In recent weeks, Chinese famous female anchor Zhu Dan sparked a heated debate on gender concepts and parenting styles due to controversial remarks and behaviors on a variety show. On June 18, Zhu Dan responded to the public outcry by posting, “In these past few days, I have heard many voices. I am sorry, my expressions have caused controversy and made people feel uncomfortable.”
According to previous reports, on the variety show “Fifty Kilometers of Peach Blossom Manor,” Zhu Dan distributed two chicken legs from the soup to 25-year-old Zhou Yiran and 28-year-old Dong Sicheng, saying “younger brothers need to grow,” while handing chicken wings to 20-year-old Taiwanese artist Ouyang Didi and veteran actress Ning Jing.
When Ning Jing questioned the logic behind the distribution and asked if she favored boys more, Zhu Dan admitted “a little bit.” This action was criticized by netizens as being biased towards males.
During the show, when Zhou Yiran expressed a desire to have a daughter, Zhu Dan mentioned the attraction between opposite sexes and parents’ instinctual favoritism towards children of the opposite gender. She gave examples like “fathers tend to favor daughters, mothers love sons more.” This statement stirred controversy again, with some netizens pointing out that this view confuses parental emotions with the logic of opposite-sex attraction.
Zhu Dan remarried the renowned actor Zhou Yiwei in 2017, and they have a daughter and a son. Proudly on the show “Love School Trip,” she shared that she made her 6-year-old daughter attend the same school as her 3-year-old son to let the older sister take care of the younger brother. She affectionately said, “They have such a good relationship, sticking together, with the sister carrying the brother. It feels like a mother holding her son.”
In response, netizens questioned Zhu Dan’s parenting approach, believing that she’s significantly deviating from the norm by expecting her daughter to sacrifice her childhood to take care of her brother. This might not only affect the daughter’s mental health but also have a negative impact on the children’s future social interactions. Some even criticized her for shifting the parenting responsibility onto her daughter.
After the topic trended on social media, Zhu Dan stated, “I am grateful for every criticism, which makes me confront my communication issues, causing me to rethink. I will make corrections and grow from this.”