A recent episode of the variety show University (大學生了沒) discussing “girls from the south” has roused ire from a number of netizens, who accused the show of being prejudiced against people from southern Taiwan.
The episode, aired on Wednesday, invited women from southern Taiwan to discuss the differences between women in northern and southern Taiwan. During the show, clothing, makeup, accent and bearing were compared, all at the expense of women from southern Taiwan.
At one point, a voice-over described the make-up of the women from southern Taiwan as “having a thick rural southern feel (下港味) to it.”
“I was so mad [at that comment] I wanted to slam my TV,” a Netizen said.
“I really don’t know what we people in southern Taiwan have done wrong to you people. Was that really necessary?” another netizen asked.
IT’S THE BRAS
One of the participants in the show, with the stage name Jui Mie Mie (睿咩咩), said that “the difference between Taipei and the south” was the fact that Taipei women wear Nu Bras and Party Bras and accentuated their cleavage, while women in the south wear “old grandma lingerie” and do not know how to accentuate their cleavage.
Some netizens were incensed by her remarks. Some said the comments objectified women, while another fired back: “Are you kidding me? Girls in the south also wear Nu Bras and accentuate their cleavage! It’s not that we don’t do it, it’s because we have class!”
About one month ago, the show also caused a ruckus when one participant on the show made a controversial comment describing Taitung as a place that is “great in scenery and also dull.”
MOLDY BRAINS
It prompted netizens to joke that the show should change its name to “Yet Unborn Brain” (大腦生了沒) or “Brain that Grows Mold” (大腦發了霉).
The show’s comments prompted one netizen, Fang Kai-yuan (方凱沅), to launch a Facebook page called “We’re all Taiwanese just the same, but Southern Taiwanese are more ‘special?’”
Everyone loves Taiwan, and Taiwanese should not be prejudiced toward one another, he said.
As of press time, the page has garnered the support of more than 30,000 netizens in less than two days.
In response, the show’s producer Liang Ting-hao (梁庭豪) said the show’s intention was to have the participants discuss the general public’s “stereotypical image” of women from southern Taiwan in a light and humorous manner, without any ill will.
“We humbly accept the criticism from netizens,” Liang added.
TRANSLATED BY JAKE CHUNG, STAFF WRITER
An undersea cable to Penghu County has been severed, the Ministry of Digital Affairs said today, with a Chinese-funded ship suspected of being responsible. It comes just a month after a Chinese ship was suspected of severing an undersea cable north of Keelung Harbor. The National Communications and Cyber Security Center received a report at 3:03am today from Chunghwa Telecom that the No. 3 cable from Taiwan to Penghu was severed 14.7km off the coast of Tainan, the Ministry of Digital Affairs said. The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) upon receiving a report from Chunghwa Telecom began to monitor the Togolese-flagged Hong Tai (宏泰)
A cat named Mikan (蜜柑) has brought in revenue of more than NT$10 million (US$305,390) for the Kaohsiung MRT last year. Mikan, born on April 4, 2020, was a stray cat before being adopted by personnel of Kaohsiung MRT’s Ciaotou Sugar Refinery Station. Mikan was named after a Japanese term for mandarin orange due to his color and because he looks like an orange when curled up. He was named “station master” of Ciaotou Sugar Refinery Station in September 2020, and has since become famous. With Kaohsiung MRT’s branding, along with the release of a set of cultural and creative products, station master Mikan
RISING TOURISM: A survey showed that tourist visits increased by 35 percent last year, while newly created attractions contributed almost half of the growth Changhua County’s Lukang Old Street (鹿港老街) and its surrounding historical area clinched first place among Taiwan’s most successful tourist attractions last year, while no location in eastern Taiwan achieved a spot in the top 20 list, the Tourism Administration said. The listing was created by the Tourism Administration’s Forward-looking Tourism Policy Research office. Last year, the Lukang Old Street and its surrounding area had 17.3 million visitors, more than the 16 million visitors for the Wenhua Road Night Market (文化路夜市) in Chiayi City and 14.5 million visitors at Tainan’s Anping (安平) historical area, it said. The Taipei 101 skyscraper and its environs —
Taiwan on Friday said a New Zealand hamburger restaurant has apologized for a racist remark to a Taiwanese customer after reports that it had first apologized to China sparked outrage in Taiwan. An image posted on Threads by a Taiwanese who ate at Fergburger in Queenstown showed that their receipt dated Sunday last week included the words “Ching Chang,” a racial slur. The Chinese Consulate-General in Christchurch in a statement on Thursday said it had received and accepted an apology from the restaurant over the incident. The comment triggered an online furor among Taiwanese who saw it as an insult to the