What is the definition of "ordinary people"? Actor Chen Lijun's poor character was questioned and hotly discussed
In the high-consumption life of popular artists, a bag or coat worth thousands of yuan is nothing. But when an actor boasts that she "can't support her parents yet", the high-priced clothes she wears become the target of public criticism. This is exactly what happened to Chen Lijun recently.
The three words "ordinary people" pushed this opera performance artist to the forefront of public opinion. Some fans defended her, arguing that the price of her outfits was normal for a "normal adult"; But some people pointed out that she was "crying poor and setting up poor people". Putting aside the suspicion of traffic star hype, this controversy reflects a question worth thinking about: what is the consumption level of "ordinary people"?
After the explosion, the arrogant expenses caused dissatisfaction
Things have to start with Chen Lijun's participation in the Hunan Satellite TV talent show "Riding the Wind and Waves 2024". In the show, the post-80s actress, who was originally engaged in opera performances, couldn't cry when she talked about her family, claiming that she couldn't support her parents in her 30s, which was embarrassing.
But soon, the sky-high luxury clothes in her daily life were picked up all over again: LV bags for 13,500 yuan, down jackets for more than 3,000 yuan, and a pair of shoes for thousands of yuan...... obviously has a considerable income, but he "cried poor" and set up a "poor persona" on the show, which was questioned and criticized by many audiences.
Going back further, people found that before the show became popular, Chen Lijun's life style was quite simple, and many of them were cheap clothes of several hundred yuan. It wasn't until she became popular in "Riding the Wind and Waves" that various endorsements, variety shows, and award ceremonies were invited, her income increased significantly, and luxury shopping habits also came into being.
Some netizens once calculated that even if they are just resident actors of the China Yue Theater, their annual income is about hundreds of thousands. What's more, now that Chen Lijun has become popular, her earning ability has risen sharply. Therefore, her claim that she "can't support her parents" in the show is obviously inconsistent with the facts, which has also aroused a lot of doubts.
Different groups are divided on "ordinary people".
In the face of these doubts, some young fans of Chen Lijun strongly said: "Her outfits are the daily consumption level of a normal adult, only two or three thousand yuan, and many people can afford it." "
These words hit the pain point of this controversy. For the consumption level of the so-called "ordinary people", there is obviously a considerable difference in cognition. For example, a luxury bag of 10,000 yuan may not be worth mentioning in the entertainment industry, but few people in the ordinary white-collar class will choose to buy it.
From a broader perspective, the price of Chen Lijun's coat for more than 3,000 yuan and a pair of shoes for thousands of yuan may not be expensive in the eyes of some high-income groups. But for many ordinary working families, this is clearly beyond normal spending power.
A netizen bluntly said: "For non-wealthy families and non-system workers, it is normal to not be able to afford these items." Another netizen also pointed out that being reluctant to buy and not being able to afford are two different things, and many people are just reluctant to buy such expensive luxury goods.
From these debates, it can be seen that there is a clear divergence in the definition of "ordinary people" among different income groups. As the popular saying goes, "For the rich, money is not an issue; For the poor, money is the problem. "The value of money is the supremacy of money, and it has been criticized in the current society where the gap between the rich and the poor is serious.
Is it a commercial hype or a real dilemma for celebrities to "cry poor"?
The reason why many viewers are indignant is that Chen Lijun is obviously "crying poor". While boasting on the show that he "can't support his parents", he buys all kinds of luxury goods with high consumption, this kind of contrived exaggeration has exceeded the bottom line of commercial hype.
From another point of view, Chen Lijun's actions reflect a common psychology of the actor group: the desire to be recognized and noticed by the public. In order to win attention, many artists will deliberately create an image of "ill-fated" and "poor" in the show, so as to earn sympathy and arouse public discussion and attention.
It is undeniable that the stars in the entertainment industry have long regarded "crying poor" as a marketing tool. Some actors come from modest families but evoke empathy in the audience by describing their poor families; Other second-generation stars deliberately dwarf themselves and deliberately consume low-end goods, in order to win the favor of "down-to-earth" and "approachable".
Is this appropriate? The explanation given by these celebrities is often that we just want to show our life experience through real experiences, so that the audience can better understand us. But there is no doubt that this act of grandstanding is essentially a deception of the audience.
The value orientation of the contemporary entertainment industry is unbalanced, and the mentality of chasing fame and fortune is obvious to all. From this point of view, Chen Lijun's "crying poverty" is actually just a glimpse, reflecting the tip of the iceberg of group psychology. As cultural workers, of course, we also hope that they can regain the rational consciousness of culture and pay attention to the shaping of values, rather than catering too much to the worldly mediocrity.
In general, this turmoil once again contrasted the high consumption life of celebrities with the consumption level of ordinary people. We expect Chen Lijun and other artists to prudently do their own positioning, with more cultural accomplishment and wisdom, and less commercial methods and marketing tricks. After all, art that truly touches the heart is never something that can be achieved by sensationalism.