, which is how Chinese society views 25+ year old women who are still single. The term implies that single ladies are unwanted or not good enough to be loved and chosen as a wife. “People think that in Chinese society, an unmarried woman is incomplete” because the traditional role and purpose of Chinese women were to get married, pump out babies and take care of her in laws’ and her own household. Every girl’s life plan was carved out for them, there was no need to think about what to do after they turned 20 (or even 18 for some).
Fast forward to present day, women have goals, ambitions and dreams that may not involve being home, doing chores and buying groceries every day. Don’t get me wrong, I have lots of respect for house wives. I was raised by a stay-at-home mom, and her tireless dedication towards my brother and I every single day is invaluable. But, it’s depressing to think our attempt to break out of the boundaries still result in a derogatory label. The progress of females in education and careers should be celebrated with the increase in strength and confidence as individuals. Our identity no longer has to be tied to a man, to be known as “Ms Y” as opposed to “Mr. X’s wife.” This shift in cultural gender roles will definitely take time, but we can start normalizing the change through such conversation.
What if there are women who choose to be single, independent and free, yet can still lead very happy and fulfilling lives? Sure, we might be wired to reproduce and you can’t deny this biological urge. But science aside, some women may be able to find all the love, acceptance and support they need from friends and family… hard to believe right? You are not lacking in any way by being single.
I’m not praising one relationship status over the other. Some need a romantic relationship to feel fulfilled, while for others it just isn’t a priority. Who knows, maybe I’m telling myself these things to make myself feel better and not feel like a sore thumb within my circle of friends. Of course I feel the slight sting when friends talk about the sweet things their significant other does for them, or the dates they go on. I also know that I do not live in mainland China, nor have I been subject to gossip and stares for being single at 40…But for the stage that I’m in now, I’ve realized being fully comfortable with yourself, focusing on personal growth and being able to find love, happiness and peace with yourself is what we should all be striving for first. If someone happens to fit in that journey, then so be it. By no means am I swearing off relationships, I just want to be at peace whether I’m single or in a relationship. We all have our own timelines; we don’t have to fit into others’. Don’t have others tell you that you need a man/woman to achieve those things. It’s your life, your happiness and not theirs.
So thank you SK-II for reminding us it is perfectly fine to be single, that our beauty is not contingent on whether there’s someone else to accept it. Now go enjoy your day with those you love, just like any other day (ok maybe indulge a little more than you normally would) …except it just happens to have a Hallmark card made for it.