Hong Kong Anthropological Society

Past Speakers and events (2004)


THE DEPARTMENT OF ANTHROPOLOGY, CUHK
AND THE HONG KONG MUSEUM OF HISTORY

PRESENT

JESSICA LAM

THE DREAM AND REALITY OF FLYING

15 Dec 2004 Wednesday
7: 00pm

Hong Kong Museum of History
Lecture Hall Ground Floor <> 100 Chatham Road South

"This is absolutely not the uniform I longed for. It has no charm, no elegance!" exclaimed one my informants, revealing her frustration with her airline employer. Becoming a flight attendant is a dream for many young women. My informants, women from Japan and Britain, invested a great deal of time and money to prepare themselves, beautify, and improve their body shape to realize their dreams. But the reality was often disappointing. The talk will explore the women's experiences and consider why the profession remains highly appealing to young women.

Jessica Lam is currently an instructor at the Gender Studies Programme, the Chinese University of Hong Kong and a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Tokyo. She has researched women's employment issues such as sexual harassment problems in Japanese companies. Ms. Lam has also taught courses on Hong Kong and Japanese women at the University of Hong Kong.


THE DEPARTMENT OF ANTHROPOLOGY, CUHK