As a passionate supporter of LGBT, Taiwanese singer Jolin Tsai struck her fans with one of her latest songs called "Womxnly" (also known as "Rose Boy" in Chinese), which was inspired by a true story that involves fifteen-year-old Yeh Yung-chih who was bullied by classmates for his effeminate-like behavior and was found lying dead in the school bathroom, drenched in a pool of blood. When I first came across this song, what drew me to the song was Jolin Tsai's mesmerizing vocals. To me, it felt so lovely to listen to. Then I decided to look up her lyrics and translation. When I found out the meaning behind the lyrics, I was deeply moved.
1. The song embraces the beauty of effeminacy
Through this song, Jolin Tsai makes us aware that there are men who do not desire masculinity at all. And because of that, they are treated indifferently. In her lyrics, she consoles the "Rose Boy" saying it is not his fault he is born that way and he shouldn't be ashamed of being born that way. She even tells him that what he has is beauty and the world is only jealous of him. She even reassures him that the world is the one who's guilty, not him. This comes to show that effeminacy isn't something one should be repulsed by, it's something one should embrace.
2. The song is empowering
The beautiful chorus of the song begins by saying that the most beautiful roses have the sharpest thorns. That is to say even something as beautiful as a rose still has flaws. This calls to question: Why something so beautiful is being attacked and being bashed on? This only brings up to what I was seeing these days: Guys picking on boys who looked too girly and straightaway referring to them as "gay." That's outrageous. Jolin Tsai responds to this by saying the best revenge to the haters of effeminacy is to stay beautiful and to truly bloom in beauty, you must fight back! She even continues on saying that no one has the power to change you and only you have the power to be a boy or a girl because, in the end, there will be someone who will love you wholeheartedly. How encouraging can this get?
3. The song teaches us tolerance
At the end of the song, the singer tells the "Rose Boy" that his story is in her heart. In other words, even though he is gone, his story will never be forgotten. She explains that his story carries profound truths and in turn, will only awaken the hearts of kind-hearted people. After bringing up the story of Yeh Yung-chih, his story is no longer silenced. It is out there, being heard by many people, who are willing not to repeat the same tragedy and who are willing to create a better world for everyone, one of kindness and tolerance.
If you haven't heard any songs from Jolin Tsai, Jolin Tsai's "Womxnly" is definitely a good start.
