FORMOSA FILES IN CHINESE! CH44-風靡亞洲的「女主角」—徐熙媛（大S）

Barbie Hsu, or “Big S,” helped break down the stereotype of the “demure Asian woman.” She was bold and outspoken, she challenged authority with her assertiveness, and sometimes outrageous humor.

Both the “S” sisters can be credited with helping create a space for Taiwanese female personalities to be fearless, and funny. Big S sometimes hosted or joined her sister as a guest host on the popular show Kangxi Lai Le, a show that Eryk and Eric believed was instrumental in changing many people in Taiwan’s attitudes towards gay people.

Big S was also a social activist and a champion for animal rights, and for many years, she was a vegetarian. While it is very sad that she left the world so young, she leaves behind an important legacy that helped change local society – Taiwan was a very, very conservative place just 20 or even 10 years before she became popular.  

So, rest in peace, Barbie Hsu, and thanks for all you did.

We hope the Hsu family can find comfort in this very difficult time.

Some vocabularies:

1. Demure – shy, modest, reserved.
   There is a stereotype that Asian women are demure, however, this is not the case in Taiwan in the 2020s.  
2. Outrageous – shocking, very unusual, unconventional
   This artist often uses outrageous artwork as a way of making people focus on the message she is trying to send.
3. Activist – a person who is active in promoting something, often political
   My brother is an anti-war activist.
4. Legacy – something handed down from the past
   Confucian ideas are a legacy of ancient Chinese culture.
5. Assertive – confident, aggressive, self-assured
   It’s okay to be assertive, but not okay to be rude!

(Phrases)

To challenge authority: Hippies challenged authority in America in the 1960s.

(___) be credited with: Edison is credited with inventing the lightbulb.

(___) was instrumental: The show Evangelion was instrumental in changing anime.

主持人簡介：

Eryk Michael Smith－ICRT南臺灣特派員，長期從事記者採編工作、聲音編輯，也會客串DJ。現居高雄，在臺灣已經居住了接近30年，認為臺灣是自己的家。

Eric Hsu（徐葆權）－彰化北斗人，從大學南漂高雄以來，人生的大部分時間都在高雄渡過。關心臺灣文史與地方文化發展，尤其是自己的兩個家鄉：北斗與高雄。

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