◎Zeng Yuli
As long as you are a viewer of domestic dramas, you will definitely be familiar with the "bad women" in domestic dramas. The so-called "bad women" usually refer to those female characters who play villains or complex roles in the plot. Their actions are often contrary to social moral standards, or at least are portrayed as unpopular or destructive characters in the drama. . Generally speaking, "bad women" have shortcomings such as vanity, selfishness, scheming, strong control, and emotional infidelity.
"Bad woman" is naturally the opposite of "good woman". Many times, "good women" are women shaped based on traditional gender roles and social expectations. They need to possess qualities such as kindness and tolerance, loyalty and specificity, virtuousness and diligence, filial piety and love for children. Looking back on the memories of watching TV series when we were children, our emotional identification is almost always given to "good women", and our attitude towards "bad women" is more critical, disgusting and contemptuous.
Times have changed, and the current audience's attitude towards "bad women" is changing: Today, when watching the "bad women" that they hated before, their emotional attitudes are much more complicated. At the same time, the portrayal of so-called "bad women" in domestic dramas has become more and more three-dimensional, no longer treating "bad women" as flat tools. For example, Jiao Liqiao in the hit "Lotus House" last year, Yao Yuling in the hit "South to North" (winner of this year's Magnolia Award for Best Supporting Actress) at the beginning of this year, and " ink" that ended not long ago Princess Wanning in "Rainy Clouds ". These "bad women" in the past evaluation standards have gained the sympathy and love of many viewers.
’s reshaping of “bad women” marks the move towards a more mature and diverse direction in domestic drama creation. The complexity and depth of "Bad Women" demonstrate the innovation and breakthrough of domestic dramas in character creation, enhance the artistic value of domestic dramas, and promote society's deeper understanding of the situation of women.
Presentation of complex human nature
In many domestic film and television works, the behavioral motivations of "bad women" are simple and crude, lacking depth, such as various "extreme mother-in-laws", "bad wives" and "evil female supporting characters". In recent years, more and more works have explored the common human weaknesses behind the behavior of "bad women", allowing the audience to see the multi-faceted nature of human nature.
This is reminiscent of the concepts of "flat characters" and "round characters" proposed by Edward Morgan Forster in "Aspects of the Novel".
"flat characters" can be summarized as "a type of person". They are the incarnation or collection of a certain concept or a certain label, which can be described in one or several words, such as arrogance, jealousy, rage, laziness, Greed, selfishness, cruelty, etc. We can easily find such "bad women" in movies and TV series: they are bad as soon as they appear, and they are bad from beginning to end. No matter what happens, it is difficult to shake their evil nature.
Flat "bad women" are just "tool people". They do bad things just to do bad things and lose the complexity of human nature. This kind of role setting also reflects the traditional society's stereotype of female roles from the side - women are either perfect angels or evil demons, lacking the diversity of the middle ground. From the perspective of audience acceptance, the flat "bad woman" is easy to identify and understand; the "bad woman" will eventually be punished, which also satisfies the audience's expectations for justice and conveys a moral concept that good and evil are rewarded.
In addition to "flat figures", Foster also named another "round figure". "Round characters" are more complex and multidimensional characters. They are more like real-life individuals, with their own histories, motivations, and emotional depths. Their personalities may experience growth or change, and their actions and decisions are often influenced by Inner conflicts and the impact of external events. The depth and complexity of "round characters" can provide a richer narrative angle for the work and bring a more unique emotional experience to the audience.
In current domestic dramas, "bad women" get rid of the traditional flat vicious image - they are "round characters" with complex personalities, diverse motivations, and multi-faceted characters as the plot develops, with their own story backgrounds , inner world and growth process.This treatment method makes "bad women" become vivid characters instead of simple chess pieces opposing good and evil, deepening the audience's understanding of the complexity of human nature.
For example, Yao Yuling in "South to North". The audience's first impression of her is "vanity". In an era of material scarcity, she would rather sacrifice food for clothing in order to maintain a beautiful external image; she looked down on Niu Dali, who was kind to her, and preferred those who could give her a higher social status or material conditions, such as Jia Jia Jin Long; it was her strong yearning for a wealthy lifestyle that prompted her to make some short-sighted decisions and ultimately pay a cruel price...
However, the audience has more than just hatred for the vain Yao Yuling. On the one hand, Yao Yuling's vanity is not without reason. Even if the audience does not completely agree with her behavior, they can understand her motives, such as her confidence in her own worth; Yao Yuling is not emotionless. When faced with key choices, she also Deep in hesitation and struggle. On the other hand, her choices and experiences not only affect her own destiny, but also affect the life trajectories of other characters, exploring deep-seated issues about life choices, values and human nature, such as whether to choose the person who loves me or the person I love. Do people value material things more or spiritual harmony?
It is precisely because of this that Yao Yuling's ending caused controversy. Niu Dali met Yao Yuling by chance while holding his young wife while traveling in Harbin; Yao Yuling changed from a delicate woman to an aunt selling barbecue on the street. In contrast to Niu Dali and his young wife, her situation became even more desolate. Many viewers believe that according to Yao Yuling's personality, even if she is down and out, she will maintain dignity and dignity, and will not be so sloppy and embarrassed. The screenwriter arranged Yao Yuling's fate in this way, with the traditional "punishment theory" and "retribution theory", deliberately blaming Yao Yuling's downfall on her pursuit of material things, and warning women not to love vanity.
However, the current audience has long got rid of the past stereotypes of "bad women". As a "round character", the "bad woman" Yao Yuling allows the audience to see the complex multi-faceted nature of human nature and the profound impact of contingency on individual destiny. Yao Yuling's choice certainly reflects the common weakness of human nature, but it also reflects her commitment to her own life as an independent individual - she has made her own choices and acknowledged them. This is only the result and not "retribution".
"Deviance" and freedom of satisfaction
Why do we need literary and artistic works in our lives? A fundamental reason is that literary and artistic works, including literature, movies, and TV series, enjoy the freedom to transcend real life, including those parts that may be considered taboo or negative.
Real society is full of order, and we all live under order. Order can maintain stability and harmony and promote individual survival and development. We are all rational individuals who abide by order, follow rules, and follow steps. However, rationality is also like a double-edged sword. While it maintains order, it may also become a shackles that restrict individual creativity and emotional expression. In the process of pursuing rationality, people often have to suppress their true inner feelings and impulses. This long-term self-restraint sometimes translates into physical and mental burdens.
Therefore, many people have more or less had the urge to break free from the shackles of reason, eager to put aside social expectations and norms and pursue their inner voice. But due to social constraints and personal responsibility, we can only keep this impulse deep in our hearts and dare not put it into practice. This is not the case with
literary and artistic works, which have the privilege of fiction. Therefore, there are always some "bad guys" in literary and artistic works who live by sensibility and pursue self-realization and emotional satisfaction. Although this behavior goes against social norms and violates taboos, they still externalize their inner desires into actions. Literary and artistic works provide a safe platform for audiences to observe closely emotions and behaviors that may not be experienced in real life due to moral or legal constraints. In other words, literary and artistic works allow us to break away from the "order" of real life and enjoy the freedom of "deviation" in thought - this experience is indirect but equally strong.
Moreover, the deviant "bad guys" challenge the social order, whether it is legal, moral or ethical order, prompting the audience to think about the possible limitations of certain orders - becoming a shackles for personal freedom and individual expression, triggering the audience's concerns about individuals and collectives. , in-depth thinking on the balance between freedom and responsibility.
We have seen this kind of "deviant" behavior in classic "bad women" such as Madame Bovary and Anna Karenina. However, in literary and artistic works, women's "deviance" is basically limited to transgressing the relationship between the sexes, and rarely reflects the vigorous vitality or powerful destructive power of male deviants, similar to that in "The Silence of the Lambs" Anthony Hopkins, or Randy Patrick Murphy in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest.
In "Lotus Tower", which was a hit last year and had a particularly amazing long-tail effect, Jiao Liqiao is such a "bad woman" who is always deviant, full of vitality and full of destructive power. Whether she is pursuing a man or pursuing a career, whether she is establishing a golden alliance, expanding her sphere of influence, or pursuing Di Feisheng in love, she has clear goals, decisive actions, extreme publicity, extreme freedom, and never reaches the goal. Never give up on your goals and do whatever it takes to achieve your goals. For example, if she wants Di Feisheng's love, she expresses her love directly and goes for it. When problems arise, she never internalizes them. Instead, she analyzes the situation, formulates strategies, and solves problems. After exhausting all bad means but still unable to get Di Feisheng's love, she launched a crazy revenge, cutting off Di Feisheng's hand tendons and hamstrings, imprisoning Di Feisheng, and trying to make him her "male queen"... all kinds of extreme things The approach is chilling.
What's interesting is that although the audience clearly knows that Jiao Liqiao is the villain, her "crazy" attitude of treating the traditional order as nothing has also hit the hearts of some young viewers. This does not mean that the audience agrees with the character's behavior, but it is a false experience of the rebellious spirit of the fictional literary and artistic image - Jiao Liqiao materializes the "madness" imagined by the audience.
"Going crazy online" is a state of existence for many young people today. This kind of "madness" is not a mental disorder in the literal sense, but a specific Internet culture phenomenon, that is, an exaggerated, cathartic behavior or speech performed by young people in online space, sometimes also known as "Mad literature" contains elements of satire, humor, irony and exaggeration.
In real life, young people face various pressures, and "going crazy online" has become an effective way to release stress, allowing them to temporarily escape the constraints of reality. The reason why it is just "going crazy online" is because employment, promotion, interpersonal relationships and other factors directly affect the survival and development of young people. They need to adopt a cautious and restrained attitude to abide by various orders and avoid impulsive behavior affecting their lives. own long-term interests.
"bad women" like Jiao Liqiao, who do whatever they want and show off their vitality, provide psychological comfort and alternative satisfaction to young people who are subject to many restrictions. Through Jiao Liqiao's "crazy" behavior, the audience indirectly experienced the pleasure of being unconstrained and daring to challenge the status quo. This is a safe way to release emotions, allowing the audience to enjoy a moment of freedom and rebellion deep in their souls while maintaining rationality and order in real life, and then face the challenges of life with a positive attitude.
Reflection on social structure
Domestic dramas have always had three-dimensional and vivid "bad women", but for a long time in the past, the audience's attitude towards these "bad women" was quite negative. After entering the era of mobile Internet, there have been many outrageous incidents where the audience's disgust for the "bad women" in the drama has escalated to the role players because they were "too involved in the drama".For example, Tao Xinran , who played the role of the vicious female An Lingrong in "The Legend of Zhen Huan", posted a Weibo post about the birth of her beloved daughter, but was cursed by netizens; played the third party Ling in " My First Half of Life " Ling's actor Wu Yue also had to close Weibo comments due to a large number of attacks from the audience...
Fortunately, with the improvement of the audience's aesthetic level, more and more people's attitudes towards some three-dimensional villains are gradually changing: such as 2022 In 2017, a "Villain Care Alliance" group appeared on Douban, and netizens posted about the villains who impressed them. Gradually understanding the source of the character's tragedy does not mean that the audience condones or agrees with the villain's behavior, but extends to an examination of the complexity of the social structure.
The single negative evaluation of "bad women" in the past has been loosened. For example, An Lingrong in "The Legend of Zhen Huan" and Wei Yanwan in "Ruyi's Royal Love in the Palace". During the popularity of the drama, these "bad women" aroused strong resentment from the audience. However, as women's consciousness continues to deepen, more and more viewers are slowly realizing that the culprit of the "bad women" in palace fighting dramas is the feudal imperial system. Every hateful woman in the palace is indeed pitiful. When they enter the palace in their prime, they all have expectations and imaginations about love. But the emperor never belonged to anyone's husband; their status in the palace and the power of their family were closely related to the favor they received from the emperor. The emperor is the highest authority and has the power to dispose and allocate all resources. The road to fighting for favor is a life-and-death jungle society, where the fittest survive and the fittest survive. Therefore, they do whatever it takes to consolidate what they have and eliminate any competitors who might threaten them. However, in front of the emperor who is willing to take life and death, all grace is so vain. Right or wrong, success or failure is in vain. They are all losers and pathetic people.
Princess Wanning in "Mo Yu Yun Jian" has won the sympathy of many viewers, and it is also for similar reasons: the audience has gone from the "bad" of a "bad woman" to reflection and criticism of the social structure. Wan Ning was once innocent, demure and dignified, but all of this was destroyed after she became a hostage. After becoming a hostage, Wan Ning's experience was extremely tragic: she suffered inhuman treatment, including being imprisoned in a sheep pen, being humiliated, and having multiple miscarriages. The extreme adversity caused her psychological trauma and mental breakdown, causing her to become crazy and twisted, taking extreme measures to survive and demanding a little genuine love from others - although she never received it.
Wanning's situation is not only a manifestation of personal tragedy, but also reflects the weak position of women in the power structure in ancient times - even royal women are accessories, used to resolve political disputes and maintain peace between countries, personal wishes and Happiness is completely ignored. Currently, audiences are paying more attention to gender issues and have a deeper understanding of the unfair experiences of women in history and society. When Wan Ning shows her background of being oppressed by patriarchy, the audience can understand the helplessness and resistance behind her actions.
What needs to be emphasized in particular is that tearing off the single label of "bad woman" does not mean blind support or unprincipled condonation of "bad behavior". This is a more advanced emotional experience that requires the audience to find a balance between understanding and judgment - not only being able to glimpse the difficulties and helplessness behind the characters, but also being able to rationally identify the rights and wrongs of their actions, and not forget Examine how injustice and prejudice in social structures shape the fate of individuals invisibly. This kind of critical sympathy prompts the audience to think about deeper social issues, rather than just focusing on the moral judgment of individual actions.
In short, the portrayal of "bad women" in domestic dramas is becoming more and more complex and three-dimensional, reflecting contemporary audiences' higher requirements for character depth and story conception. Those "bad women" who struggle to survive in adversity rely on the audience's understanding of the complexity of human nature and concerns about the situation of women in specific contexts. The three-dimensional presentation of the "bad woman" character in domestic dramas not only enriches the artistic expression of domestic dramas, but also promotes the audience's in-depth discussion of issues such as gender equality and social justice, and promotes the development of social culture in a more inclusive, diverse, and rational direction. .
(Beijing Youth Daily)
