Ah Lian
Encyclopedia
Ah Lian, from , is a pejorative
term applied to a certain group of ethnic Chinese
girl
s in Southeast Asia
, especially Singapore
and Malaysia. These Chinese girls, in their teens and twenties, are usually found in larger cities in the region. In Singapore, they usually hang out in Bugis Junction, Bugis Street, or outside Cineleisure, for example. In Malaysia, they are usually found around Midvalley, Sungai Wang Plaza, Low Yat Plaza, Berjaya Times Square, SS2 and are regarded as bimbo
s, and are stereotype
d as anti-intellectual
, superficial
, materialistic
, and shallow.
Ah Lians are commonly stereotyped as having hair dyed in bright colours, and wearing outdated Japanese fashion, although how much of this is true is debatable. Most of them also like to wear hot pants or mini skirts. Most Ah Lians have straightened long hair, usually with thick fringes. They like walking in big groups where most of the people in the group are Ah Lians or Ah Bengs and make their presence known by talking loudly.
They enjoy taking self- portraits of themselves and usually imitate the way Japanese girls take their pictures, making their eyes look big and puffing out their cheeks. They also take pictures by putting a horizontal 'Peace sign' over their eyes, pressing a fist facing outwards against their puffed cheek. They also apply a very sharp tone in their speech which they classify as "cute". Another distinct feature of an Ah Lian is they swear in most of their conversations similarly to their male counterparts, Ah Beng
s. Ah Lians are stereotyped as very loose sexually.
The Ah Lian "culture" is especially prevalent in neighbourhood schools with lower educational standards.
Ah Lians commonly speak a kind of hybrid mix of Singlish
or Manglish
and Chinese, or Chinese-related dialects. It is also common for the grammar from these dialects to cross over to English usage, creating English phrases with Chinese grammar.
The term "Lao Lian" is sometimes applied to older women ("lao" means old in Chinese) who exhibit similar characteristics as Ah Lians.
Pejorative
Pejoratives , including name slurs, are words or grammatical forms that connote negativity and express contempt or distaste. A term can be regarded as pejorative in some social groups but not in others, e.g., hacker is a term used for computer criminals as well as quick and clever computer experts...
term applied to a certain group of ethnic Chinese
Overseas Chinese
Overseas Chinese are people of Chinese birth or descent who live outside the Greater China Area . People of partial Chinese ancestry living outside the Greater China Area may also consider themselves Overseas Chinese....
girl
Girl
A girl is any female human from birth through childhood and adolescence to attainment of adulthood. The term may also be used to mean a young woman.-Etymology:...
s in Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia, South-East Asia, South East Asia or Southeastern Asia is a subregion of Asia, consisting of the countries that are geographically south of China, east of India, west of New Guinea and north of Australia. The region lies on the intersection of geological plates, with heavy seismic...
, especially Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
and Malaysia. These Chinese girls, in their teens and twenties, are usually found in larger cities in the region. In Singapore, they usually hang out in Bugis Junction, Bugis Street, or outside Cineleisure, for example. In Malaysia, they are usually found around Midvalley, Sungai Wang Plaza, Low Yat Plaza, Berjaya Times Square, SS2 and are regarded as bimbo
Bimbo
Bimbo, in its popular English language usage, describes a woman who is physically attractive but is perceived to have a low intelligence or poor education. The term can also be used to describe a woman who acts in a sexually promiscuous manner...
s, and are stereotype
Stereotype
A stereotype is a popular belief about specific social groups or types of individuals. The concepts of "stereotype" and "prejudice" are often confused with many other different meanings...
d as anti-intellectual
Anti-intellectualism
Anti-intellectualism is hostility towards and mistrust of intellect, intellectuals, and intellectual pursuits, usually expressed as the derision of education, philosophy, literature, art, and science, as impractical and contemptible...
, superficial
Superficial
Superficial may refer to:*Superficial , an album by Heidi Montag*"Superficial" *The Superficial, a website devoted to celebrity gossip...
, materialistic
Materialism
In philosophy, the theory of materialism holds that the only thing that exists is matter; that all things are composed of material and all phenomena are the result of material interactions. In other words, matter is the only substance...
, and shallow.
Ah Lians are commonly stereotyped as having hair dyed in bright colours, and wearing outdated Japanese fashion, although how much of this is true is debatable. Most of them also like to wear hot pants or mini skirts. Most Ah Lians have straightened long hair, usually with thick fringes. They like walking in big groups where most of the people in the group are Ah Lians or Ah Bengs and make their presence known by talking loudly.
They enjoy taking self- portraits of themselves and usually imitate the way Japanese girls take their pictures, making their eyes look big and puffing out their cheeks. They also take pictures by putting a horizontal 'Peace sign' over their eyes, pressing a fist facing outwards against their puffed cheek. They also apply a very sharp tone in their speech which they classify as "cute". Another distinct feature of an Ah Lian is they swear in most of their conversations similarly to their male counterparts, Ah Beng
Ah Beng
Ah Beng, from , is a stereotype applied to a certain group of young Chinese men in Southeast Asia, particularly Singapore and Malaysia. The stereotypical view of an Ah Beng is a young Chinese man or teenager who lacks cultural refinement or indulges in criminal activity or is involved in brawls or...
s. Ah Lians are stereotyped as very loose sexually.
The Ah Lian "culture" is especially prevalent in neighbourhood schools with lower educational standards.
Ah Lians commonly speak a kind of hybrid mix of Singlish
Singlish
Colloquial Singaporean English, also known as Singlish, is an English-based creole language spoken in Singapore.Singlish is commonly regarded with low prestige in Singapore. The Singaporean government and many Singaporeans alike heavily discourage the use of Singlish in favour of Standard English...
or Manglish
Manglish
Manglish is an English based creole spoken in Malaysia.The vocabulary of Manglish consists of words originating from English, Malay, Hokkien, Mandarin, Cantonese, Tamil, and to a lesser extent various other European languages, while Manglish syntax resembles southern varieties of Chinese...
and Chinese, or Chinese-related dialects. It is also common for the grammar from these dialects to cross over to English usage, creating English phrases with Chinese grammar.
The term "Lao Lian" is sometimes applied to older women ("lao" means old in Chinese) who exhibit similar characteristics as Ah Lians.
See also
- Ah BengAh BengAh Beng, from , is a stereotype applied to a certain group of young Chinese men in Southeast Asia, particularly Singapore and Malaysia. The stereotypical view of an Ah Beng is a young Chinese man or teenager who lacks cultural refinement or indulges in criminal activity or is involved in brawls or...
- BoganBoganThe term bogan is Australian slang, usually pejorative or self-deprecating, for an individual who is recognised to be from a lower class background or someone whose limited education, speech, clothing, attitude and behaviour exemplifies such a background....
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