Julia Hsieh 483200546

Julia Hsieh 483200546

22 January, 1998

Moving Away From Man's control?

Three 鎮金店Commercials

I. Brief Description to the Commercial Films
II. Three Commercial Films Convey A Mutual Myth
III. Heroine Appeals to Women Nowadays
IV. Urban Space contrast Heroine's Situation
V. Modern Women's Real Situation

I. Introduction In the three serial commercial films of 鎮金店, with the slogan “真金、真
情真女人”, the producer intends to make modern women identify with the
character in the commercial film. Independent, true-to-self and romantic as the character, the commercial film conveys a myth that modern women whoever have these characteristics ought to have bought 鎮金店’s jewelry/gold. That is, by buying and wearing the gold, women can be as independent, natural and romantic as the character in the commercial films. Moreover, the woman/heroine in the commercial films may appeal to women in society nowadays due to the heroine's romanticized character and the confrontaheroinetion of social convention. In addition, in these three commercial films, different kinds of urban space have play important roles as contrasts to the heroine’s situation. And that might suggests the real situation of modern women nowadays.

I. Brief Description to the Commercial Films

When the woman (the heroine) cries out aloud at the push of the needle shot, she is both nagged at by the nurse and stared at by the little girl waiting calmly on the bench for her turn. “最痛的時候最率真.” After exiting the injection room/clinic, the heroine goes to buy an ice cream and eats it by the street.

Following the second commercial film of this series, the same heroine talks in melodramatically tone. There is an“I" and “You” in her words/talks; however, it is a blur for one to tell whether she is mentioning a relationship with someone or she is talking merely to herself. Apparently, the woman is in pain because she cries with that twisted facial expression, she feels sick so that she throws up and she screams. The “I” blames the “you” for seeing him/her secretly and continuously. In the scene when the woman hangs up the receiver in the telephone booth, she is barred and confined in the limited space. And in other scenes in the room, she also seems to be framed in a very confined space. This commercial film eventually ends up with the woman’s scream to the street in open air on the balcony.

In the very end of this commercial film, the other woman’s voice from the receiver teases this heroine, “還沒有結婚就想生小孩?” Contrast to the scenes in hospital with her pregnant friend and in restaurant with her friend with a child in the friend’s arm, the heroine wonders the difficulty of giving birth to a child and raising a child. Her wondering brings her to stop by the vender selling babies’ pictures; and in her own room, the heroine romantic and fantasy nature makes her mimics pregnant woman.

II. Three Commercial Films Convey A Mutual Myth

By resenting the heroine’s most natural reaction in life, the commercial films convey a mutual myth. That is: wearing 鎮金店’s product, a woman can be as independent, natural and romantic as the heroine in the commercial film. Natural, true-to-herself and straightforward as the heroine, she cries for the injection despite other’s nag or stare, eats iced cream by the street; cries out loud to the street on the balcony and stops to appreciate babies pictures by the road. These are likely for modern women would have (re)acted. In many ways, the heroine possesses either something modern women lack or some characteristics modern women have. Hence, in the process of identifying with the heroine, the commercial films appeal to women and convey the message to drive modern women nowadays to purchase 鎮金店's product.

III. Heroine Appeals to Women Nowadays

The nurse’s nag and the woman’s voice in the receiver are representation of social convention. The heroine’s cry for the injection and her romanticizing and mimicking pregnancy both reveal her characteristics which many modern women would have, too. Yet, her reaction and fantasizing might against social convention. The nurse implies the notion it’s not proper for adults to straightly express their emotion such as pain. And the woman’s voice in the receiver suggests the message that it is not decent to have babies when one remains single. However, the commercial films appeal to the female customers because of the same experience. Similar confrontation might arose women’s identifying with the commercial films. And the heroines’ mimics of a woman’s pregnancy only in front of the mirror and her smile/amused expression can be taken as a temporary reconciliation of the confrontation of social convention and women’s fantasy or real situation.

IV. Urban Space contrast Heroine's Situation When the heroine walks out of the injection room/clinic, she is free from the first urban construction. In the second commercial film, on the screen, the heroine is restrictedly framed in the room, in the bathroom, in the telephone booth and in the balcony. Different kinds of urban space are presented either to restrain or to liberate the heroine. Space such as the injection room/clinic might be served as a framed space for the heroine. In a way, the constructed and confined space stands parallel to social convention that frames people’s (such the nurse) mind. Besides when the heroine stands in the telephone booth, it looks as if she is restrained in that barred telephone booth. Although on the balcony, the heroine cries out; or even though she walks out of the clinic, there is always bars and railings nearby. It is interesting that in the framed screen, there seems to be not much space for the heroine to get rid of balustrades and restrictions.

V. Modern Women's Real Situation Perhaps the eventual goal of this set of commercial films is to persuade women to purchase 鎮金店’s products, the commercial films more or less conveys another myth that encourages women to be themselves, to follow their hearts and to be independent. Affected by western civilization, women in Taiwan tend to have more and more liberty. Nonetheless, it is not possible for patriarchal power existing long in traditional Chinese views to be dismissed in a short time. Women in Taiwan perhaps face even more confrontations of convention and the true self. Whether or not a success, 鎮金店’s commercial films arose women’s attention: to be a modern woman, one has to be nice and true to herself.