A murder victim, rape survivor, and porn star: Hong Kong’s media biases highlight misogynist social undercurrents · Global Voices
Hong Kong Free Press

Maple Yip. A whistle-blower and a victim of a Korean religious cult. Screenshot from the official documentary trailer “In the Name of God: A holy betrayal.”
The original post was written by Lea Mok and published in Hong Kong Free Press on April 2, 2023. The following edited version is published on Global Voices under a content partnership agreement with HKFP.
Hong Kong has been gripped by a series of often tragic headlines starring women as victims or protagonists in recent weeks. These have forced the city to grapple with how women are portrayed in the media, the biases and stereotypes that permeate HK society, and how citizens might change this.
Abby Choi’s murder made front-page of both domestic and international news outlets on February 24. Choi, often referred to as a “model” or a “socialite” by local news platforms, was a mother of four and married to the son of a well-known Hong Kong noodle franchise tycoon. She was allegedly murdered and dismembered by her ex-husband and his family members.
The news went viral on social media and online forums, with extensive coverage of the grisly homicide and Choi’s private life, particularly her appearance. As of writing this piece, searching Choi’s Chinese name on Google in Hong Kong yields “plastic surgery” as one of the top suggestions.
A week later, Netflix released the documentary “In the Name of God: A Holy Betrayal,” which exposed that Korean religious leaders were systematically raping women in their congregation. The first episode featured the testimony of 29-year-old Hongkonger Maple Yip, a former cult follower and rape victim, who was the primary whistleblower.
Yip was doxxed after the episode was aired. Online discussions were not only about the Korean cult but also about Yip’s personal history as a “brainwashed” or “calculating” former cult member, as well as her recent relationship with a famous Hong Kong actor.
Online slurs falsely describing both Choi and Yip as prostitutes were common, along with claims that the murder and rape were merely the outcomes of “labour disputes.”
On the other hand, Hong Kong-born porn star Erena So released an adult video in Japan in mid-March and received overwhelmingly positive feedback, with local tabloids branding her as “the glory of Hong Kong” and praising her for practising bodily autonomy.
At the same time, a fabricated government statement congratulating the adult video actress was doctored, mimicking the government’s previous congratulation statement to Oscar-winning best actress Michelle Yeoh, leading the authorities to pursue legal action against the forger. This raises questions over whether So’s unprecedented career move was genuinely respected by the general public or instead viewed as another subject of ridicule.
These three headlines have created an opportunity for both the press and the public to reflect on how women are portrayed in the media and how Hong Kong society might tell their stories differently.
Anna Chan, a sociology scholar at Lingnan University and a board member of the Association Concerning Sexual Violence Against Women, proposed a thought experiment: “What would we be discussing if the killer was a woman and the victim was a man?”
Chan believes the answer is clear: the woman would likely remain the centre of attention, focusing on her background and revealing how she became an “unconventional woman” capable of killing rather than being killed.
In fact, from 2016 to 2020, 45 percent of female homicide victims in Hong Kong — 29 out of 64 — were murdered by their intimate partners or family members, according to a database compiled by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. In contrast, only one out of 82 male homicide victims were killed by their partners or family members during the same period.
Femicide — referring to the intentional killing of women and girls because of their gender — is still an issue in this Asian financial hub known for its low crime rates.
Chan attributes the prevalence of femicide to women spending more time at home than men worldwide, increasing their likelihood of being killed within households. She also notes that discussions of femicide tend to involve victim-blaming more than conversations about crimes targeting men:
The first question that springs to most people’s minds when they find out a woman was killed is: what have they done to deserve this?
Pepper Siu, a veteran journalist and a Hong Kong-based columnist who has been monitoring the development of the feminist movement in East Asia, said:
There are three main reasons considered [by misogynists] to be legitimate excuses for killing a woman — when the woman was cheating, being disobedient or being overly dominating.
While most people assume women to be heartbroken after being cheated on, the same act is considered an insult to men, Siu told HKFP. This mindset has served as an easy explanation for femicide.
According to Anna Chan, the deeply ingrained cultural association of a woman’s identity with her sexuality accounts for this kind of victim-blaming and rape myth. In this cultural context, men are considered “normal” if they “inevitably” lose control due to a woman’s sexual attractiveness.
“But that’s not the truth. They can learn to control the desire,” Chan said, adding that men are also victims of this underlying misconception.
A review of online comments and news reports reveals how female victims’ sexuality is often used as a weapon to denigrate them. Chan points out that the labels “model” and “socialite,” as well as the frequent use of Choi’s profile in news reports, may have reinforced impressions of her as a shallow and unproductive gold digger — even though she was later reported as having been the CEO of several companies. The sociologist asked:
It would surely give a different impression of me if you referred to me as a ‘socialite’ instead of a ‘professor’…Why not focus more on the other aspects of Choi, instead of how she looked?
According to Siu, femicide has been treated lightly by Hong Kong society in the past, and the news industry is partly to blame:
The ecosystem of Hong Kong news industry is inseparable from its desire for hit rates.
She pointed to the lack of professionalisation in Hong Kong journalism. Unlike news agencies, local news organisations tend to undervalue news ethics training. As a result, frontline reporters are encouraged to reveal victims’ pasts — mostly gossip that should not be a matter of public interest.
She said reporters should strive to make victims less one-dimensional, helping readers understand that they were not just newspaper images but actual human beings:
While we follow guidelines on how to report suicides, why can’t we also take reference of guidelines on reporting femicide?
While some believe Hongkongers have become more open to feminist ideas, Siu argues that misogynistic undercurrents persist.
She cites the example of Erena So, the first major Hong Kong-born porn star in the Japanese industry.
Since the trailer for So’s adult film was released on a Japanese porn publisher’s website on March 15, Hong Kong netizens have been voicing their support by ordering DVD copies of her work. The website has reportedly stopped loading because of heavy traffic.
While some people claimed to be inspired by her bravery, several netizens thanked her for not being a “digital prostitute” — Cantonese slang for women who sell seductive photos online. That was So’s side gig before acting in porn movies.
Siu pointed to the online discussion and said:
Let me start with my conclusion — I think even though the public seems to be positive and open, the undercurrent is still misogyny — just misogyny presented in a ‘friendly’ way.
The columnist agreed it was progress that the public did not shame the porn star as they would likely have done 20 years ago, but the compliments were mixed with other sentiments:
Men’s appreciation for women’s bodily autonomy occurs mostly when a woman devotes herself to the sex industry. You could imagine the applause given to women becoming firefighters would not have been so loud.
Siu also cited a satirical online post — mimicking an official press release — congratulating So on her latest career development. The Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau responded to the doctored statement, saying it had reported the case to the police.
In Siu’s opinion, the incident showed that both parties — netizens and the government — did not see “porn star” as an occupation worthy of respect:
On the one hand, people said all jobs are equal; on the other hand, they used it to mock the government…and the officials took it as an insult too.
Chan, who teaches courses on gender and sociology at Lingnan University, believes that education on gender equality in Hong Kong still has a long way to go.
She said the younger generation, despite a stronger awareness of gender bias and discrimination, did not see the broader inequality in the city. Their school days had been comparatively free of discrimination, so they could not recognise the underlying patriarchy in society unless faced with specific cases of sexual harassment or discrimination.
Who should change first, the media or the public? Chan and Siu do not have a definite answer. However, they agree that while the media cultivates readers’ taste for news, readers also play a part in shaping the media.