Ready to Rock
As a newcomer to Asia, having arrived in Hong Kong only last summer at what some might consider to be an inopportune moment to embark on a new career adventure, I come to armed with more curiosity than expertise about this complex world of social hierarchies and power structures. But I know what makes a good story and I trust my instincts that there are many more of them here to be told.
Fortunately, I encountered an incredible team of talented journalists who are experts on their respective beats and bring a bright new perspective to everything happening around our region, from fashion to dining to the arts. In this issue, with a general theme of celebrating women, we sought subjects who offered something beyond messages about empowerment or having it all. We wanted to feature alpha women whose work and lives are so undeniably dynamic that traditional conversations about gender and power don’t really play into their stories at all.
This is certainly the case with our cover subject, Josie Ho, the self-admittedly shameless singer and actress who also happens to be one of billionaire casino magnate Stanley Ho’s 17 children, and yet demonstrates why she deserves to be considered an icon in her own right in a jaw-droppingly revealing article by deputy editor Lauren James. Sadly, just as this issue was going to press came the news of Stanley’s passing at age 98, a life we also celebrate in these pages. Josie Ho openly discusses how she overcame the pressures to meet other people’s expectations of a pop star throughout her career, including years of taking appetite suppressants to remain thin, but in a telling moment, she contacted James after the interview to remind us she was not interested in being held up as some symbol of a strong, powerful woman. In fact, she asked for the headline to read, “Josie the Ho,” a request we most respectfully declined.
“I don’t mind rolling on the ground. I love when people are laughing at me,” she tells James, and by the end of this story you’ll be laughing right along.
Elsewhere, senior fashion editor Rosana Lai, in a new column created to address our readers’ demands for a smarter approach to consumerism, describes how the scale of women’s attire has historically been viewed as symbolic of gender dynamics and what the sudden appearance of voluminous gowns on runways and red carpets might mean today. I wouldn’t dare risk being accused of mansplaining her conclusions to you, so you’ll have to read for yourself why Lai has dubbed this trend “womanspreading”. If there’s one thing that all of the women featured in this issue have in common, including Judith Neilson, who holds what is arguably the world’s largest collection of Chinese art made since the year 2000, and the photographer Luo Yang, whose portraits of Asian youth defy stereotypes or judgment, it is that they are not afraid of defining their own space, let alone taking up more of it.
As for me, I think this is the perfect moment for an adventure. I’ve even adopted a rescue dog named Soko to help me grow into my new space. And, I’m pleased to report, it already feels like home.