如果你看完標題，還不知道王菊是誰，那你可真成了“菊外人”。最近選秀節目《創造101》火了，但這些選手幾乎讓人分不清楚，她們都是膚白貌美大長腿，但有一個選手王菊則完全是相反的存在。

Wang Ju.[Photo provided to China Daily]

A summer talent show released on Tencent's video platform that's looking to create a leading girl group from China has been generating a huge buzz on the country's social media platforms.

騰訊視頻平臺播放的一檔夏季選秀節目近日在社交媒體上爆紅，這檔節目最終將選出一支出色的女子組合。

Already running for a month, the top 11 contestant in the program's final tally of votes will go on to form a girl band looking to break into Chinese entertainment circles.

節目上線已有一個月，最終得票最多的11名選手將組成一支女子團體，進軍中國娛樂圈。

As the Chinese adaptation of the South Korean reality show Produce 101, domestic audiences are used to seeing wannabe pop stars sporting slim figures, white skin and a saccharine smiles to match the accepted image of a K-pop goddess.

這檔節目名為《創造101》，改編自韓國同名真人秀。過去國內觀眾觀看真人秀節目時，總會看到身材苗條而且非常渴望成為明星的選手，她們皮膚白皙，露出甜美的笑容，讓自己符合人們公認的韓流女神的形象。

Wang Ju (third from left), a contestant in the reality show, is now finding more support.[Photo provided to China Daily]

However, this past week has witnessed a quick burst of overwhelming attention on a contestant named Wang Ju, who was once regarded as an unpromising outsider because of her perceived unattractiveness.

但在過去一周，一位名為王菊的參賽選手突然受到極大的關注。由于相貌平平，人們一度認為她要被淘汰出局。

The 25-year-old, despite being relatively good at singing and dancing, was darker and more stout than her more conventionally glamorous competitors, and so far from the ideal image portrayed by modern girl bands that her performances met with derision from some netizens.

25歲的王菊唱歌跳舞水平還不錯，但和那些更加迷人的參賽者相比，她的皮膚更黝黑，體形也更健壯，和現代女子組合的完美形象相去甚遠，一些網友還嘲諷了她的舞臺表演。

先來看看其他選手的畫風：

王菊的畫風則是這樣的：

最開始一些網友諷刺她“黑土壯”，也有些選手公開說她“非常不少女”。

Wang responded to the wave of unfriendly jeers - "Hell is empty, Wang Ju is here" was just one example - with a wry sense of humor, rather than feeling dejected about her lack of popularity.

有網友還諷刺她說：“地獄空蕩蕩，王菊在土創”，王菊幽默地回應了網友的這些嘲諷，她并沒有因為缺少人氣而感到沮喪。

王菊甚至對著鏡頭重新表演了這些表情包，自黑了一把，一些人迅速“黑轉粉”。

"Many people told me that I am not suitable to be in a girl group, but you have the opportunity to redefine China's leading girl group." She told the audience with an air of confidence after one of her performances.

在一次表演后，她自信地告訴觀眾：“有人說我這樣子的不適合做女團，而你們手里握著的，是重新定義中國第一女團的權利。”

On May 26, the program aired some old photos of Wang that showed she was once also a fair-skinned "Miss Sweetheart" with a good figure a few years ago.

5月26日，節目組公布了王菊的一些舊照。幾年前，她也曾是一位皮膚白皙身材好的妙齡少女。

Wang says at that time she hadn't figured out her own standards of beauty, but she now understands that "being yourself is what makes a girl beautiful."

王菊說，當時她并沒有想清楚美的標準，但她現在終于明白了，“做自己才能讓女孩美麗”。

Besides, the lyrics she has written highlighting the importance of women's independence in society have resonated with many viewers, and her growing legions of followers.

另外，她寫的歌詞也強調了女性在社會中獨立的重要性，引發了很多觀眾的共鳴，粉絲人數也不斷增加。

Wang Ju.[ Photo provided to China Daily]

Su Yujing, 24, joined one of Wang's fan clubs, and voted for the singer from Shanghai every day.

24歲的蘇玉靜（音）是王菊粉絲團的一員，每天在上海為王菊投票。

"I used to chase after the adorable stars in the Japanese girl group AKB48," says the Gansu province native, "But now I'm getting sick of pop idols with empty minds."

這位原籍甘肅的女孩說：“我以前喜歡追可愛的日本女團AKB48，但現在我不再喜歡思想空虛的偶像。”

Su says she likes Wang, not only because she is well-spoken and hardworking, but also because of the amusing way that Wang's fans use to spread her message.

蘇玉靜說她很喜歡王菊，不僅是因為她善于言談，也非常努力，還是因為王菊的粉絲傳播消息的有趣方式。

Since ju means chrysanthemum in Chinese, Wang's fans refer to themselves as Tao Yuanming - the name of an ancient Chinese poet who professed a love for chrysanthemums - and write rhyming couplets and memes to praise the singer and canvas votes for her.

由于“菊”在漢語里表示菊花，王菊的粉絲們把自己稱為“陶淵明”，陶淵明是中國古代一位詩人，喜歡寫詩抒發自己對菊花的喜愛。王菊的粉絲們寫下押韻的對句，還制作出表情包來贊美她，并為她拉票。

This approach appeared to have worked well, as thousands of internet users found these ju-related phrases and memes flooding their screens over the following days.

這個辦法效果很好，數千名網民發現這些與“菊”有關的詞句和表情包在幾天后刷屏了。

Wu Xiaoyan, a research associate at the Shanghai Art Research Institute, principally studies feminism and urban culture.

上海藝術研究所助理研究員吳曉燕（音）主要研究女權主義和都市文化。

She compared the overnight sensation of Wang to Li Yuchun, the winner of 2005's Super Girls, the first reality show for solo female singers in China.

她把王菊的一夜爆紅和2005年超女冠軍李宇春作了對比。超級女聲是中國第一檔女生個人歌唱類選秀節目。

"Audiences have grown more self-conscious over the past 13 years. They want to support people who can gain their sympathy, while most icons manufactured by the entertainment industry fail to tap into these emotions," says Wu.

她說：“13年過去了，現在的觀眾更有自我意識。他們想要支持能博得他們同情的人，而如今的娛樂界打造出的絕大多數偶像都無法打動觀眾。”

The sociology major says that fans of Wang are looking to express their own eagerness to be independent, develop their own sense of identity and respect social diversity by supporting Wang.

主攻社會學的吳曉燕還說，王菊的粉絲通過支持她，希望表達出自己渴望獨立的意愿，彰顯出自己的認同感和尊重社會多樣性的意識。

一位網友在微博上詳細解釋了給王菊投票的原因：“一開始有一種挑戰傳統的感覺。‘為什么我們一定要選你們喜歡的傳統女團？’ …… 后來我們發現菊的態度跟我們一樣，‘我不想做傳統定義上的乖孩子。’”

“我們一票一票投給菊姐也是在投給我們自己，我們沒有在追偶像，我們在創造自身群體的代言者。”

英文來源：中國日報

翻譯&編輯：yaning