When the movie “YOLO” premiered in theatres during the Chinese New Year, it caught the audience off guard. They were flabbergasted not only by Jia Ling, the film’s director and main character, who debuted in the movie 50kg lighter than her former self, but also puzzled by the ambiguity of the message — was she perpetuating or bashing body shame with her new look?
“YOLO,” an idea imported from the English-speaking world, stands for “you only live once.” Quite a cultural novelty for the Chinese, but a fitful title for a story that follows a secluded, overweight 32-year-old woman who rediscovered her sense of purpose in life by addressing things head-on, more specifically, through boxing.
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