08/30/23 - Do you really count as middle class if you only make 10K a month?
“Can middle class parents stop “spoiling” their daughters? I’m a single child. My mom and dad make a combined 10K a month. At least we don’t have a mortgage, so most of their money goes to me. They hardly have any savings. I buy 29.9 RMB shirts on Taobao. I go shop at night markets. But they’re willing to pay for my private middle school at 20K a year. When my classmates made fun of me for my cheap shoes, they bought me Nike shoes without even thinking about it, even though they don’t ever buy shoes more than 40 RMB for themselves. They signed me up for a homestay in New Zealand, and spent a lot of money just to let me see the world.
I grew up in this environment, and although on the face of it, I’m dressed up nice and live comfortably, I’ve always been extremely dependent on my parents. And they don’t think there’s anything wrong with it. I got a good score on my college entrance exam this year, and my dad gave me half his annual salary.
Of course I love them. But I also love the upper class lifestyle they’ve created for me even though they’re just middle class themselves. I often compare myself to my rich friends, and I’ve become kinda vain. If they just treated me like normal, maybe I wouldn’t be so feeling so torn right now.”
Comments say, “Yeah, it really was a waste to raise trash like you.”
“It looks like she’s complaining, but she’s actually showing off.”
“Do you really count as middle class if you only make 10K a month? That’s just a normal family, isn’t it? Nothing you said is really that hard to achieve. Do you really need to go out of your way to brag like this? It’s honestly pretty pitiful.”
“Come feel what Beijing’s living expenses are like. Went to a market this morning—if I had gotten this stuff at a supermarket, you can multiply all the prices by 1.25 or 1.5.”
From top to bottom, left to right, it is: Dragonfruit, 10 RMB for five. Peaches, 17.4 RMB. Avocadoes, 10 RMB for three. Watermelon, 21.5 RMB. Green and red grapes, 64 RMB together. Chilli peppers, 4.5 RMB. Green beans 4.6 RMB. Water spinach, 5 RMB for 2 bunches. And pork belly and pork…back meat? 48.6 RMB total.
Comments say, “Man, things are more expensive than that in my small fourth-line city [think Springfield, Illinois, Des Moines, Iowa.]”
“Your grapes are pretty cheap. I bought a bunch of green grapes the other day and it was 35 RMB on its own.”
“I’ve worked in Beijing for 3 years, and honestly, living expenses aren’t that much at all (so long as you don’t go to any bougie places and just go to normal supermarkets and farmers’ markets). You can pretty much get anything for the same price as small state capitals. But Beijing’s expense shows in its real estate prices. Beijing isn’t like on weibo, where everyone makes an average of 300K a year. Most people make less than 150K a year. That’s enough money to eat and shop and have fun in Beijing, but not to live there long term.”
Under the hashtag #4mm sewing needle found in baby girl’s heart, a blogger writes, “This was 100% done by the grandparents. To focus on such a tiny object, reach out, and pick it up between your fingers and put it in your own throat is very fine motor skills. A five month old baby can’t possibly pull it off on her own. A five month old baby might be able to pick up a piece of paper, or grab a big chunky toy. But there’s no way she can pick up a sewing needle and put it in her throat. Baby’s attention goes from big objects to small. And their level of understanding goes from body-language based to word-based to abstract.”
“I can’t believe this is something a parent would say to their child. I posted some pictures online, where I was wearing a kind of low v-neck, and as soon as I woke up this morning, I saw my parents have been blowing up my phone about how some old relatives had seen and are talking about how I’m walking out on the streets naked? I want to argue back, but anything I can think of to say seems to pale and meaningless. I’m exhausted.”
She attaches screenshots of text messages from her mom, which read, “You like to show off your breasts? Are you a married woman, or are you just a little girl? Your dad said it looked nice. How shameless. [a cancelled phone call] Where did all of your education go? How many of your classmates dress like this? Do you want your relatives to see this shit? Do you not have parents?”
Comments say, “Just remember to block any relatives from seeing photos like this. If they can’t accept it, just block them from your social media. You’ll never be able to explain otherwise.”
“Is it because your dad praised it?”
“Well, I can only say that it’s two different generations and they have different perspectives.”
A tiktok video where a little girl goes to sell her hair, and the hair buyer shaves her hair off close to the scalp. The mother immediately flips out and starts arguing with the buyer, and the buyer shamelessly claims that they all do it this way.
“I hate grandmas who buy hair. They all shave it off right at the scalp, and act like they haven’t done anything wrong.”
“Can you really not get by without selling your daughter’s hair? What a typical hypocrite.”
“Yeah, they do all cut hair like this. I was forced to sell my hair in primary school. I didn’t want to, and she even yelled at me, and cut my hair while I was crying. It’s been 15 years, and when I brought this up last year during the holidays, she even laughed about how I cried while getting my hair cut. I’ll always remember. She made 80 RMB.”
“The guy I went on a date with flipped out when he heard my dad works on a construction site. I’m not gonna put a mosaic over his name or anything—if you’re local, watch out for this guy and his red flags. One of my distant relatives absolutely insisted on introducing this guy to me as a date, and we went out and ate together today. To be honest, my first impression of him was really good. He was really gentlemanly and kind and caring. But when I chatted with him when we got back, as soon as he heard my dad worked on a construction site, he instantly flipped out. His attitude literally spun 180 degrees around. ROFL. I’ve already forwarded these screenshots to my dad and my relatives and blocked him.”
Date: “I’ll get you a little cake next time, and buy you some boba tea just as sweet as you are. I’m so happy to have met you! If there are levels to cuteness, you would be Ultimate Cute <3”
OP: “Hahaha, sure, we can get to know each other more.”
Date: “Absolutely. You need to see how serious I am about you.”
OP: “Since my mom and dad are out of the house, I’m gonna sneakily order some takeout behind their back.”
Date: “What do you want? I’ll get it for you? Your parents aren’t home? Are you scared to be at home by yourself, baby?”
OP: “Yeah, my mom’s travelling, and my dad’s on the construction site.”
Date: “…Construction site? WTF? I’m fucking speechless. Do you really need to run scams just to find a guy to date? Didn’t your aunt say that you’re super rich? Why is your dad on a construction site?”
OP: “?? It’s his building. Of course he wants to watch it get built?”
Date: “What do you want to eat, cutiepie?”
Comments say, “Hahahah is this for real? He’s in way too much of a rush. What a chameleon.”
“There’s something wrong with this guy. And that aunt of yours is out to get you too.”
“Ahhhh, even without the gold-digging, this guy is so greasy, the way he acts. It makes my toes curl, srsly.”
A compilation of commenters talking about the importance of wearing makeup:
“Even if I’m super sleepy, I’ll force myself to wake up early and put on full make up to go to school. Until one day, one of my teachers was all like, “Hey, [so-and-so], your make up is really good! You’re positively glowing!” I was so happy. I swore to myself that I’m never gonna go out the door all shabby looking, because this is the real me—always glowing and always beautiful.”
“It’s true, girls really do need to wear make up. I put on full make up and a dress the other day to go buy some boba tea. And the employee brought my tea out to me, even though he called everyone else over by number to pick up their own tea.”
“I just wear make up to make myself more confident, so I can socialise better with others, and attract men I like. But I’m doing it to make myself better, and not to keep being insecure about the flaws on my face.”
“Really, you need to be pretty. I went and sat in a cafe in winter once, and a waiter came by and asked if I liked yams. I said I didn’t order anything with yams in it, and he said he’s buying me a cup of boba tea—hot, 30% sugar, with yam balls. The cup I ordered myself was also hot with 30% sugar, so that really touched me.”
Commenters to this compilation say, “Girls need to have more kids. Have 18 kids all by yourself and you’ll get praised by the whole village. Who doesn’t want to be praised and acknowledged by others?”
“I would never dare accept those drinks. A drink from a guy who wants to pursue you? Who knows what might be inside it?”
“But it’s really advantageous in job interviews to look pretty though.”
Why do people sell hair?
multiple -> multiply
all the price -> all the prices
expansive -> expensive
farmer's markets -> farmers' markets
baby girl’s heart -> baby girl’s throat (I think, based on what the rest of that paragraph says)
pictures on line -> pictures online
heart my dad -> heard my dad