In China, characters called wo nang fei in movies are gradually receiving the attention of female audiences, instead of the perfect, beautiful characters as before. Wo nang fei means losers, weak, useless in Chinese.
Such characters often choose to “lay still”, or do as little as possible to be at peace in toxic work cultures or family relationships, according to South China Morning Post.
This phenomenon is further fueled by the character Ma Jie, played by actor Bai Ke, in the hit comedy Johnny Keep Walking!. Bai plays a miserable human resources manager who submits to requests for overtime, obeys meaningless bureaucracy, and obeys his annoying boss no matter what just to keep his job in the midst of this. personnel reduction scene.
Many female fans sympathize with his incompetence and weakness. They also praised Ma Jie’s gentleness, kind heart, lack of aggressive masculinity, and dedication to his family.
“Wo nang fei is a new type of sexy,” a netizen commented, receiving more than 7,000 likes.
Toxic masculinity
The wo nang fei trend is also seen as a rebellion against the toxic masculinity often seen in traditionally handsome, “dominant” characters.
In the 2000s, the type of male protagonists most loved by Chinese audiences were handsome, successful business executives who always liked to possess and protect their other half.
The rich, domineering male protagonist was once popular in China. Photo: Sina.However, as public awareness of gender equality increased, female fans no longer wished to be rescued by “superheroes” but began to turn away from excessive displays of masculinity. , they expect to be treated with respect and care.
This new attitude was marked by the 2012 drama “My Economical Man,” in which the female lead chose an ordinary man instead of a CEO as her lover.
Ma Jie and other wo nang fei characters satisfy female fans who admire a good man who works hard, is loyal to his family, is good at cooking, and sometimes even appears to need to be told by women. guard.
Accept the normal
As the wo nang fei trend grew, many Chinese netizens began to make fun of everyday stress, heavy workloads or life crises.
“Dare to pick a fight with me? Then you’ve found the right person, I’m the meanest person in this area,” a netizen wrote.
“Falled? Then I’ll stay right where I am,” another person joked.
This trend also reflects the rise of the earlier “laying down” phenomenon, when people used humor to alleviate worries about being useless. They also find solace in “ordinary” characters who reflect their personal struggles.