OpinionBy voicing their needs, Chinese women are normalising them

Name: China’s new wave of young women stand-up comedians tackle stereotypes
Uploaded: 2026-04-16T01:30:11.000Z
Duration: 2 min 7 s
Description: China’s new wave of young women stand-up comedians tackle stereotypes

In films and on social media, women in China are openly advocating for themselves and fighting taboos around women’s health

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Women eat lunch in a female co-living space in Hangzhou, in eastern China’s Zhejiang province, on July 14, 2025. Photo: AFP

Phoebe Zhangin Shenzhen

Published: 9:30am, 16 Apr 2026

I heard an audible gasp in the audience, just as a gynaecologist on the movie screen tries to shove a speculum – a hollow cylinder used to open up a woman’s cervix – into the lower body of the protagonist.

The film’s main character, a 25-year-old woman named Xu Ke, grimaces in pain. “Relax,” the gynaecologist says, but her tone and hand movements are anything but relaxing. After a sudden shove, Xu feels the pain, wriggles off the examination table and falls to the floor.

The scene from the drama It’s OK, which opened on April 3, is rare. Young women’s medical needs and discomfort are rarely discussed publicly in China.

The film goes on to explore other topics that are sometimes kept secret in Chinese society. Xu’s mother was frequently abused by her father, ran away from home and got a job as a domestic worker, but was sexually harassed by her employer. Xu tries to have surgery to remove a polyp from her uterus, but because she has never had sexual intercourse, the doctor requires her family to sign a permission letter, claiming the surgery would “damage her hymen”.

In fact, the film begins with a bold scene. Xu is competing in a race at the school where she works when she feels blood trickling down her thigh. A student captures it on video and uploads it online, but instead of punishing them, she gives a talk in class about women’s bodies and sets up a box to provide menstrual pads.

Such a bold portrayal of a young woman’s values and the relationship between mother and daughter is rare in China, but it is becoming more popular. In recent years, many films, talk shows and books have focused on what young women want and need, portraying characters who no longer adhere to traditional gender stereotypes.

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China’s new wave of young women stand-up comedians tackle stereotypes

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}In films and on social media, women in China are openly advocating for themselves and fighting taboos around women’s health

In films and on social media, women in China are openly advocating for themselves and fighting taboos around women’s health