Taiwan Today

Taiwan’s teenagers, sometimes called the Y Generation to set them apart from the twenty-somethings of the X Generation, differ markedly from their predecessors, not only in appearance but also in their behavior and the way they think. A simple example: in the past, junior and senior high-school students had to wear their hair short, no more than one centimeter above the earlobe for female students and three centimeters long for males. The lifting of the so-called “hair ban” a few years ago opened the door for teenagers eager to sport trendier—and longer—hairstyles. And the irresistible flow of information from abroad, coupled with the ongoing internationalization of society in general, has ensured that Western ways have a much greater influence on Taiwan teen values than ever before.

Take food, for instance. Teenagers certainly seem to love Western cuisine more than their elders do. McDonald’s, Burger King, and other fast-food outlets have become their restaurants of choice, with hamburgers, french fries, apple pie, and Coca-Cola gradually edging out popu­lar old Chinese favorites like beef noodles and egg fried rice. Chen Ssu-hsuan (陳思璇), a 17-year-old senior high-school student, sums it up. “I go to McDonald’s a lot,” she says, “because Western fast food is delicious and cheap.”

But Western fast-food outlets serve another purpose. Teenagers like to hang out there and chat with classmates and friends. “McDonald’s has got air condi­tioning, and I think it’s a great substitute for the library,” says Li Tsai-hua (李彩華), a sophomore at a junior college in Taipei. “I often go there to read. Plus I get to meet good-looking guys!”

But the trend toward Western fast food has its downside. Obesity is fast becoming the teen problem in Taiwan. The media environment, with its heavy empha­sis on looks, naturally makes youngsters feel even more self-conscious about their weight. So they find themselves in a dilemma: they want to look good, but find it hard to sacrifice their beloved fast food, candy bars, and fizzy soft drinks. Under the influence of TV commercials, teenag­ers think that such attributes of a Western lifestyle will make them look cool.

Looks are a major concern, of course. Teenagers watch their diets in an attempt to keep trim, without considering the nutritional demands that puberty places on their maturing bodies. “I’ve been worry­ing about my figure since I was in junior high school,” Hou I-ju (侯怡如), a 16-year-old senior high school student, confesses. “I often have to remind myself: Don’t eat too much—no rice, no greasy foods—no matter how hungry I am.” Some teenagers even shell out good money to attend weight-loss centers, or have their noses and eyes reshaped by plas­tic surgery. The number of such cases rises sharply during the summer recess, when students know they can change their appearance with impunity because at their new schools nobody will know how they looked before.

Clothing also helps teenagers express themselves, although few of them show much individuality in what they buy. Like many adults, they head straight for the rack of big-name labels. “I like to buy labels because they say something about my so­cial status,” says Ho Fang-yu (何芳玉), a junior college student. “They say I’ve got money, too.” And, well, foreign-made clothes often just have that certain style. “I’m a Nike fanatic,” says Lu Yu-ta (呂昱達), 13, ajunior high-school student. “I go for famous-brand sports clothes and shoes because they look so much better than the locally-made stuff.”

Teenagers naturally tend to choose their clothes with an eye to attracting atten­tion. In the past, women were told to dress like ladies and keep their bodies demurely covered. Things are changing. Young peo­ple are not afraid of showing off what they have. “Out of school uniform, I often wear tight clothes and short skirts,” says Chen Ssu-hsuan. “I think I have a good figure so I want to show it off with sexy clothes.” The imitation factor also plays a part. “I always try to look like Lisa [a popular young Japanese singer], because she’s my idol,” says Hou I-ju.“I really do my best to dress like her.”

Accessories play a part too. More and more teenagers regard beepers as necessi­ties, something to be carried wherever they go. They have become such popular status symbols for teenagers that manufacturers have started to introduce brightly colored models onto the market, exclusively tar­geting these new, well-heeled, and pre­dominantly young consumers. “I’m going to get another beeper,” enthuses Li Tsai-hua. “I want my parents, classmates, and friends to be able to reach me anytime and anyplace.” A lot of young people share the same beeper number with their boyfriends and girlfriends as a way of expressing the closeness of their relationship.

How do today’s teenagers spend their leisure time? Like their forebears they go to movies. Nowadays, however, many of them prefer foreign films to the local vari­ety, because they think the production val­ues and storylines are superior. “Movies are my favorite hobby,” says Wang Wen­-chin (王文瑾), a university student. “I pre­fer foreign films, though—action movies, love stories—because they’re so much better than local films.”

That perennial old favorite, listening to music, is another major form of enter­tainment, as witness the hordes of teenag­ers who frequent CD stores. Young people have always had their pop idols, and today’s generation is no exception. Many treat such stars as Hong Kong’s Andy Lau as role models, imitating their clothing, manner of speaking, and views. Fans will travel from all over the island to attend a concert by a famous “name,” such as Michael Jackson. Once there, they will sing and scream throughout the perform­ance. They follow their idols’ lives in the media, some of them even going so far as to stand outside their homes overnight, something that previous generations would never have considered doing.

Liu Shu-i (劉淑儀), a counselor at Taipei’s Hung Tao Junior High School, sees this as part of an emerging pattern. She does not think that there is actually much difference between what today’s teenagers are doing and what their parents did when they were young. “There is a difference, nevertheless,” she says. “Gener­ally speaking, young people nowadays throw themselves into activities more avidly. They’re more committed.”

Shopping is a popular pastime, especially among young teenager girls such as Hou I-yu. “Shop­ping’s my favorite hobby,” she says. “I buy something every time I go, even if I don’t really need it. Sometimes I over­spend and have to borrow from my classmates.” Taipei’s department stores always attract countless young customers on week­ends and holidays, and the best-selling lines of female clothing and accessories are those specifically aimed at young buyers.

According to Winnie Lan (籃雅寧), manager of the marketing and research center at Ogilvy & Mather Advertising, the purchasing power of Taiwan’s teens has increased markedly in recent years. Why? “Well, the average family is better off,” she points out. “And busy parents use money in place of time and attention. There is also an element of wanting your children to keep up with the neighbors’ kids finan­cially. Junior high-school kids spend most of their pocket money on daily necessities, but because senior high-school students are allowed to work after school they have much stronger purchasing power, and their purchasing patterns are very diverse.”

Liu Shu-i agrees that more and more students are working part-time after class. “They always spend whatever they earn,” she says. “One day you’ll suddenly notice them wearing new clothes from head to toe. They only save when their parents force them to. They’re in search of instant gratification.”

Besides the more traditional leisure activities, in recent years teenagers have rushed to sample fresh and exciting imports. These include bungee jumping, skateboarding, and inline skating. But because outdoor public space is limited in Taipei, skating activities are confined to certain areas such as the Sun Yat-Sen and Chiang Kai-Shek memorial halls, both of which have roomy plazas. They are also noted tourist spots, with plenty of people around—all part of the attraction for atten­tion-seeking teens.

Traveling is another popular pursuit, largely thanks to Taiwan’s economic boom, and more young people than ever have the opportunity to go sightseeing abroad with their parents. It is not unusual for teenage girls at least to have visited several countries before they attend col­lege. (Boys, with a few exceptions, must do their compulsory military service be­fore they can travel off-island.) Schools increasingly encourage teenagers to go abroad to study a foreign language dur­ing the summer recess. A growing number of college students sign up for you-hsueh, literally “travel-study,” which enables them to spend between six months and a year out of Taiwan, studying in a foreign environment.

On the other hand, few teenagers nowadays are much interested in arts­-related and educational activities such as elocution training, painting, calligra­phy, or attending local exhibitions and art shows. “I seldom do that kind of thing, because I don’t understand what’s going on,” says Lu Yu-ta. Why is this? Lack of training in fine art appreciation at school is probably the main culprit. Chen Ssu-hsuan doubtless speaks for many when she says, “I never go to those activities because I feel they’re just plain boring.”

Not many teenagers read serious lit­erature outside of their textbooks, prefer­ring comic-strips and magazines dealing with such topics as fashion, sports, and cars. “Comic books are the only things that really grab my attention,” Hou I-ju admits. “I’m especially fond of Japanese comics. They’re funny and easy to understand.” Given the high-pressure, exam-oriented educational environment, such attitudes are perhaps understandable, albeit worri­some. “I love reading trashy novels after school,” says Chang Chi-hui (張琪惠), a junior college student. “They kill time and take the pressure off me.”

Winnie Lan of Ogilvy & Mather sees a connection between the ever­-shrinking attention span of Taiwan’s teens and certain commercial strategies. “Teenagers won’t accept ‘long stuff,’” she says. “Long stories, complex graphs. You see all those simple graphs and dia­grams in comic books and computer games nowadays. One picture equals one action. They’re never given a chance to think things out for themselves. So it’s hardly surprising that TV commercials aimed at young customers tend to empha­size graphs and diagrams over words. Exaggeration is the only thing that gets to teenagers. And exaggeration is like morphine: the dose goes on increasing the more you use it.”

During the sixties, people started hav­ing fewer children. Many of today’s teen­agers grew up with one or no siblings, which has led them to become a self­-centered generation. They are not afraid to speak their minds. They ask their parents and teachers to respect them in the same way as adults. They pay little heed to the centuries-old Chinese admonition—“tsun shih chung tao,” which in this context can roughly be translated as “respect teachers and toe the line.” Ho Fang-yu confesses to having a bad relationship with her parents. “We can’t communicate,” she says. “I think they should be more like my friends’ parents and listen to what I say.” Her view is echoed by Lu Shang-chieh (呂尚潔), 18, a senior high-school student. “I want to make my own decisions,” she says. “My parents should treat me as an adult. The only important thing is that I shouldn’t regret my decisions.”

Some parents are coming to terms with this, but most do so only reluctantly. “Teenagers today always speak their minds without considering who they’re talking to,” says father of three Lin Hsi­-chuan (林西全). “They’re not like we used to be; they don’t care about seniority. They talk to their parents the same way they talk to their friends. At first I found this hard to accept. But I had to get used to it, because times are changing and I know that most of my daughters’ classmates act similarly.”

Counselor Liu Shu-i thinks that in general teenagers show their teachers less respect nowadays. “It depends on a lot of factors,” she says. “Is the teacher taking a core subject, do the students like the teacher, what sort of mood are they in? Teachers have to stay very calm in the classroom if they’re to avoid potential con­flicts. And they have to listen, to work at sincere exchanges of points of view. Good communication, in other words.”

Today’s teenagers are more independent financially than any previous generation. Winnie Lan knows of one who gets NT$12,000, or US$435, in pocket money every month. An increasing number of them earn money, as well as benefiting from their parents’ largesse. But here the picture is changing fast. In the old days—five or six years ago—teenagers regarded working in McDonald’s, pumping gas, and being a part-time tutor as the occupations of choice. Nowadays, however, they are much more likely to end up working in discos, karaoke bars, nightclubs, and other service industries.

Some of the jobs on offer are decid­edly murky. Young “KTV princesses” are much in demand. They sit and drink with customers, and what, if anything, happens after that is a matter for negotiation between the parties. “Midnight cowboys” provide similar services for women in search of company. Such occupations used to be absolutely taboo for young people. Not any more. “It’s no big deal,” shrugs Lu Shang-chieh. “As long as it’s legal, so what?” And Chen Ssu-hsuan points out what is for many the deciding factor: “You can make a pile of money from jobs like that.”

Liu Shu-i believes that the ready availability of such part-time work is a contributory factor to the increasing amount of sexual harassment found on campus these days. “Society, the media, parents, schools—they all have to share the responsibility,” she says. “A lot of things put out by the media are capable of damaging young minds. Many parents spend very little time with their children, and often you find a big gap between the attitudes of the father and the mother, something that’s very bad for kids. So once they’re out of school, young people are confronted with this extremely colorful, diverse environment without any apparent barriers. Adults love it; why shouldn’t kids?”

Independent attitudes such as these are also manifest in the ways kids spend what they earn or get from their parents. Chang Chi-hui is fairly typical. “I spend my pocket money on eating out, enter­tainment, and clothes,” she says. “When I’m short of money, I just ask my parents for more.” Lin Hsi-chuan, whose daugh­ters are respectively 21, 20, and 16, is pain­fully aware of that. “The kids spend too much, and whenever they’re hard up they come and ask for more,” he com­plains. “They don’t realize their parents have to work hard to raise a family. They never take care of what they own, and they’ve got no gratitude.” And when they are short of money it is not only their parents that they call on, either; Lin says that it is common to see teenagers borrow “a big bundle of money” from each other. “They’re very different from us,” he laments.

Increasing numbers of parents are applying for credit cards for their teenage children. Winnie Lan calls them “badges of honor.” “More and more famous brand companies see teens as potential custom­ers,” she says. “And now even credit card issuers are starting to think the same way. They want to get them hooked before they enter the work force.”

Unfortunately, most of these kids have no idea of how to handle credit and consequently end up wildly overspending. Conservative-minded parents firmly oppose giving their kids credit cards. “I’d very much like my own card, because it’s so convenient,” Lu Yu-ta says. “But my parents won’t let me have one because they think I’m too young to control my own spending.”

Although teenagers have much more control over their own lives than their par­ents did at the same age, and greater free­dom generally, they do not seem to be conspicuously happier. Few of them have concrete goals. “My life is unhappy and full of pressures, but I don’t know where they come from,” Lu Yu-ta says. His view is echoed by Chang Chi-hui. “I feel unhappy every single day because I don’t know what on earth I should be pursuing in life,” she says. “I just plod along with my studies and hope to get a job one day, all to match other people’s expectations. I’ve got absolutely no idea what direction to take.” To relieve these pressures, some teenagers smoke, drink alcohol, or take part in the dangerous and illegal “sport” of motorcycle drag racing on the highways. “I smoke, sometimes, because I think it’s cool,” Chen Ssu-hsuan says. “And I drink when I’m in a bad mood.”

Ogilvy & Mather's Winnie Lan has some sympathy with Taiwan’s Y genera­tion. “They never ask what they might be doing for their families or their country,” she says. “But they still feel helpless about the future—the unstable relationship with the mainland, the terrible environmental problems created by past generations. They sense there’s really very little they can do about any of it. In the absence of a life goal, they turn to instant satisfaction and live for today. How can they be happy?” Who knows? Who ever claimed to understand the teenage mind?