Valentine's dream and the reality

Tsai Chung-yu (蔡宗育), 22, is looking for the perfect Valentine's gift for his girlfriend. As he parks his motorcycle, a beautiful model posing in lingerie winks at him from a nearby billboard. As he steps into a mall, Vivian Shu (徐若瑄) coyly greets him, advertising the latest beauty products -- perfect for the ladies on the special day. On the second floor, a stunning blonde in a low cut tank top and fitting jeans asks him to take a look at a new fragrance for women.

By this time he has been bombarded with so many images that he's forgotten why he's here in the first place. Ah, yes. Valentine's Day. Too bad his girlfriend doesn't look or act anything like the models. Tsai's predicament is easily understood by many of youths across the country.

As Taiwan's first generation brought up under the brainwashing images of TV, movies and fashion magazines, it is not surprising that by the time they reach their 20s, it has indirectly affected their views on the opposite sex.

The perfect body, the ideal look, the right boyfriend or girlfriend. The so-called "Strawberry generation" has a preconception as to what a partner should be like long before it is ready to judge for itself. For many of these young Taiwanese, the gap between advertised ideal and real life couldn't be more obvious than on Valentine's Day.

Singer A-mei gets that Valentine's Day feeling with an offering of chocolate. PHOTO: TAIPEI TIMES

"Japanese culture has heavily influenced my views toward girls," Tsai says. "Ever since being exposed to Japanese trends at middle school, I've always thought that the perfect girlfriend should look more Japanese. Cute clothing, big watery eyes, long silk-like hair and a small but very developed figure were the characteristics of the perfect girlfriend."

How has this influenced him in every day life?

"When I'm out looking for gifts or clothes to buy, I often tend to lean towards Japanese trends. And for many guys, Japanese porn has played a big part as well. Years before encountering the situation in real life, porn has already taught us what beautiful women should look like and [how they should] behave. After years of all this, there's already a fixed mold of what a young, attractive and successful female should look like.

"If you don't look like a cute Japanese school girl, then you should look like Lin Chi-ling (林志玲). If you don't, it's like you failed to live up to expectations. It's harsh, but that's simply what's been handed to us from a young age."

Girls are not the only victims, as this phenomenon works both ways. "Ideally, my Valentine's Day date would be Wang Lee-horn (王力宏) or Demos Chiang (蔣友柏)," says Claire Yao (姚曉琦), 24, from Taoyuan, whose ideal Valentine's date would be a ride on a Ferris wheel.

Due to the recent explosion of teen TV dramas and the exposure of young and wealthy businessmen, the image that has been pushed forth by the media of an ideal male is clear: He should come from a wealthy family, drive a Mercedes and own three companies before turning 35. There is mounting pressure for men to meet social expectations of what it means to be young, successful and wanted.

Doesn't all this affect one's idea of the perfect date?

"Of course. Whenever I watch TV and there's a character that is around my boyfriend's age but is already a famous musician or a big shot CEO, I joke to him why isn't he like that. But, for us [girls] it's just harmless joking as opposed to being brainwashed.

"Whenever a new model explodes into pop culture, guys will exclaim excitingly, `I'm in love! That's the kind of girl I want!' Girls are less superficial. We know perfectly well that ideals are different from real life and we stress other characteristics. For girls, I think the media have taught us that though being good looking is important, the perfect date should be funny, well dressed, and most importantly, a gentleman."

At the end, for the sake of Valentine's Day, could there be a happy ending, something between dreams and realties? Do the pristine gods and goddesses prancing around on TV, in magazines, and on billboards cause more unhappiness and frustration? No, both Yao and Tsai agree. They grew up accustomed to force-fed imagery and aesthetic values, and though there's no denying the influences, by now they're well equipped to separate the two. They're just eye candy, best left to the imagination. At the end of the day it's still our real dates that we end up spending Valentine's Day with.