Chinese Actress Who Lost 50kg for Role... "I Hope My Daughter Doesn't Take Me as a Role Model"

Overcoming Overweight: Women's Narratives Spark 'Weight Obsession' Controversy

During the Chinese Lunar New Year holiday, a movie called "YOLO" (an abbreviation for "You Only Live Once") became a hot topic. It is a kind of self-improvement film about an overweight woman named Jialing who successfully loses weight through boxing.

The film is currently dominating the Chinese box office, having earned a whopping $695 million (approximately 927 billion KRW) so far. However, the movie has sparked controversy in Chinese society. The core of the debate centers on the protagonist Jialing's weight loss process itself.

The movie 'YOLO' depicts the process of an overweight woman, Jaring, overcoming her complexes through exercise. [Image source=Weibo capture]

Jia Ling is the director, writer, and lead actress of "YOLO." She played the role of the overweight woman Jialing in the film. Jialing learns boxing, successfully loses weight, and also learns how to accept herself. The story is known to be an adaptation of the Japanese film "100 Yen Love."

While portraying Jialing, Jia Ling actually lost as much as 50 kg to realistically depict the weight loss process of an overweight woman. Although the film itself was successful, controversy erupted on Chinese social media (SNS). Critics argue that the movie may reinforce obsessions and prejudices about women's bodies.

The Hong Kong media outlet South China Morning Post (SCMP) introduced both positive and negative opinions from netizens who watched the film. A middle school teacher living in Shanghai said, "It was an inspiring movie, and I am planning to start exercising," adding, "My friends shared similar opinions."

Another woman in her 30s commented, "It was positive that the film portrayed a woman who built strength and muscle through exercise rather than dieting by starving herself," and evaluated that "it presented a new image of women breaking away from patriarchal aesthetics."

On the other hand, a moviegoer in their 60s said, "I hope my daughter does not take Jialing as a role model after watching this film," pointing out, "The actress who actually filmed the movie lost weight based on professional advice from a specialized weight loss team and fitness instructors. Ordinary people cannot lose weight in such a short period."

Meanwhile, Jia Ling, the director and lead actress of "YOLO," is a rising female director currently making waves in China. Her debut feature film, released in 2021, was "Nihao, Li Huan Ying" (English release title: "Hi, Mom"), which humorously depicted Chinese family life in the 1980s and received critical acclaim, ultimately earning a massive box office revenue of 5.41 billion yuan (approximately 1 trillion KRW).