Final Essay

This past week really was a feast to me. Even though I grew up in an Asian-centered culture, there is still so much to know and to learn. I’ve been teaching Chinese for 10+ years and the topics related to Chinese culture has always been a big focus, especially for my upper levels.

One of the most interesting pieces I read this week was the piece by Ban Zhao. I thought it was very interesting to analyze the relationship between men and women and the certain lessons that women back then (and to a certain extent even today) must follow in order to be a “good wife.” These restrictive rules and regulations on women can also be seen in the other presentations that were given throughout the week as well. Foot binding not only physically restricted women but also emotionally relegated them as inferior and incapable. While this is no longer practiced today, foot binding is only a part of the long-lasting tradition of suppressing women. Cosmetic surgery, especially in South Korea, has now also shifted the ways in which women perform and embody social standing. These “normative beauty standards” are a double-edged sword: conforming to these norms can be seen as restrictive practices forced onto women, but on the other hand, the results of these surgeries can end up empowering women.

Regardless, we cannot discount the Western ideology that has also been imposed on all of us. When it comes to evaluating Asian culture and practices, we cannot relegate these cultures as and apply Western thought onto these evaluations, rather, we should view the many cultures and ideologies from an objective standpoint. This is not to discount the many rights that democracy provides us, but to show that these privileges and norms we deem as “inherent” were not even introduced back when foot binding or Ban Zhou’s piece were written.

In the end, I feel that I am armed with more knowledge and understanding about East Asian culture overall. I will definitely incorporate these lessons into my teachings and help my students learn more about the different cultures and standpoints that have been passed down from generation to generation. I find that many of these teachings are still prevalent today, even as the times have changed.