queer singaporean

Contrary to popular belief that most Singapore students who have left sg for Australia, Europe and USA suck in chinese, and do not read chinese newspaper, I shall prove them all wrong.

Here's another article that pissed me off. This time, it ain't shit times, but lianhe zaobao.
I believe those who reads both paper find lianhe zaobao even more biased and conservative than shitty times.

Ok, shall stop digressing.
Lianhe zaobao article speaks of a 5 days camp that will be organized by Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce & Industry. This camp, is about teaching young girls how to be a shu nu. Shu nu? Demure woman lah... The kinda sweet innocent young ladies who knows how to "behave" themselves and look after their husband in the future?

培养淑女从少女开始

　　 先说什么是淑女？所谓淑女无非是指“美好的、优雅的女人”，表现在个人的言行举止、仪表，仪态、风度、气质等方面。

　　虽说这是个男女平等的时代，但不论在生理或是心理上，男女之间，终究还是应该有不同的气质和韵味。男女平等并不表示男女不分。

　 　中华总商会企业管理学院学术部主任及文化语言中心负责人彭志红说，举办“淑女营”的 主要原因，是因为目前有许多家长觉得现在的女孩子欠缺女性气质，行为举止很“豪放”，失去了女性的优雅，比如在一些公共场所如地铁上或地铁站经常可看到女 孩子席地而坐，动作很不优雅；又如一些女孩子待人接物不够斯文有礼，显得没有礼貌；甚至也有一些女生不太懂得注重仪表，不会穿衣服；另有一些妈妈则投诉， 女儿的房间很凌乱，从来不收拾衣物。

简单的说，目前女孩子的性别特质较过去都淡化。

彭志红说，“淑女营”主要为十几岁的女孩子提供“养成教育”，也就是日常行为规范方面，因为十几岁是身心发展的重要时期，促进女孩子良好个性品质形成。

　 　她说：“我们开办‘淑女营’是在双文化人才培养方面所作的一个新尝试，因为文化貌似 一个抽象的概念，但文化是具体表现在社会生活的每一个部分，以及每一个人的行为举止之中的。女性素质的高低对家庭的文化氛围及生活品味起着重要的影响，从 某种意义上，女性教育的成效与一个优雅社会的形成有着内在的紧密关联。关注与加强对正在成长阶段女孩的养成教育，培养她们成为睿智、具有柔韧之美，干练又 不失婉约优雅的新一代女性。”

她说，要培养淑女必须从少女时代开始，全面塑造女孩的内在气质与外在形象。这些，便是开办“淑女营”的初衷。

女儿太好胜少了女人味

一些家长也认为，气质和涵养也必须靠后天培养。

50岁的谢女士之所以特别为14岁的女儿报名参加淑女营，就是发觉女儿在待人接物方面不够婉转，对父母和家人也不够体贴，更不要说协助妈妈做家务。

　　谢女士说：“我希望自己的女儿能多学一些关于华族礼仪的东西，行事作风较为彬彬有礼，比较像个女孩子，这是目前许多女孩子较缺乏的部分。”

　　邓太太也希望自己的女儿能够懂得，“如何做一个真正的女孩子？”

　　她说：“要做一个成功的女性并不一定要什么都和男性拼斗，现在的女孩子都太野、太好胜，不知不觉失去了女性的特点，我希望能够将她们拉回来，但这并不是要她们像我们的上一代一样以男性为中心。”

5天学会当淑女

　 　从今天开始为期5天的“淑女营”教学内容，包括第一天的“华族礼仪”如日常待人接 物，节日探亲访友，了解节日典故及家庭伦理修养等；第二天的“优秀女性面面观”，如传达优秀女性的特质，优秀女性的类型，优秀女性的气质美，优秀女性的形 象美及优秀女性的成长之路等。第三天的“花季热线”，则包含了如何与父母有效沟通，如何处理与异性的关系，如何保护自己身体发育带来的变化与烦恼等。

　　而在第四天的“阳光女孩的衣、食、住、行”，则从审美品味的角度，教导女孩如何穿出青春之美，如何吃出少女的健康美丽，如何使书橱衣橱井然有序、设计属于自己的个性闺房，管理好自己的情绪，做个快乐的女孩儿。

　　现代女孩都不做家务？在课程的第5天，淑女营则教导女孩做个妈妈的好帮手，甚至训练她们做个“临时小主妇”，帮妈妈安排一周的家庭生活；做个巧手小公主，动手帮妈妈扮靓家居。

Ok translation, I'll make this short and sweet.
Singapore girls don't know how to behave like woman, too competitive with man, don't know how to dress, act like wild child, in other words still comes down to don't know how to behave like woman in the 60's or maybe those china woman and vietnamese woman that some Singapore man fancy.

The objective of the 5 day "I will be a demure lady" camp is to teach them how to dress, how to eat and keep their figure slim and healthy, behave like a lady, keep their room neat and tidy, control their own emotions and be a happy little girl. (the last part irks me, and I am so sure that Xiaxue would be darn pissed off reading the article too.)

They argue that even though this society speaks of equality, there is still a difference between man and woman in terms of their physique and emotionally. Hence being equal does not mean not differentiating who is a man or who is a woman, ie. androgynous.

One of the interview with a mother Mrs Teng,(I am so sure she is a housewife, but then again that is my point of view), said that girls nowadays are to open-minded and competitive and has lost the "quality" of being a woman. I hope we are able to convert them back to what a woman should be like.

I'm a lil lazy to keep translating coz I'm preparing for my last paper, but I believe you get the gist of the camp and the "motive" that lies underneath it all. Maybe that chauvanistic organization should reflect on themselves a lil and organize another 5 days camp on teaching boys "how to behave like a gentlemen". Maybe in that way, the society could go back to the LKY model of how a traditional family should be like. (giving birth to more than 2.1 kids per family lah..) If this chauvanist organization thinks that a 5 days camp is all that they need to make a modern girl into a shu nu aka demure lady, think again man.

Seems like a perfect time for them to have this camp after the Sarong Party Girl incident, since they probably see her behaviour as "unwomanly and wild child like".

I'll rant more after exams.