My post on A Last Minute Celebration on New Year’s Eve has made a huge splash with the readers of So Easy.
Over the past month, traffic has steadily grown into monstrous proportions here at My Several Worlds. And, I might add, the author of So Easy did a very poor job of translating what I actually wrote here on MSW into Chinese.
It seems the author of So Easy was upset about my use of the word ‘punani’. This word ‘punany’ or ‘punani’ was used in India to describe the female sex organ. Check it out. It’s in the Kama Sutra. Other common related words: abalone, va-jay-jay, etc.
The Taipei Times used the very same terms to talk about Britney Spears, Little Pan Pan, and a couple of other women in Taiwan’s entertainment industry less than a year before this post was published.
I would also like to clarify that at no time have I ever referred to the woman in question as a bitch or a slut.
I did not post those pictures of Michelle. However, I did make a few remarks about her behavior that evening because it was gross and inappropriate. If you don’t agree with my choice of words, no problem. Don’t read my blog. I’m not going to change my post.
The hoop-la seems to be stemming from several photos published by a photographer friend of mine and my comments about Michelle’s behavior. The photographer has since removed those photos. I am not removing my commentary. This has nothing to do with where the woman comes from. It could happen anywhere. This is not me attacking a Taiwanese woman and pointing out the differences between Western and Taiwanese women. This has to do with having some common sense and respecting those around you. We paid good money to be at a New Year’s Eve party and her behavior ruined our night and made all of us feel very uncomfortable.
To recap, the woman in question joined our party early in the evening, without an invite I might add. We were sitting at a couch with a table. There wasn’t any room for her or her boyfriend to sit with us. She perched on the edge of the cough and started flashing everyone at the table. Then she renewed her efforts with Range and my husband. She tried to sit on their laps, and mugged for the cameras before giving us a show with her boyfriend. They simulated having sex on the sofa at our table. When we pulled out our cameras (thinking that this would put a stop to their lewd behavior) they became even more sexually suggestive.
A few of my Taiwanese friends were so disgusted by their behavior that they left the party. In addition to flashing Range and putting her private parts on display all evening, Michelle and her boyfriend also suggested a threesome. We were all extremely uncomfortable with their behavior. It was just disgusting.
Please correct me if I’m wrong. From what I can deduce, the author of So Easy is a bit put-off with my choice of referring to Michelle as “Punani Girl”. Personally, I think it’s quite appropriate considering we spent more time looking up her skirt than at her face.
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Punani = Pussy (va***a). Check:
http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=PUNANI
Btw, she ain’t gorgeous (in the eyes of a Taiwanese)
According to the author of So-Easy, obviously, “punani” is a negative word, since it’s used by many erotic sites. Thus the author thinks that if someone is called “punani”, she is just called bitch/slut with another word.
As I am not a native speaker, I can’t really understand if “punani” has this kind of implication. But if you don’t think that is what you intend to mean, maybe you can kindly provide some more explanation?
BTW, the author is not put-off because you used the word “punani”. In fact, he is trying to humiliate the Taiwanese girls who think they are superior just because they have Caucasian boyfriends. He said that your friend took pictures of Michelle aka Punani Girl in order to humiliate her rather than to praise her beauty. Well, if your friend was pissed off, I can totally understand. And if you felt offended, I know that feeling as well. As a Taiwanese, I do feel ashame whenever I see people like Michelle. I am not a xenophobia, but it’s absolutely very unpleasant to see girls want to show off their “FOREIGNER” boyfriends. And as an civilized human, I think this is so inappropriate to stimulate sex in a public area.
I am not sure if you ever feel that kind of strange self-pity complex existing in some Taiwan people when they face foreigners. But in our society, girls who marry or date foreigners are treated unfriendly very often. And I have to say, when a girl always use her foreigner boyfriend/husband to prove her “superiority,” and treat other Taiwanese as an inferior race, it is very hard to eliminate the mentioned hostility. I think this is a vicious cycle.
Anyway, I still hope you enjoy everyday you spend in Taiwan. Have a good time!
Majo
I was happy to read your comment this morning. Thank you for explaining what the author of So Easy was writing about.
I did not mean she is either. As I mentioned in my post, we spent more time getting to know her bottom half than the top, hence the reference.
I love Taiwan. This has been my home for two years. Had I witnessed this behavior back home in Canada I still would have posted about it. It has nothing to do with the fact that the couple in question are Taiwanese and Canadian.
Hi there,
After reading about that girl at your blog, as well as Joanna’s, I have to say that her behaviors you mentioned does remind me of Hilton, Spears, and even Lohan (pre-rehab). The difference is that Michelle isn’t cute!
And such behaviors in the public are extremely disgraceful, no matter what race she & her bf are. But it is unfortunate that some Taiwanese girls feel the need to show off in such way. Sigh~~~
Hi,
This is a response to the posts about “Punani Girl”.
I had a look at the pictures of her, 3 of them I think, and I read many of the related comments about what happened from globetrotteri and Joanna Rees. And I’m being honest when I say this…I didn’t see or read anything there that you wouldn’t see or expect in a typical nightclub here in the UK, or in the US, or even in Australia. That’s right! If you go out clubbing in Ibiza, London, Los Angeles, or even Perth, you will see drunk people falling all over the floor, men and women snogging each other, men snogging each other, women snogging each other! It happens on the sofa, on the dancefloor, in the toilets, at the bar, outside the door, in the alley way, in the taxi. I wouldn’t be suprised if it happened in the f**king bedroom! They snog, they rub each other’s tits and arse, and they don’t stop at simulation of sex. No Sureee…they go right ahead and do it, in front of everyone. And why?! Because they’re drunk, high or just plain horny. The truth is, this kind of behaviour is common place in many parts of the Western world. The US, Canada, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, and Great Britain. And when these people from these countries go on holiday or go travelling, they take their shitty behaviour with them.
Unfortunately, a lot of these shitty behaving people find themselves in Taiwan and shamefully they work as English teachers and are given the responsiblity of caring for young children. But thankfully they’re just a minority of the total population of foreigners in Taiwan, and after reading some of the articles posted here, the author seems to be one of the good ones. Anyway ass-licking time aside, my point is that it takes two to tango, and from my experience it is the foreigner men who are to blame for encouraging the above mentioned behaviour. How hard is it to say ‘no thanks, I’m not interested.’ The man in the photo wasn’t exactly running away was he? And I’m sure Joanna’s husband is perfectly capable of politely reminding a flirtatious lady that his wife is sitting only yards away. Flirting is something we all do, married/attached or not. It’s human nature to flirt.
With all this in mind it seems rather unfair for the author to label this woman with the name ‘Punani Girl’. I would even go so far to say it is quite offensive as it seems like a comment fuelled by anger. Michelle shouldn’t shoulder all the blame for what happened that night, and it seems to me after reading your article that this is message you are putting across to your readers, which I might point out, extends beyond the circle of foreigners, out into the Taiwanese general public. Taiwanese people who read about this won’t see your explanation the way you see it, but the way So Easy has translated it. And they haven’t really been kind in their description of what happened. Whatever future Michelle has will be overshadowed by this.
Next time you post an article related to this topic, you might want to consider re-phrasing some of your comments, so that readers and even people from So Easy will understand that you are not bad mouthing this girl or labelling her as being slutty. Everyone is capable of behaving this way at some point in their life, but it doesn’t mean we should be punished for it.
I hope you have a good time in Taiwan, just as I did.
Hi Mate,
You’re absolutely right. We can find this type of behavior all over the world, although I think that most people would stop once they realized they were being photographed by not one, but four cameras. Had this happened in Canada, I still would have posted the same results you see here on My Several Worlds. These posts have nothing to do with race.
We see this type of behavior exhibited by American actresses and pop stars like Britney Spears and Paris Hilton,who have gained quite a bit of fame for showing their ‘punanis’ in public all the time.
We also see this type of behavior exhibited in Taiwan’s entertainment industry. Personally, I think it has nothing to do with the encouragement of foreign men. I think they’ve learned this behavior from how women portray themselves in the media, just as young women back home learn this type of behavior from North American celebrities.
Perhaps young women like Michelle, just like young women in North America, learn this type of behavior from what the media sells them.
And I’m sorry, but I disagree. No one was making her act like that. She left the house without underwear, she was the one flashing everyone, she was the one rubbing herself, and she was the one who started things with her boyfriend on the couch. No one made her do anything.
Also, if her future is overshadowed by photos that she posed for and a post that resulted directly from her behavior, it has nothing to do with me. I’d say she’s done a great job ‘overshadowing’ her future all on her own.
Hi,
I’m sure that most people find Michelle’s behavior improper, tasteless, nasty or even offensive. However, I couldn’t agree more with Mate that “it takes two to tangle.”
And what we see here seem criticise more on her rather than them both. Be fair, I mean it is not her own show, someone must rug her tits, put hand into her shirt and skirt, and there must be many were watching this show, even taking pics for them… Poor Michelle is utterly naive or seeking fame, but I wonder if she knew that her photos were taken viciously and posted with “funny” remarks.
I’ve read that article on Taipei Times, to be frank, that is not a very friendly report with words chosen by the reporter. I was stunned because of reading it from a newspaper which I do not suppose it as a tabloid. Sadly, that reporter was dismissed. Back to my point is that your instance here doesn’t help to your explanation.
We all see what happened here and what she did(trust me, your several world has been browsed by more people because of Michelle. Thanks to her.. lol ), but does she deserve this!? Do we have the right to punish such HILARIOUS girl..?
come on.. Do you use “punani girl” this funny descripion on your friends to their face, or you usually tell them after pretending to be friendly then take their pic with comments? I am just saying that it is also improper to post anyone’s pic with comments that might make person concerned unpleasant, regardless if she sues you or not.
BTW, It is not you who decide words you chose are funny or malevolent. As you said, readers construe the meaning however they wish, and so are people whom you described.
Michelle’s behavior disgusted and embarrassed many Taiwanese. Oddly enough, I haven’t seen many Taiwanese or Canadian post this like you, as we can find such people all over the world.
I hardly heard foreigners having no good time here, good pay, nice people, bla bla bla..
so I hope you keep enjoying life here.
Hello Boneur,
Thanks very much for your comments.
The correspondent who wrote that article was still working for the Taipei Times in October 2007 and I’m quite certain was not dismissed because of the article I mentioned above.
The woman we are talking about knew her pictures were being taken. She asked us to photograph her before her boyfriend arrived. At that point, it was only her. Her boyfriend arrived later. She knew exactly what she was doing.
And if my girlfriend is flashing her punani, whether on purpose or accidentally, I would most certainly tell her and joke about it with her.
It pains me that our conservative culture has turned into something so crude and crass. A century and a half ago, if a man was seen fondling a woman’s foot(foot!), the girl’s family would force the guy to marry her. And now, a girl openly shows her private parts with no shame at all. (sighs and shakes head.)
If it were a Taiwanese man and Canadian woman doing those such things, it would not have been treated with such hostility. This has something to do with the bitterness of Asian men. I suggest you go to this website to check it out http://www.bitterasianmen.com/asiangirls.html
It’s true. It has happen more than once that I saw a Taiwanese woman openly flirting with a foreign guy(the guy was balding and butt-ugly) How often do you see it the other way around?
My brother told me the same thing. He also warned me,If I ever date a white man, I’ll be dead meat.
Hi globetrotteri,
I also read the article you linked from Taipei Times a few times and to be honest with you, I personally do not find the word “punani” funny in this mocking article (guess I have no sense of humor…).
Did Michelle deserve this nickname? She probably did, but most people will try to stay away from her instead of taking her photos & “wishing her to stop”. I do believe that your calling her as a “punani girl” really has nothing to do with her race nor nationality. Because any girl (may she be your girl friend, Taiwanese, Canadian, etc.) who flirts with other people’s husbands, flashing her private parts to committed men, sitting on married men’s laps, is surely asking for a nasty nickname.
I wish you enjoy Taiwan and her friendly people.
ppmint
Hello folks,
I’m happy to post your comments but please be aware that I will edit comments that are insulting to me, my work or my friends.
PPmint,
Yes, I edited your comment. I left your comment EXACTLY the way you wrote it. The only part I removed was the direct insult to me at the end of your comment. The happy wishes and enjoy Taiwan bit were a little over the top though.
In your second comment, you left another insult. I didn’t post it.
Your third comment has me laughing. Again, I didn’t post.
If you don’t like my blog, don’t read it. That goes for anyone else who thinks they have the right to judge a situation when they weren’t there.