When another year's International Women's Day came, we had a conversation with three Shanghai players from the Chinese women's football team who just won the Asian Cup last month around the topic of women.
Li Jiayue, Zhao Lina and Yang Lina, as well as the small group of women behind them, are engaged in a profession that is very atypical for women in people's traditional concepts. It is precisely in these women's football players that they clearly show many of the characteristics of the most enterprising Chinese women in this era.
First of all, their existence breaks the pattern of "white and thin" aesthetic orientation that has lasted for thousands of years. Whether it is Zhao Lina, whose legs are "two meters and eight meters long", or Wang Shuang, who has clean and neat short hair, they have contributed a new dimension to the aesthetics of the new era.
Second, their presence also subverts the old, entrenched notions about Chinese women's football. You will not see through them the deliberate image of "small income, still winning glory for the country", which belongs to the image of the old women's football team at the end of the last century. Together with the four words "sonorous rose", it is also what the new generation of women's football players want to get rid of. Many of them will even tell you: Why do you have to use flowers to describe women, isn't it a bit old-fashioned?
As women's football players who have grown up in the new century, although they have not yet achieved equal pay for equal work in the field of football, many of them have lived a life with a house and a car with their own efforts, and some absolute main players have even achieved annual income of millions. We will not compare their income with the income of the men's football team, nor will we compare other aspects, as Wang Shuang said .
"When you support the angle of women's football, it is no longer to satirize men's football. When your support is to see not only us in the national team, but also other female footballers in the club, bringing them the meaning of playing, then our Chinese women's football team will be really strong in the future. “
In this festival for women, let us listen to their voices and experience their lives. Women can also have the power to influence others
"Female power" is a word that has appeared very frequently in recent years, how do you define female power?
Lina Yang: I think it should be reflected in three words, that is, "self-reliance, self-confidence, and self-improvement." Don't think that others should let go of themselves because they are women. If you want to achieve any goal, you can rely on your own efforts little by little to approach and achieve.
I think that male power and female power are essentially the kind of power that radiates out of love of life. So all people who love life and take life seriously are people full of power.
Zhao Lina: It should be that kind of gentle perseverance. Women themselves give people a feeling of weakness, but when they are not afraid of hardships, when they face difficulties to do something and achieve a certain goal, the kind of thing that erupts in this process is the strength of women.
Li Jiayue: The power of self-confidence, do not cater to others, and do not need others to affirm themselves.
Li Jiayue, you said in an interview at the National Games last year that you are the strongest central defender in the Chinese women's football team. Some people think you are very bullish, but others think you are bragging, do you regret saying this?
Li Jiayue: I don't regret it, I said it, and I still think so. I don't care what other people think of me, Wen Wu is the first martial arts are not the second, a thousand people may have a thousand understandings and opinions on the concept of the strongest. I just feel like I'm the best and more capable than I was when I was younger, and that's fine, I don't need someone to approve of it.
When did you start to realize that being a woman can also be powerful?
Zhao Lina: When I first arrived at the national team, I felt that I was a very small person. I had doubts about myself for a while, can I be qualified for the position of the national gate? Some outside skepticism will be infinitely magnified by their own doubts about themselves, and then hide from a person crying. But one day I suddenly found that the number of fans on my Weibo had skyrocketed, and many fans left me messages to support me, and let me send more Weibo to share my life with everyone. I occasionally post some Weibo messages that encourage people to participate in sports more and break their comfort zone to do more impossible things, which have received a lot of echoes. I realized that I also had the ability to influence some people, and maybe I could change some things through my efforts. Including when I started making short videos later, I was inspired by it. Overall, I have become more and more powerful on the road of playing football.
Who are your female role models?
Li Jiayue: Li Na, on top of the visible success and self-confidence, she insists on being herself. And, of course, our head coach Shui Qingxia.
Lina Yang: Water conductor, I want to be like her, because everything she does is from one end, football is only one aspect. Maybe I won't be a coach in the future, but her personality has had a big impact on me, and no matter what job I do, this attitude is worth learning on my own. Because I'm the kind of person who is hot for three minutes, but playing esports is very persevering.
Zhao Lina: The degree of concentration of water guide on football is something that I can't achieve. Football is definitely important, but my life is too colorful, such as playing rock and roll, playing esports, but the water guide is only football, and it is difficult for ordinary people to have this kind of concentration.
I love the changes that the years have brought to me
Looking back at the past and looking at the present, do you think that today's self is no longer so much in need of recognition from coaches, teammates or the outside world than when you were younger?
Zhao Lina: Being affirmed is always a happy thing, but now compared to before, I don't need to live in the encouragement and affirmation of others. What I need more now is the objective and pertinent advice of those around me.
I'm actually not the kind of person who is born confident, and I'm a lot more confident now, but it's hard to completely get rid of the thing of nature from a person's body. However, the trait of lack of self-confidence is a disadvantage and an advantage for me, because I will continue to reflect on myself in this process, will continue to tell myself, where is not good enough, where I still need to face fear, I will always remind myself to dare to break the comfort zone, to grow and progress.
Li Jiayue: When you are young, you definitely need more affirmations, but when you are older, it does not mean that you do not need affirmations, but you should have formed a fixed understanding of yourself, be very clear about your own ability, be clear about what you can do, what you can't do, and the opinions of others will no longer influence your own decisions.
What trait do you most appreciate about yourself?
Zhao Lina: I think I am very kind, and I have a sense of justice that I really want to protect the weak. I myself sometimes fear the powerful, but I still do my best to protect the weaker ones. And I feel like I'm the kind of person who can balance the relationships between a team.
What has changed you the most over the years and experiences? Do you like this change in yourself?
Zhao Lina: In the process of playing football, I began to slowly find the direction and meaning of my life. In fact, I am a person who is particularly lacking in this kind of thing, from childhood to adulthood, people ask how long I want to play, what to do next, I don't know, I am the kind of person who does not make plans. But with the development of my career, my goals have become more and more clear, I feel that my current life is particularly valuable and meaningful, which is brought to me by football, and I hope to use most of my energy to feed back to football.
Li Jiayue: The process of increasing age is also a process of gradually learning to look down on gains and losses. I used to care a lot about whether I played the main force or not, but now I don't care so much. I've been through two consecutive World Cups that haven't played a minute, but once I carry it down, I find that what I learned from it is very valuable.
Yang Lina: There are more and more wrinkles, this kind of sun and rain day, no matter how expensive the mask is used, the skin cannot be as good as that of girls of the same age. But as a person, the more I experience, the smoother and smoother I become. I like the way I have been smoothed out, because it's a must.
With the increase of age, what new understanding of life has been gained?
Zhao Lina: Just a few days ago, my friend and I saw two electric cars crashing together on the road. One was a delivery guy, and the other was an aunt who looked to be in her fifties, carrying a bag and looking like she had just left work. The aunt fell more severely, lying on the ground at that time, and her sanity was not very clear. My friend called the police on the spot, and I went over to take care of her, and when I saw that her head and mouth were covered with blood, I immediately felt a little stretched. I suddenly realized at that moment that it is not easy for everyone to live.
Man's unfreedom stems from uncertainty about the present and the future
Which moment do you think you have the most attractiveness that a woman should have?
Li Jiayue: When playing on the court, I know what I should do in the next second, I know where my position and responsibilities are, so I am full of confidence, and I am the most attractive time at this time.
Zhao Lina: When I feel that the amount of training is very large and fierce every time I train, and I may not be able to complete it, but I finally stick to it, I will feel that I am very strong, and I like the way my small universe explodes.
Lina Yang: After a day of training, the evening finally came to an end, and the time belonged to herself. Leisurely put on a mask, look at yourself in the mirror, well, it's pretty good-
You are all good-looking players, do you think that the matter of looks has caused trouble to your career development?
Li Jiayue: Others think that you look good and praise you, this is not a bad thing, your good looks are things that can be seen, not something that needs to be hidden. But on top of that, I prefer my talent to be recognized. Because if a person's face is not good-looking, it is enough to go to the whole rong, but your own ability has no place to rectify, and others cannot grab it.
Zhao Lina: In fact, the appearance brings more advantages, but sometimes it does attract some remarks that make you very speechless. Over the years, I've heard a lot of people say, 'You look so good, what are you playing when you go to be an Internet celebrity?' I think that after I won the silver medal at the 2018 Asian Games, I quit the national team and was able to return to the national team after four years, which has proved through my own way that I was right not to leave football. If I only wanted to use my appearance to earn traffic, I would have retired four years ago. Some people seem to think that I am not doing the right thing to do video, and what is even more frightening is that they think it is natural for good-looking women not to do the right thing.
I would like to say that I feel that it is a meaningful thing for me to spend a lot of time, energy and money to output so many short videos after training and competition. Everyone saw the scene of the Asian Cup awards from the first perspective through my lens this time; I also tried to interview my teammates in my own way, and without watching my short video, I would not know that Zhu Yu chose to keep the goal because her mother felt that it was easy to be a goalkeeper; nor did I know that Ma Jun loved to eat so much... I won't know that the players who you can't name have their own joys and sorrows, and I am willing to do this window well.
How far do you feel you are from true freedom?
Zhao Lina: As professional athletes, we have a desire for this society and the world that you can't imagine, I have played football for 24 years, and I have seen and seen these people, who have been to many countries and cities but only three-point and one-line activities between airport hotels and stadiums. We also want to go around and meet more interesting people, so what I crave most at the moment must be freedom, and I am eager to decide for myself what to do tomorrow.
But mentally, I feel very rich and free. There was a time when I was confused, I didn't know what I could do in the future, was it useless to retire? My mental state is not good, but now, my goal is becoming clearer and clearer, and my sense of faith in football is getting stronger and stronger, and it turns out that people's unfreedom actually comes from uncertainty about the present and the future.
Li Jiayue: As a player, your words and deeds are often subject to more restrictions than ordinary people. For example, I usually live in the Oriental Green Boat for training, such as the national team training, such as stricter management during the epidemic, but I am mentally free. I make any decision and listen only to my own inner voice. As I got older, my family actually had a problem with me that I was still playing. They said, 'You can come, so don't kick wow.' But I won't listen, and I love this life of being completely self-made. Although professional players are often limited, it is also my choice to live this life, I choose to follow discipline, the choice is still in my own hands.
Lina Yang: Women's football has been pushed to such a height as it is now, and any word you say in public and do anything seems to be given another layer of meaning, and you no longer represent just yourself.
Are you afraid of the day you enter society after you retire from the army?
Li Jiayue: I'm not afraid, I'm even a little looking forward to it, because it's a new beginning, and I want to see how I will behave. I'm going to do youth training after I retire and I'm not going to leave football.
Zhao Lina: Because of the unknown, there will be some fear. One day the first step was taken, and there was nothing to fear. I think my main business must still be related to football, and making short videos is my side business.
Lina Yang: I am not afraid to enter the society, but I am afraid that when I retire, I will be reluctant to play football and the team, and I feel that I can't stand it when I think about that day.
What kind of life do you want to live in ten years?
Zhao Lina: I hope that I am still engaged in football-related professions, and I also hope to see that those women's football girls who are younger than me can be influenced by me a little bit and can do what I am doing now. Through the efforts of generations, women's football has a greater influence.
Li Jiayue: I hope that I can still be myself as I am now, and I have the freedom to do what I want to do.
Lina Yang: Just be happy, be in better health, I have no other requirements.
Remember when my parents last urged me to get married?
Li Jiayue: My parents have basically not urged, and may also know my personality better, knowing that before I make up my own mind, urging is useless.
Lina Yang: My family respects my personal wishes, so I don't have any pressure in this regard.
Zhao Lina: After winning the championship, my father urged me to get married when I was interviewed by the TV station, which made people feel like it was very urgent, in fact, it was okay, every time it was a side knock, it would not really force me to go on a blind date or something. Usually I go back with a sentence and I say I don't have time!
Freedom, love, marriage, family, career, in order of importance in your mind
Lina Yang: Family, Career, Freedom, Love, Marriage.
Li Jiayue: It doesn't matter which of family, career, freedom, love and marriage is before and which is after.
Zhao Lina: Freedom, family, career, love, marriage.
More interviews: We don't have "age phobias" and we don't set limits on our lives| chat with women's soccer