Hong Kong feminist groups hit back at objectification of women in city
A recent controversy over an ad campaign has sparked debate about the objectification of women in Hong Kong culture, writes Charley Lanyon
A Hong Kong feminist group has hit back at what it says is the objectification of women in the city by making a thought-provoking documentary linking such treatment of women to low self-esteem, eating disorders, sexual harassment and violence.
A teaser for the yet-to-be-released documentary starts with clips taken from music videos and commercials - of skimpily clad women in bikinis and lingerie, rolling on the floor or in other suggestive positions. Then it cuts to real-life teenage girls imitating what they have seen while the statistics flare across the screen: 90 per cent of anorexia victims are girls between 12 and 25, for example; and 50 per cent of secondary students experience sexual harassment.
The documentary is being made by The Women's Foundation in partnership with Women Helping Women Hong Kong. She Objects looks at how women are portrayed in media and advertising in Hong Kong and explores the link between the treatment of women and young girls as sex objects and the dangers that they face in the real world: low self-esteem, eating disorders, sexual harassment and violence.
Tentatively set for release in September, the film is coming to fruition at time when objectification of women has been very much in the public consciousness. A recent tacky and tasteless ad campaign by a new burger joint, along with news that Hooters, an American restaurant chain known for its sexy waitresses, will open franchises in Hong Kong, have drawn a backlash in social media.
But as much as feminist activist Luk Kit-ling welcomes the debate, she laments that it has been a long time coming.
"I think the situation hasn't got better in the past 30 years," says Luk, a lecturer on gender issues at Hong Kong Community College and chairwoman of the Association for the Advancement of Feminism.