Time's China blog

here

Even one of the bloggers have noted the current HK sex scandal, involving private photos taken by one actor and were "stolen" and uploaded. Supposedly as many as 10 female stars are in the photos. Well... if one thought HK "artists" were pure and clean, this should make him rethink. At least in the past traditional Chinese culture emphasized shame, so even if one did something wrong, one would be careful to conceal it from the rest of society. Now these were private photos, but why take the chance of having them discovered by someone else and made public?

Recently Asians have adopted "Western" standards of "beauty"--the piercing of parts other than the ear, such as the belly button and nose, and tattoos. Is it wrong to associate such tattoos and piercings with a more casual attitude towards sex? I remember the trailer from The Wedding Crashers--Vince Vaughn finds his pray at one wedding: "Tatto on the back--might as well be a bull's eye." On Leno I first heard of this tattoo being called a "tramp stamp." Does the audience laugh because it's ridiculous, or because there's truth to it? After a woman has become experienced sexually (and in an unsatisfying manner or in a relationship that has gone bad), is she more likely to get a tattoo or piercing, in order to take some sort of control or to assert herself? (Thus linking tattoos and piercings to self-esteem issues.) Or is this just rebellion? As things that were socially unacceptable in the past became mainstream, what will our youths do next in order to be "original"?

And what does one think of a woman who is willing to be photographed by her [casual] lover, someone who has not pledged himself to her and made a commitment? (Now perhaps the actor in question did promise himself, but I find it hard to believe, since the entertainment circle in HK is small, and his history of dating various women must be known to all involved.) Perhaps women don't mind being made an object by the man they think they "love" either on film or video--it is, like having sex with him, a way of pleasing him and holding on to him. But isn't it understandable for fans to be disappointed as a result, and to think less of them? I know my opinion of one actress/singer has gone down once again as a result of this.