Kong Boys and Kong Girls

'Kong boys' and 'Kong Girls' are the slang that have been frequently used in Hong Kong, especially online. People add the word ‘Kong’ in front of words that are locally from Hong Kong, or related to Hong Kong. For the terms ‘Kong boys’ and 'Kong Girls', they do not actually refer to the whole Hong Kong’s male or female population, but for some Hong Kong men and women that have certain characteristics. Since lots of medias and online forums criticize people who have adverse personalities by using these terms nowadays, they have become derogatory terms.

Current phenomenon

'Kong Girls'

There are many features of 'Kong girls', materialistic and snobbish are the main ones. 'Kong girls' love spending much money on buying brand-named or luxurious goods, they think it is a way to present their status and identity. They aim to show-off and gain more attentions from the others. Meanwhile, they usually demand their boyfriends to buy for them.

Besides, 'Kong girls' are superficial. They may choose boyfriends by reviewing their economic status and family backgrounds. They may not really love their partners but still continue to stay with them because of their wealth. They believe that the more money their boyfriends possess, the more love they can receive from them. Assets becomes the only scale to weigh how deep their love is.

Furthermore, 'Kong girls' are usually self-centered and selfish. They always put themselves in an over-high position and think that they are the most important people in the world. It is necessary for their boyfriends to do everything for them such as carrying bags, paying for meals etc. They may complain about their partners if they do not ‘serve’ them. Caring the feelings of one another may be a difficult task for Kong girls.

'Kong Boys'

Indecisiveness is one of the major issue of 'Kong boys'. They tend to have a hard time in decision-making and presenting their own ideas. They are not assertive in occasions with the opposite sex, hence, the lack of ability to express themselves make them seem unreliable.

Being an introvert is also one of the quality that can be found in a 'Kong Boy'.They do not possess a satisfying communication skill, which lead them to be considered a timid person. Since they may spend most of their time in front of the computer, people would also consider them as social outcasts.

'Kong boys' would be accused of being shallow because they only take emphasis of the outer appearance of the opposite sex.

Moreover, lacking of ambition is one of their attributes. According to statistics, women in Hong Kong are generally more educated than men, thus, the society conceives these men who had received less education as lazy and idle. They often accuse ‘kong boys’ that they do not work hard, but would only put time on playing computer games and immersing themselves in the virtual world. This causes them to neglect their real life ambition.

Last but not least, Kong boys are usually passive in a relationship. They are often considered as the one being controlled in a relationship, as they would follow their partner’s every command, such as carrying their bags and act as the inferior in different occasions.

These are some of the characteristics of Kong boys and it branches out other descriptions of ‘Kong boys’, which are mainly derogatory. For instance, ‘The 81 crimes of a Kong boy’[1]

Causes

There are many factors give rise to the emergence of ‘Kong Girls, Kong Boys’ phenomenon. Below are the major ones.

The problem of current social customs

The concept of materialism is embedded in many people’s minds. Social status has become the index to measure one’s value. This mindset has been transferred to the new generation via mass media, parental education etc. Moreover, most of the new generation growup in an environment with abundant materials, which contributes to the materialistic character of 'Kong girls'.

The rising status of women

Up until mid-2014, female are accounted for a large proportion in Hong Kong population. There are only about 1 woman to 0.75 man.[2] The status of women in the society has been rising and may even exceeds that of men since they have become the majority in Hong Kong. Women nowadays are more educated and are as competitive as men due to gender equality. Women may thus place themselves over men. With the declined social status, the self-esteem of men has been dropping also.

Poor parental education

'Helicopters parents', who spoil their kids too much, usually accommodate their children excessively.Parents decide everything for them, including plans for their future, and take care of all of their affairs. The over-spoiling leads to the characteristics of self-centredness and lack of ambition of 'Kong Girls' and 'Kong Boys' respectively.

Responses from general public

The majority of people criticize the behaviors of 'Kong Girls' and 'Kong boys'. There are many parodies, critics and even books publicly criticizing them.

In the book《港女聖經》(The Bible of Kong Girls),[3] 12 ‘crimes’ committed by 'Kong Girls' are listed, including immaturity and materialism; A TV show,[4] also interviewed Hong Kong guys on their perceptions on 'Kong Girls', which were negative.

In 2013, a video named “Hong Kong Woman Slapping Boyfriends” was uploaded on YouTube. The video shows a couple arguing at the street. The girl slapped her boyfriend for fourteen times because she suspected he was having an affair. The incident caused great repercussions. Other than that the girl was said to be too radical, the boy was criticized by some male netizen that he was useless, he should not have given up his dignity and even damaged the impression of Hong Kong boys.[5]

References

  1. ↑ "港男81宗罪 The 81 crimes of Kong Boys". Discuss.com. Retrieved 8 October 2008.
  2. ↑ Hong Kong Monthly Digest of Statistics (PDF) (Report). Census and Statistics Department. October 2014.
  3. ↑ Yip, Y. 港女聖經(The Bible of Kong Girls). Fly Media Limited. ISBN 9789889992415.
  4. ↑ 'Hong Kong Guys on Kong Girls'. Sunday Report. Television Broadcasts Limited. Hong Kong. 2009
  5. ↑ Gye, Hugo. "A cheater's punishment, Chinese style: Faithless boyfriend forced to kneel in the street while furious woman slapped him". Daily Mail. Retrieved 8 October 2013.
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