“Just a Slogan”

Thornham, Sue; Feng, Pengpeng

doi:10.1080/14680771003672320

Cited by 30 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 9 publications

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“…An urban-centric consumerist media culture is also characterized by blindness to or misrepresentations of women from lower classes such as laid-off women and female migrants (Sun, 2009;Wallis, 2006). Thornham and Feng (2010) argue that a return to a 'femininity' construed upon essentialized gender difference, to a large extent brought about by exposure to a globalized western consumer culture, is in turned legitimized and co-opted by a western-style consumerism which identifies women's empowerment with consumption. Feminism as an object of desire, as a historical and political space, and as a subject position is lost with the rise of the global capitalism, its media and cultural industries, political complicities, and individualizing strategies.…”

Section: Chinese Women In the Mediamentioning

confidence: 99%

If You Are the One: Dating shows and feminist politics in contemporary China

2014

International Journal of Cultural Studies

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Dating shows are experiencing resurgence in contemporary China. This study conducts a critical discourse analysis of If You Are the One, one of the most popular dating shows, to examine what are the ways in which women are represented and how the show is both shaped by and constitutive of the ongoing sociocultural practices in contemporary China. The study concludes with the observation of women's subordination to the collusion between commercialism and patriarchy and of double manipulations of women in media discourses by forces of both market and state. Facing a state-market complex, feminism has a long way to go in China.

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Section: Chinese Women In the Mediamentioning

confidence: 99%

If You Are the One: Dating shows and feminist politics in contemporary China

2014

International Journal of Cultural Studies

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“…In this consumption-driven economy, a sexual industry is flourishing, which caters not only to males (Zhang & Hjorth, 2019;Zheng, 2009), but also to newly emerged female consumers (Griffin, 2007;Tan & Shi, 2021;Zurndorfer, 2016). The Boy's Love (BL) culture, with its male-male romance material, generated mainly by and for heterosexual women, has disrupted heteronormative norms and inverted the "male gaze" by transforming women into active participants, acknowledging their entitlement to their "female gaze" rights of male bodies (Li, 2020;Liang, 2022;Thornham & Pengpeng, 2010;Yang & Bao, 2012;Yang & Xu, 2017). The proliferation of effeminate, soft, and attractive masculine representations in transnational East Asian popular culture, which Jung (2010) refers to as "chogukjeok (transnational) pan-East Asian soft masculinity," has also heavily influenced Chinese popular culture and includes Korean kkonminam (flower boys), Japanese bisho ̄nen (beautiful boy) and Chinese xiao xian rou (little fresh meat).…”

Section: Literature Review: Chinese Sexual Economy and The Female Gazementioning

confidence: 99%

“Protecting our female gaze rights”: Chinese Female Gamers’ and Game Producers’ Negotiations with Government Restrictions on Erotic Material

Lai

Liu

2023

Games and Culture

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This article applies the Foucauldian concept of practiced freedom to examine how Chinese female gamers work hand in hand with game developers to negotiate government restrictions on in-game erotic material. Game developers have redesigned certain visual and textual game elements and used sexy dubbed voices to comply with state censorship while maintaining a game's appeal. Female gamers have meanwhile aligned themselves with the game developers by spending significant money on games and creating fan fiction, demonstrating their financial and sexual agency. This article explores how the practice of sexual freedom can serve as a useful lens for understanding the alliance between game developers and players, providing a glimpse into the everyday, conditioned, leisure-driven micro-resistance by engaging with existing scholarship that criticizes the commercial nature of digital games. Instead of overthrowing the conservative political framework, the goal of such gaming micro-resistance is to increase the profits of game developers and the sexual, consumptive rights of women gamers.

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“…Prior consumer research in Asian and other contexts underlines the need to recognise that gender intersects with other categories of identity such as class and sexuality, implying that women’s experiences may vary greatly, and thus the construct “woman” is not uniform, even though women may encounter some degree of sexism in patriarchal societies (Gaetano, 2016; McFadden, 2003; Thornham and Pengpeng, 2010). For example, Ganguly-Scrase (2003) examines lower middle-class Indian working-women in globalising India to show how liberalised economy has enabled them a greater autonomy and increased access to household goods.…”

Section: Post-feminism and New Middle-class Indian Women Consumers: A...mentioning

confidence: 99%

“From caged birds to women with wings”

Rangwala

Jayawardhena

Saxena

2020

EJM

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Purpose This study aims to explore consumption practices of new middle-class Indian women to explicate how they are challenging traditional social norms and redefining their identity through their consumption practices. Design/methodology/approach A total of 32 semi-structured and photo-elicitation interviews were conducted with new middle-class women between the age group of 23 and 40 years in India. Findings This study illustrates how the doing of consumption practices that involve creating, controlling, knowing and transforming is enabling new middle-class Indian women to undo gender disparities embedded in hegemonic patriarchal social order. Also, the study provides new insights into how class and symbolic capital intersect gender to redefine middle-class women’s feminine self. Research limitations/implications This study specifically illustrates how new middle-class women are using consumption practices to uplift their position in household; bring about new modes of social interface; and identity expression and a reversal in gender roles. Practical implications The conflation of women’s independence with consumerism underlines the need for marketers to position consumer goods in a manner that strengthens women’s self and alleviates cultural perceptions of women as subordinate to men in the household. Indian market has considerable growth potential for publicly visible brands that affirm the elevated social status of women and allow them to effectively demonstrate their capital resources. Originality/value An under-researched consumer segment is explored by focusing particularly on the intersection of discourses of women’s individuality with that of their consumption practices. Additionally, pioneering use of photo-elicitation technique coupled with hermeneutic approach enabled to elicit effectively women’s reflections on their behaviours, values and motivations underlying their consumption practices.

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“Just a Slogan”

Cited by 30 publications

References 9 publications

If You Are the One: Dating shows and feminist politics in contemporary China

If You Are the One: Dating shows and feminist politics in contemporary China

“Protecting our female gaze rights”: Chinese Female Gamers’ and Game Producers’ Negotiations with Government Restrictions on Erotic Material

“From caged birds to women with wings”

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