The Exchange of Men in Mary Chin’s The Woman in Kenzo

Abstract

The Woman in Kenzo is a Hong Kong popular fiction written by Mary Chin. Initially published as a serialized fiction in City Magazine in 1977, it portrays a westernized generation of young female elites in Hong Kong who could appreciate and pursue a lavish lifestyle. They have been benefited by better education opportunities and broader exposure to foreign culture triggered by rapid economic growth in the colonial era. Specifically, the protagonist Mary is presented as a charming working woman with a lucrative career. However, she leads an unhappy life due to her incapability
of finding an eligible bachelor who could meet her  tandards and most importantly, tie the knot with her. As a contemporary woman who is financially independent, she faces the pressure of marriage as established social norms continue to define successful women with their men. With the objective of providing a contemporary response to Luce
Irigaray’s interrogation of “why are men not objects of exchange among women” (Irigaray, 1985: 171), this paper initiates the possibility that men could actually be objects of exchange among contemporary women. This would be done through a textual analysis on the romantic relationships of the protagonist Mary Chin in The Woman in Kenzo. I shall demonstrate that women with power of financial autonomy would still be living under the eternal pressure of marriage, but this kind of societal urge would not make them forget their individual desire for leading an independent life.