S.e.x. - there I've said it. In our eastern culture, "sex" is regarded as a taboo subject. It exists [If it didn't, why would China have the largest population of any country in the world?], but we don't like to talk about it. Although modern times have made us more open to the subject, compared to western culture, we're still pretty modest about it. I mean, can you imagine Asian parents talking to their kids about sex like American parents do? Perhaps I'm too conservative, but I really cannot fathom that.
TVB has become a lot bolder in terms of sexuality, especially in 2006 and maybe more so in the years to come.
Pushing the limits
La Femme Desperado was very provocative and daring in terms of female sexuality.
The first episode talked about bras and how to find the right "fit." An episode later on dealt with tampons. Femme also vaguely talks about menstruation at several points. Never had feminine products, hygiene, and health been talked about so openly in a TVB series.
In another episode, Sheren Tang's character ("Hilda") actually barges into the men's bathroom to find Michael Tse's character ("Man"). She basically shows him that she was a force to be reckon with. To add emphasis, she even daringly rips off his towel to expose him! In the scene right after that, Michael puts on suntan lotion for her suggestively while she's in a bathing suit.
Sheren basically plots to "rape" Raymond Lam's character ("Chai Foon") in Femme in order to have a baby. The first time, she drugged him too much, so he was useless to her since the part she needed was depressed along with the rest of his body. The second time, they go so far as to even kiss, but the "rape" is stopped by "Ko Ling" (Melissa Ng)...
In an attempt to lure Raymond to test if he's really a faithful and respectable man, Melissa's character becomes very flirty and sexy. She unbuttons his shirt and runs her hands on his body and practically offers herself up while she pretends to be "drunk" in a hotel. These scenes were hilarious and ultimately no sex scene resulted, but the tone and atmosphere was very sensual for TVB's standards.
Let's talk about sex
The fourth generation of Maidens' Vow was shocking in how much the storyline revolved around sex and its usage of sexually explicit scenes and dialogue. I lost count of how many times "Sze Ga" (Charmaine Sheh) and "Ga On" (Joe Ma) kissed passionately. In one scene, "Ching Ching" (Sherming Yiu) was helping "Sze Ga" spice up her relationship. She took her to a sexy lingerie store and helped her to pick out some items sure to please "Ga On." She then suggested that "Sze Ga" turn herself into a "human dessert" by covering herself with some food items (whipped cream and chocolate syrup). The two of them were very free in discussing sexual matters.
Sherming's character is sexually free. She loves dating multiple men and has a lot of experience in the sexual department. She's not shy about admitting her promiscuous nature. Once, she even suspected that she contracted HIV.
In Men in Pain, Rebecca Chan and Florence Kwok's characters question Louisa So's character about the status of her sex life. They are shocked to discover that she and Damien Lau's characters haven't had sex in half-a-year. They suspect Damien of having an affair consequently because it's unlike men not to want sex. They also suggest that problems in bed best indicate problems in a relationship. Louisa's character tries repeatedly to get Damien's character to sleep with her, totally unaware he has one big "problem" (discussed below).
The word "condom" has been used before in past series, but Maidens' was the first time that I saw actual condoms on-screen. Whether it was "Pang" (Wong Hap Hei) rushing to buy condoms in the midst of a hot and steamy make-out session with "Ching Ching" or "Ching Ching" hiding condoms in convenient places all over her house, condoms were everywhere. In the scene after "Ching Ching" decides she wants to have a baby and be with "Pang," they are about to have sex and he stops to get "something important." She smiles and asks "Aren't I most important?" and they have sex without that "something" for the first time.
More action, less symbolism
Before, TVB opted to imply when sex happened. These days, TVB has less qualms about filming bed scenes. They will film passionate kissing scenes before doing the typical "fading away" to hint that sex happened afterwards. Not only that, sometimes TVB will go further and film some suggestive scenes on the bed (or wherever the characters decide to "do it"). I've read news that Myolie Wu and Raymond Lam filmed a bed scene for upcoming 2007 release The Master of Tai Chi. Men received complaints from viewers because of a bed scene between Damien Lau and Louisa So. In the scene in question, Louisa was sitting on top of Damien, trying to strip his clothes off so they could have sex since she was "hot" and "heavy" for him as a result of their sexual drought.
I've also noticed that TVB's way of filming kissing scenes has changed. In the past, "kissing" involved the couple pressing their lips together. These days, it's tongue and lip-on-lip action. I wonder if artists have learned how to kiss now? Or is TVB actually requiring them to kiss now? In any case, kissing scenes are a lot more passionate these days.
When it can't go up
Erectile dysfunction was a major issue that Men dealt with. Older men tend to have problems "getting up" - hence, the popularity of drugs like Viagra, Cialis, and so on. Damien's character in Men couldn't have sex with his wife, Louisa So's character, because he was too stressed. The series chronicled his trial of western drugs and eastern herbs in an attempt to fix his downer.
In the last story of Maidens', "Pang" also developed erectile dysfunction after Sherming kicked him "down there." Even at the sight of beautiful girls, he couldn't "get up." Sherming tried to help by giving him porn to watch, but that was also useless. It isn't until he accidentally lands on top of Sherming that the "feeling" returns and his buddy goes up again. He tells Sherming in a rather romantic way that only she gives him the feeling to have an erection. The two then go on to have sex.
Borrowing 'seeds' like borrowing sugar?
You heard it in Femme, Men, and even The Dance of Passion. The concept of "borrowing seeds" was rampantly used last year as a core plot device. The basic idea is that a female character sleeps with a male character solely for the purpose of using his "seeds" to get pregnant and have a baby.
"Hilda" wanted to have a baby - but not a husband - so she went on a quest to borrow the seed of the best man possible. Borrowing seeds was very important for Dance as "Dung Yeung" (Kenny Wong) - the male successor to the "Sung" clan - couldn't get his wife pregnant even after many years. The exact reason for his infertility is unknown. Regardless "Long Yuet" (Maggie Siu) cannot conceive consequently. "Dung Sing" (Moses Chan) suggests that the couple "borrow seeds" in order to have a child and reclaim power. They back out, but it is the concubine of "Dung Yeung" - "Chun Fan" (Charmaine Sheh) who goes on to "borrow" the "seeds" of "Dung Sing", but eventually loses the baby. I didn't watch Men, but I was told that it also had a subplot involving seed borrowing. Men and Femme were produced by the same producer, so it's not surprising that he reused the similar idea of "seed borrowing" as one series focused on male sexuality whereas the other discussed female sexuality.
How much further will TVB go?
I don't think TVB will ever become as sexually open as primetime shows in America. They would receive so many complaints from parents! Unlike primetime series, TVB caters to whole families. Its business and traditional revolves around family viewing. While some series may be more mature than others, for the most part, TVB can be viewed by the young and old alike. Even though younger parents are and will increasingly become more free about sex, I think that there's still a tendency - rooted from eastern morals and customs when they were socialized as children - to be more modest and reserved and keep those matters as intimate privacy. I'm this way and I think a lot of Asians are as well. It's just part of our culture and I think it's nice. It keeps us unique and I don't see anything wrong with being conservative.
I don't know about you guys, but I feel so embarrassed when I watch bed scenes in TVB series. For American TV, I can watch them without any reservation or care really, but when it comes to TVB, it's uncomfortable. Don't get me wrong, I am a sexually-embracing person, but it feels so awkward and embarrassing for me to see it in TVB series. Personally, I like it when TVB keeps the sex scenes symbolic - dimming of the lights, fading away, and so on. It's just so much more romantic than seeing two people pretend to romp around on a bed. When it comes to story-telling, I think sex is depicted much sexier when shown with class instead of being all raw.
I think it's good that eastern culture is becoming more open about sexually-related topics because it's a part of life. It's healthy to talk and know all of the facts rather than just keep the matters private and then end up with a disease that could have been prevented. I thought it was good that Maidens' indirectly (or perhaps intentionally?) promoted the usage of condoms when having sex. Condoms are crucial, especially when having casual sex or even sex in serious relationships. Even if you trust your partner, there's no telling what diseases he/she may unknowingly carry. It's always better to be safe. I also think that with TVB incorporating sex talk and sex scenes into their modern series, it makes them more realistic. Modern people embrace their sexuality like no previous era before them and there's no doubt that sex plays a big role in many people's relationships and life. In this sexually free modern time, it's refreshing to see TVB embrace current times and trends, addressing and incorporating them. There's nothing dirty or wrong about it.
What do you guys think about TVB and sex? Have they gotten bolder with their portrayals? How much further will and can TVB go? What about our culture - will the modesty and reservation that we feel about sex remain for years to come or will our culture become so westernized in the future that we stand to lose it?
Labels: Insight, La Femme Desperado, Maidens' Vow, Men in Pain
