Dating TV shows featuring straight-talking seniors are attracting big audiences in China — and helping to break long-held taboos over sex after menopause.
Inside a colorfully lit TV studio, a middle-aged woman dressed in a tight-fitting silk dress is trying to convince an older man to loosen up.
“Can we hold hands and hug right now?” she asks, stepping toward him. The man, a 60-something wearing a traditional Tang jacket, looks visibly shocked by how forward she’s being. “Holding hands is fine,” he replies awkwardly.
But the woman is having none of it. “Why are you so conservative?” she exclaims, grabbing him by the lapels and planting a kiss on his cheek.
The scene played out on a recent episode of “Blind Date and Fall in Love” — a hit show that airs on the Chinese network Heilongjiang TV. The format is similar to the dating series “Taken Out,” with a row of female contestants passing judgment on a single man. The twist: almost all the participants are over 50.
Matchmaking game shows starring straight-talking seniors are becoming a hot new trend on Chinese TV, sparking a mix of shock and delight in a country where discussing sex after menopause is traditionally taboo. There are around 10 dating shows for elderly and middle-aged contestants currently airing in China, and some of them are attracting big audiences. Continue to read the full article here
– This article originally appeared on Sixth Tone.
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