最流行的“暖男” Latest current trend "Warm man" - what does it mean?

This is the writer's personal observation and to be read without prejudice.

In the upcoming movie "Scent", we often come across this Chinese word “暖男” loosely translate as "Warm man".  It is a term which the Chinese women often quote and want in their ideal good man. The criteria they stated are extracted from a reporter from another blog posted by me on 11 Aug:

"...最流行的“暖男”，不仅是会做饭、会打扫、会照顾别人的“三好男人”，更是痴情男一枚。"

"...the latest trend of "Warm man", not only can he cook, do housework, able to take care of another person - 3 qualities of a good man, even better a loving committed man to boot."



As I do translations on articles, write-ups and news reports on this movie "Scent" for this blog, it has come to my mind that the Director of this movie, Jessey Tsang (Zeng Cuishan), may be trying to reflect the growing phenomenon and social issue that the young Chinese adults are facing.   In fact, the issues that young Chinese adults are facing are more than one but I'll only cite one as this particular issue is common and had happened in most developed countries in the West and in Asia.

This phenomenon started from the West possibly in the 80s where while the women work, the men are expected to be involved in the caring of the children, chip in with housework and if possible cook especially since he has to take care of the kids!  The term they coined for this kind of men is Sensitive New Age Guy (SNAG for short).

To men who refuses to change, the modern working women is unable to tolerate such traditional male behaviour that their mothers and grandmothers would tolerate. An ultimatum is usually given to these husbands, either u buck up or ship out (divorce)!   There's even a popular song which I like sung by Karyn White in the 80s that shows the frustration of a working wife and her expectation of her husband.

http://youtu.be/08CqZaP0EuA

So the trend for a man to be a SNAG is spread to Asia with those developed Asian countries that are more exposed to West influences facing the changes first.  In my country, this change in expectations among the young women started in the late 80s as there were more highly educated women than men.

As the higher educated women is unable to find men that matches their level of knowledge and yet willing to help out in the family while both are working, they chose to be single.  Unfortunately for them, it doesn't make the men wise up as they have many other Asian countries who still have women willing to take on the traditional role to select.

However, things started to change in the 90s when I was a young adult of marriageable age. There are more higher educated men and their mindset start to change accordingly.  So SNAG start to appear in my society .   I subsequently learnt that men also become a SNAG when their working mothers train them to be one when they were young.  By training your son, from a boy, to help out with housework, take care of siblings and learn some simple cooking, he will grow up thinking that this is part and parcel of life and won't bat an eyelid if he has to do it for his girlfriend or wife!

Now that this phenomenon has spread to China, the Chinese men has to buck up on their own without their mother's help because they have lesser pool of willing women to play the traditional role in the dwindling number of developing Asian countries.  Add to the fact that there are more Chinese men than women in the population, there was a report that there are increasing number of bachelors willing to cough out their entire inheritance just to find a wife.  Dating games organised in public, television, etc can be found in most Chinese cities and the men have to shed their shyness to participate and win the hearts of Chinese ladies there. (Attach a poster of "You are the one" dating game show telecast in Jiangsu



So when the Chinese watch this movie "Scent", let's hope the Director succeeds in "educating" the Chinese men on how to be a SNAG like our dear Park Si Hoo ssi. ^^



Thank you for reading my blog post. ^^