Social media, gender and body image – a multi-dimensional battle
This Blog documents an in-depth discussion between myself and Yuyinxiang, a Chinese woman born in 1997. We focused on female body image, social media (especially The Red Book and Tik Tok) regulations in Chinese society, and how these factors affect women’s self-expression and social status.
The interviewee’s profile.
Name: Yuyinxiang Identity: Tik Tok with 100,000 followers
Age: 26 (born in 1997)
Nationality: Chinese
Professional background: Fashion design
Reason for interview: She often posts her photos in The Red Book and Tik Tok, but has been blocked three times in The Red Book and not in Shake.
This dialogue gave me a deeper understanding of how women’s body image is influenced and suppressed by multiple factors in the Chinese social and social media environment. It provided me with a wealth of real-life examples and people’s perspectives, and further corroborated the issues and challenges raised in my project. At the same time, this dialogue has provided valuable primary research and has made me as an activist more aware of the issues that need to be focused on and changed. Starting with these realities will be more helpful in implementing effective strategies and actions in my project.
The following is an in-depth analysis and reflection of this dialogue.
- Social media double standards: censorship and gender
On The Red Book, any image of a woman that is considered “sexy” can be labelled as “vulgar pornography”, whereas on Shakeology it is relatively lenient. This double standard reflects a deeper societal phenomenon: women’s bodies are often scrutinised more closely than men’s bodies. This point suggests to us that even on seemingly neutral social media platforms, gender inequality can exist in subtle or less obvious ways. As an activist, I need to reveal and challenge these hidden inequalities in my projects.
- The reality of sexism: algorithms and social perceptions
The fact that changing gender settings on social media can lead to different content censorship results directly exposes the inherent sexism of the platforms. This discrimination may be a reflection of the social media platform’s algorithms, as well as broader societal perceptions. This apparent sexism provides a starting point for my project: in the future, it may be possible to change existing social media algorithms or rules through design or educational interventions.
- Social Perceptions and Individual Freedom: Repression and Liberation
In Chinese culture, the female body is often seen as an object to be “controlled” and “censored”. This notion not only restricts women’s personal freedom, but also reinforces gender inequality. Understanding these deep-rooted societal perceptions helps me to design interventions more effectively. For example, I might consider launching a series of campaigns or continuing to post articles on social media about the body image, with the aim of changing traditional perceptions of women’s bodies.
- Self-expression and social response: the right and cost of expression
Even when women try to express themselves through social media, they are often met with negative societal reactions, including but not limited to malicious comments, sexual harassment, or physical harm. This phenomenon suggests that it is not enough to simply change the rules of social media platforms, but that a broader change in society’s acceptance of female self-expression is needed.
Through in-depth analysis and reflection on these four components, I have come to realise the complexity and multidimensionality of the problem. As an activist, I need to adopt strategies and actions from multiple perspectives and levels, including data-driven research, collaboration and influence, education and advocacy, and even legal advice and policy influence. All of these have deepened my understanding of the issues themselves. In this battlefield of challenges and possibilities, every small improvement gives me endless hope.