“There’s a new breed of women in China, and they have brought feminism to a whole other dimension in modern China.”
So says Carol Lam, executive creative director of TBWA/China in the recently concluded Cannes Lion Festival.
She shared her insights on the phenomenon that has invaded Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong and now, because of the regional lead-lag effect that is slowly trickling into Chinese society. It’s called the Princess Syndrome, wherein the “patient” fantasizes that she is living the life of a princess in a fairy tale. They are city-born girls who have a high self-image, gives off a sweet, innocent, fragile countenance and expect everyone, especially men to spoil them and treat them like, well, a princess.
Lam relates this syndrome to the fact that women are becoming a “scarce resource” in China, with the male to female ratio of “marriageable age” in Shanghai down to 1.5:1. And since women are becoming rare, so to speak, they are becoming the most influential group in consumer markets, not just in terms of products for women, but even having a strong influence in male consumption when it comes to grooming, apparel and other things related to women.
“It’s never my intention to stereotype city ladies in China. And the princesses are still a small group compared to the huge population in China,” explains Lam.
However, due to the wide popularity of The Princess Syndrome in Social Networking Sites (SNS), it is difficult to ignore this trend, especially in the advertising industry. And while the Princesses are being criticized for their materialistic and narcissistic behavior, future trends in consumerism can be decoded by taking a closer look into the syndrome.
The Princess Syndrome is a sort of different take on feminism. Whereas Western feminism celebrates independent, career-driven women, here it’s okay to give in to the urge to be spoilt by men and to celebrate materialism and willfulness. Maybe that’s why only a few marketers in China are willing to tap into this small but rising segment of the market. But Lam believes that leveraging on this new form of feminism in communications will help advertisers better understand the power that they will have in the future. And female creative professionals, or those who are in touch with their feminine side, have a distinct advantage over their counterparts in exploring The Princess Syndrome.
“After all, it take a princess to talk to a princess,” Lam closes.
