A Chinese state media interview with an Olympic gold medalist asking when she would get married and have children has sparked backlash online.
The CCTV segment with gold medalist Gong Lijao, who won the women’s shot put final on Sunday, also described her as a “manly woman”.
Many have criticized the interview calling it sexist and narrow-minded. It is being discussed online with the hashtag: “is marriage the only thing that can be talked about women?”
The questions have led many to object to what they see as ingrained expectations of Chinese women as well as outdated ideals of beauty and femininity.
The clip begins with a female CCTV journalist telling the camera that Gong “gave me the impression that she is a manly woman, until one breakthrough moment”.
It then cuts to an interview on the side-lines of the Tokyo Olympics with Gong, who says: “”I may look like a manly woman on the outside, but inside I’m still more of a girl.”
The reporter asks Gong if she has “any plans for a woman’s life”. Another female reporter asks: “Since you used to be a manly woman for shot put, do you feel you can be yourself from now on?”
Gong appears surprised by the questions and replies: “If I don’t train then perhaps I will lose weight, get married and have children. Yes, it’s the path one must take in life.”
She is then asked if she has a boyfriend, what kind of man she is looking for and if she would arm-wrestle a boyfriend.
The interview ends with Gong laughing and saying: “I don’t arm-wrestle. I’m very gentle.”
Thousands on social media have criticized the questions posed to Gong with the marriage hashtag on Weibo getting more than 300 million views.
Many have rallied behind Gong, leaving hundreds of supportive messages on her Weibo page.
“It’s not that she can’t get married, it’s that no man is her match… when we talk about women, it’s not just about marriage or looks, but also dreams and achievements,” read one popular post on Weibo.
Gong herself responded to the post, saying: “This totally expresses what I feel! Thank you!”
Sources: BBC
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