Chen Xiukan (Sina.com)

By Zhao Ting

In My Show competition 2009, Chen Xiukan, a man with long hair and many fans, managed to be one of the eight finalists. Although he failed to win the competition, he was undoubtedly a controversial finalist because of his feminine-like appearance. He told the media that, “Judging a person by his looks is unfair. My mode of thinking and behaving is actually masculine.”

Originally from Taiwan and now a PhD student in the College of Journalism at Fudan University, Chen competed in My Show 2009 on a lark. With his long hair, fair skin and good voice, he managed to land in the top eight. He said he never expected to win the competition because he did not want it to affect his normal life and he just hoped to finish his studies.

But his participation and appearance during the competition raised criticism and praise from the public. One of his fans, Zhang Ping said, “The era of strong masculine men seems to have gone, and most of my friends, especially girls prefer those good-looking guys who have fair skin and musical talents. I know there are a lot of gossip about him, like wondering if he is gay or criticizing his girlie image. But we fans clearly know that he is quite man. His girlie make-up is because he is on stage and not his true side. I like to focus on this kind of man with a handsome appearance and masculine character.”

Another fan Liu Fei told the Global Times, “We are supposed to keep pace with the times. Muscle men used to be popular and the type favored by girls, but now they prefer delicate and pretty boys who look quite comfortable. In my eyes, muscle men look quite strong but not gentle enough. Actually, I support Chen because he is special and brave. If all the contestants have one style, that is not interesting. We should respect the diversity of appearances. Besides, I also discovered his approachable side through reading his blog and watching his interviews.”

The change in opinion over what makes a man handsome has changed in recent years. For example, in the 1990s, young women preferred strong muscle men such as movie star Zhang Fengyi. This group of men still appeals to women, but gentle and “girlie” men are getting their share of attention too.

Zhao Jun a graduate from Tianjin Academy of Fine Arts told the Global Times, “The type of men like Chen represents only one kind of beauty. His popularity should not indicate the evolution of beauty appreciation. But I acknowledge the changes in opinions about aesthetics of young people. In my view, I think the traditional stereotype of men should not and cannot lose their attention. Their image can also be diverse and still many people, especially the post-70s are attracted to them. However, the “girlie” man is a kind of trend.”

Actually, young people’s perceptions of beauty already started changing in 2004 when Super Girls became popular. At that time, many people just wondered why so many girls were interested in boyish-looking girls.

Social psychologist Li Xue from the Institute of Psychology at Beijing Normal University explains that the definition of beauty changes due to auto catharsis where young people look into themselves for self-analysis. “According to the theory of self-worth, everyone endeavors to build the paradigm of their lives and needs the opportunities to prove their values,” Li says. “However, due to restrictions of social roles and abilities, they cannot have many earth-shattering experiences so they look to celebrities for admiration. When they find people who are similar or complement them who are performing on the stage, they feel their dreams have been achieved. These people have courage to show themselves and realize the dreams of common people. They ignore the unusual bias from others and pursue their dreams.”