A Chinese model defended herself on Sunday against a “morbid obsession” after people launched a barrage of criticism towards her for her perceived “slanted eyes”.
The controversy surrounded a 2019 advertisement for the Three Squirrels snack brand featuring Cai Niang Niang, the model’s professional pseudonym. Many people in China pushed back against her “overly slanted eyes” in the advertisements because they believe they fell into the trap of following a common stereotype about Asian faces.
morbid/'mɔːbɪd/ 病态的;不正常的；心理不健康的 with a strong and unhealthy interest in unpleasant subjects, 比如说：•His head was full of morbid thoughts.他的脑袋里全是不健康的思想。Some people have a morbid fascination with crime.一些人对犯罪有一种病态的痴迷。
a barrage of 连珠炮似的问题（批评等）:a lot of criticism, questions, complaints etc that are said at the same time, or very quickly one after another，比如说：•a barrage of questions连珠炮似的问题
pseudonym /'sjuːdənɪm/ · 假名；化名；笔名：a name used by sb, especially a writer, instead of their real name，比如：She writes under a pseudonym.她用笔名写作。
But Cai Niang Niang said the abuse had transformed into “online violence”. She asked if people who looked like her have “humiliated China since the day we were born?”
“With small eyes, am I not Chinese?” she wrote on Weibo on Sunday. “I totally agree with patriotism. However, creating big problems out of normal matters has become a morbid obsession. I hope everybody can have a healthy mindset.”
Three Squirrels responded to the online controversy on Sunday by saying the make-up was chosen based on Cai Niang Niang’s facial features. But the company also apologised in a statement that read: “Regarding the opinion that the model does not fit the mainstream’s aesthetic taste and makes the public feel uncomfortable, we are sincerely sorry.”
patriotism /'peɪtrɪətɪz(ə)m/ 爱国主义；爱国精神；Patriotism is love for your country and loyalty towards it.，举个例子：He was a country boy who had joined the army out of a sense of patriotism and adventure.他是个乡下小伙儿，参军是出于爱国之心和冒险精神。
aesthetic taste审美口味，aesthetic/iːs'θetɪk/ 表示美感的；审美的a set of principles about beauty or art，比如说：products chosen for their aesthetic appeal as well as their durability and quality.因其外形美观且经久耐用、质量上乘而被选定的产品。
The company added that it had removed the web page containing the advertisements.
该公司补充说，它已经删除了包含广告的网页。
Internet users are split over the model’s look.
网友对模特的外形意见不一。
“I don’t think her eyes are small in her ordinary photos and videos, so why did she squint in the advertisement? The intention behind the photo is what should be slammed,” wrote one person on Weibo.
【写作句型】be split over sth对...意见不一slam v.猛烈抨击〔尤用于报纸上〕to criticize someone or something strongly – used especially in newspapers，比如说：•Local media slammed plans to build a prison in the area.当地媒体猛烈抨击要在该地区建一座监狱的计划。
Somebody else said: “I think she looked beautiful in the advertisement, and it’s not necessary to say this is unpatriotic. Can’t our culture just be tolerant and confident? Slanted eyes is also a kind of eastern beauty. The definition for beauty should not be limited to big eyes and double eyelids.”
发表评论