‘Murder victim, rape survivor, porn star’ How Hong Kong media treats women reveals a wider issue, scholars say
HKFP
‘Murder victim, rape survivor, porn star’: How Hong Kong media treats women reveals a wider issue, scholars say
Abby Choi’s femicide, Maple Yip’s whistleblowing, and Erena So’s porn debut have triggered debate on media ethics and gender awareness in the city. HKFP talked to a scholar and a veteran journalist to seek their views on misogynistic undercurrents and what needs to change.
In recent weeks, Hong Kong has been gripped by a series of headlines, often tragic ones, starring women as victim or protagonist.
Abby Choi’s murder made front-page news locally and around the world on February 24. Choi, often referred to as a “model” or a “socialite” by local news platforms, was a mother of four and married to the son of a well-known Hong Kong noodles franchise tycoon. She was allegedly murdered and dismembered by her ex-husband and members of his family.
The news went viral on social media and online forums, with extensive media coverage of the grisly details of the homicide and Choi’s personal past, particularly her appearance. Even now, searching for Choi’s Chinese name on Google yields “plastic surgery” as one of the top suggestions.
A week later, Netflix released the documentary In the Name of God: A Holy Betrayal, which exposed systematic rapes by Korean religious leaders. The first episode featured the confession of 29-year-old Hongkonger Maple Yip, a former cult follower and victim, as well as the major whistleblower.
The episode sparked doxxing and discussions, not only about the Korean cult but also about Yip’s history as a “brainwashed” or “calculating” former cult member, as well as her recent relationship with a famous Hong Kong actor.
Online slurs which falsely described both Choi and Yip as prostitutes were common, along with claims that the murder and rape were merely the outcome of “labour disputes.”
On the other hand, the Japanese debut of Hong Kong-born porn star Erena So in mid-March received overwhelmingly positive feedback on the face of it, with local tabloids branding her as “the glory of Hong Kong” and praising her for practising bodily autonomy.
However, a fake government statement congratulating the adult video actress led to legal action by the authorities, raising questions over whether So’s unprecedented career move was genuinely respected by the general public or instead viewed as another subject of ridicule.
These three headlines have created an opportunity for both the press and public to reflect – what should we talk about, when we talk about the stories of women?
A thought experiment
Annie Chan, a sociology scholar at Lingnan University and a board member of the Association Concerning Sexual Violence Against Women, proposed a thought experiment: “What would we be discussing if the killer was a woman and the victim was a man?”
Chan believes the answer is clear: the woman would likely remain the centre of attention, with the focus on her personal background revealing how she became an “unconventional woman” capable of killing rather than being killed.
In fact, from 2016 to 2020, 45 per cent of female homicide victims in Hong Kong – 29 out of 64 – were murdered by their intimate partners or family members, according to a database compiled by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. In contrast, only one out of 82 male homicide victims during the same period were killed by their partners or family members.