A father-daughter duo who performed a song titled Mommy, Don’t Go to Work in China has prompted an outcry online from parents and feminists.
The song, penned by a little-known musician and comedian, Yan Lifei (閻立飛), includes the lyrics: “Mommy, don’t go to work, or I will have no one to play with. Mommy, even if you do go to work, you won’t make much money ... when I grow up I definitely won’t let Mommy go to work anymore.”
The song, previously sung by Yan and his daughter on state broadcaster CCTV, went viral on Chinese social media earlier this month when its lyrics were posted online where they came under fire.
Online users questioned the misogyny behind the lyrics, as well as why CCTV allowed the performance.
“He looks like he lacked love from his own mother — maybe she abandoned him a long time ago, before his malicious hatred of women became evident in his lyrics,” one user wrote.
“Disgusting,” others wrote.
“In my home, my mother worked two jobs. She went to work and when she came home, she took care of the household duties too. It’s only now that I realize that she was a real feminist,” one user wrote.
In defence of the criticism, Yan said that he had written the song as a joke when his daughter was two years old and would cry every time her mother left for work.
Another song is titled The Woman Who Brings Luck to Her Husband, referencing the traditional term, wangfu (旺夫), used to depict female subordination.
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