I am planning an intervention for men. Hosting an online seminar, inviting 6+2 men, 6 in a group and another 2 in a group. I hope to be able to use this dialogue to get a sense of how men view the female body.
In the last men’s seminar, the men invited were all from overseas study backgrounds and art education backgrounds, as well as living in big cities. This time, the men I invited were from different cities in China and from a single cultural background, while all of them were loyal users of TikTok. Excluding the issue of locality, the focus should be on how social media platforms such as Shake Yin have become an influence on the construction of female body image in modern culture.
Motivation
To understand how men perceive female body image, especially with the influence of social media and different socio-cultural contexts.
Objective
To explore the impact of TikTok and other media on men’s views.
To understand how socio-cultural factors shape perceptions of female body image.
Question Design
- TikTok and Female Body Image: To explore whether they believe that content on TikTok contributes to shaping or prejudicing a particular female body image.
- Socio-Cultural and Personal Views: Not geographically specific, but discuss whether they believe that growing up in their socio-culture has influenced their views of the female body.
- Media plurality: What other media or sources of information outside of TikTok have influenced their views?
Detailed Steps
Group 1: Photographs of women who have been subjected to cyber violence
Introductory Question.
“Why do you think these photos sparked online violence?”
“Are these cyberviolences related to societal expectations of women’s body image? How?”
Activity: Have participants share their insights and discuss ways to combat online violence and discrimination.
In-depth analysis: Remind participants to consider how social and cultural factors influence online violence.
Group 2: TikTok Content in which Women Show Their Bodies
Guiding Question.
“Can this content be seen as self-expression of women’s bodies?”
“Does the TikTok platform influence people’s perceptions of this content?”
Activity: Invite participants to share how they see these contents in relation to free expression and social media norms.
In-depth analysis: Explore how social media has shaped or reinforced social and cultural expectations of women’s bodies.
Group 3: Video and photos about the Crazy Horse show in France
Introductory Question.
“How do you feel about the way the female body is displayed in the French Crazy Horse show?”
“How is this different or similar to Groups 1 and 2?”
Activity: Engage participants in a discussion about how this performing art form influences, challenges, or maintains conventional ideas about the female body.
In-depth analysis: Invite participants to compare and contrast the three sets of images and videos to delve deeper into the social and cultural perceptions each reflects.
Through these three sets of content, participants were prompted to view female body image from different perspectives, further challenging or confirming their views.At the same time, by asking participants to rate the “appropriateness” or acceptability of the three different types of graphic content (about cyber violence, TikTok’s images of women, and the Crazy Horse show in France), as well as whether or not the content was pornographic, it was possible to quantify the participants’ responses, and also to observe the perceptions of women’s body image across different societal and cultural contexts. The results can also be used to observe perceptions of female body image in different social and cultural contexts.
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I will be applying two academic theories to this seminar, “The Male Gaze” by Laura Mulvey and “The Filter Bubble”.
“The Male Gaze” by Laura Mulvey: Application and Analysis
Laura Mulvey’s “The Male Gaze” is a theory of film, television and culture derived from her 1975 paper “Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema”, in which she argues that most film and television is constructed through the male point of view (or “gaze”). “) is constructed, not only literally as a point of view, but also in terms of storyline, characterisation, and so on. This perspective often makes women passive objects of observation, reinforcing male initiative and authority while shaping the social expectations of female body image.
Applications in Seminar
1.TikTok and the Male Gaze: In the first session, you can introduce the concept of “The Male Gaze” by asking male participants if they think that female body image content on TikTok is created based on the male gaze. This not only deepens the discussion culturally, but also adds an element of gender power dynamics.
2.Socio-cultural and personal perspectives: In this section, you can further explore how the male gaze is represented and transmitted in different cultural contexts. Whether this perspective influences their own views and whether they are aware of such a gaze.
3.Media plurality: Here, you can discuss which other media platforms besides TikTok may also be channels for the transmission of the male gaze. For example, films, TV and adverts.
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Application and Analysis of “The Filter Bubble” in TikTok
“The Filter Bubble” is a concept developed by Eli Pariser in 2011 to describe how social media and search engines use algorithms to tailor the information users see to influence their perceptions and worldviews. These algorithms provide users with customised content based on their search history, interactions and preferences, with the result that users are more likely to be exposed to information that aligns with their own views, while ignoring or avoiding opposing or unfamiliar views.
Applications in Seminar
1. TikTok and the Filter Bubble: You can use the concept of “The Filter Bubble” to explore whether participants believe that TikTok’s algorithm helps to shape or limit their perceptions of women’s body image. The Filter Bubble is likely to be more pronounced, especially on a content-rich, highly personalised platform.
2. Group dynamics: During the discussion, you can further guide participants to think about how TikTok may generate different forms or intensities of filter bubbles across different social groups (e.g., age, gender, cultural background, etc.).
Finally, I would invite psychologists to provide a more in-depth academic explanation of this activity and the targeting of the male gaze and how it affects society’s perception of female body image.