A: … A man who makes an effort to look his best is more likely to win the approval of the opposite gender. Also, many women appreciate a man who doesn’t roll his eyes as soon as she mentions anything having to do with fashion.
B: Yeah, I think it’s related to the fact that the position of women in society is continuously rising, and they are becoming more and more particular when it comes to choosing a partner. Women have always been more interested in men who are physically handsome in addition to being responsible and economically secure, but now that women can be more selective, men have to work harder to prove themselves the ideal partner....
A: So whereas before, women dressed up in order to attract men, nowadays men are also dressing up to attract women.…
A:……一个精心打扮后的男人更容易得到异性的认可。还有,很多女人都很欣赏那些可以和他们聊一聊时尚话题的男性。
B:嗯,我觉得这和现在女性的社会地位的上升有关,她们在对象的选择上越来越挑剔,女人总是对那些长得很帅而且又有责任感而且有经济实力的男人更有兴趣。既然女人更挑剔了,男人们就得更努力去证明自己是理想的伴侣。……
A:这么说,以前是女人为了吸引男人而打扮自己。现在男人也为了吸引女人而打扮。……(摘自第11章)
A: That’s true, Li Yuchun has tons of fans even though she doesn’t fit the traditional Chinese ideal of female beauty. Tomboys like her defy the idea that women have to be gentle, tender, sweet, and cute in order to be pretty.
B: Tomboys can be graceful and feminine, too, though—it’s just a different way of expressing yourself. …
A: I think that this trend toward a more androgynous style for women doesn’t just reflect the change of beauty standards and changing fashion trends, it’s also an expression of individuality.
A:是的,虽然李宇春不是典型的中国传统美女,但她有很多粉丝。像她那样的中性美女打破了女孩应该文静、温柔、甜美和可爱才算漂亮的审美观。
B:中性美女也很优雅、有女人味——这只是展示自己的不同方式。……
A:我觉得女性中性化的趋势不仅反映了人们的审美标准和时尚潮流的变化,更是女性张扬个性的表现。(摘自第12章)
If it was love at first sight for two people and they got married immediately, it would definitely be exciting, and after marriage their lives would be full of a sense of mystery and newness. Besides this, “lighting marriages” also have a great advantage: they can save the cost, including saving time and money.
如果两个人一见钟情就结婚,肯定很刺激,而且婚后生活也会充满神秘感和新鲜感。此外,“闪婚”还有一个很大的好处,就是能节约恋爱成本,包括**成本和时间成本。(摘自第21章)
Before, being “single” had a connotation of being lonely, lonesome, and unloved, but now it is no longer the substitute name for sadness, it means more independence, more freedom and unrestrained way of life.
以前,单身就意味着孤独、寂寞和没有人爱;可是现在,单身不再是伤感的代名词,它代表着一种更独立、更自由和没有约束的生活方式。(摘自第24章)
A: I haven’t gotten any emails today? That’s so weird! I haven’t even got spam.
B: It makes you uncomfortable, hmm? I’ve been there before. Once, I didn’t get a single text message from anyone all day. I was continuously looking at my cell phone; I even suspected it might be broken. In the end, I didn’t relax until I sent a few text messages to a friend and received a reply.
A: Looks like we’ve become so accustomed to these “disturbances” that if we aren’t disturbed for a whole day, we can’t bear it.
B: Actually, this is a kind of disease, called “information anxiety disorder,” or “infomania.”
A:我今天居然没有收到一个邮件?真奇怪!连垃圾邮件都没有。
B:觉得不舒服,是吧?我也遇到过这种情况,有一次,我**都没收到任何人的短信,我就总是去看手机,甚至怀疑是我的手机坏了,后来给朋友发了几条短信,收到了回复,才放心。
A:看来我们已经习惯被别人“打扰”了,**没人打扰,自己先受不了了。
B:其实,这是一种病,被称为“信息焦虑综合症”,也叫“资讯癖”。(摘自第29章)