Female Entertainers Fight Ageism in the Reality Show
A band of entertainment industry " has-beens" has stepped back into the spotlight in Older Sisters Riding Winds and Breaking Waves. It is a girl group knockout reality show (feature) performers older than 30.
Produced by Mango TV, the reality show has made huge waves across China's social platforms. The show consists of 30 seasoned, established female singers, actors and hosts, were born before 1990.
" some possibilities in life fade after you hit 30, you can still transcend time and reinvent yourself, " reads part of the show's preamble(开场白), conveying a clear message the ageism facing women.
Some contestants spoke out about their attitude towards aging and age discrimination.
Wu Xin, 37, a hostess on the popular variety show Happy Camp, (voice) her opinion, believing she's at the best age of her life. " I used to limit myself due to a narrow vision, and thus missed a lot of opportunities. I get older, I've come to realize that I can do many things, so I decided (seize) this chance to stretch myself, " she said.
While some people see the successfully staged show as a progression in challenging society's youth-obsessed pop culture, remain doubtful and critical.
Some viewers reveal that their anxiety towards aging has gotten (bad) after watching the show.
" My heart quivered as I heard 50-year-old Christy Chung say she still feels as young as 20 physically and would always be 18 at heart. The show actually points out the possibility a woman's actual age is neither acceptable for the public nor for herself, " reads a Weibo post by Tang Shuang, a senior fashion editor of Vogue China.
