Week #41: Food brands love that you hate cilantro 🌿, China's male HPV vaccine 👫, The Margaret Zhang divide➗ | Following the yuan

Sorry there is no cilantro emoji! How unacceptable!

Last week, after I read Financial Times’ report that Vogue China’s editor Margaret Zhang will leave after her contract ends in March, I wrote a LinkedIn post to add some color on Chinese public opinion, because saying that “[she] was attacked on social media in China for being born in Australia” makes it sound like everyone here is racist.

I wanted to point out that there are merits in people’s criticism on her as a leader of one of the most important fashion magazines in China, but I was slightly surprised about how most of my professional connections on LinkedIn who commented under the post are supportive, a stark contrast to her media portrayal in mainland China.

Today, I will unpack the divide in perceptions further, and some of the key events from her tenure at Vogue China. As someone who does not know her personally, my focus will be on summarizing the prevailing public opinions. Additionally, I can't help but question if the public's scrutiny would be as harsh if Zhang were male or of a different age.

Before that, let’s start with something lighter, or heavier, depending on your preferences…