Introduction
In the last round of in-depth conversations with men, I observed two main phenomena. First, men have certain expectations for how women should dress “appropriately,” a term I chose for its multiple implications, including cultural and social norms. These expectations differ depending on cultural and social backgrounds, making them subjective and ambiguous. Second, despite covering a wide range of topics like culture, history, politics, and education, the data gathered was not very specific or accurate.
To obtain more precise information, I conducted this research using online webinars for direct, in-depth conversations with men. The results revealed two key points. One, women often feel internalized pressure and scrutiny under the male gaze and expectations. Two, men’s preset standards for female body image not only hinder open dialogue on this subject but also exacerbate issues of gender inequality and tension.
Theoretical frameworks
1.The Male Gaze
Laura Mulvey’s “The Male Gaze” argues that visual media is often constructed from a male viewpoint, objectifying women and influencing societal expectations about female bodies.
2.The Filter Bubble
Eli Pariser’s “The Filter Bubble” describes how algorithms in social media and search engines shape user perceptions by showing personalized content, leading to a narrower worldview.
Participant Selection
The participants for this study are Chinese Gen Z “straight males.” The term “straight male” is commonly used to describe men who are heterosexual. Within the cultural and social landscape of China, this term further serves to characterize men who are perceived to lack sensitivity towards issues concerning women’s body image. Their attitudes and perspectives often reinforce societal expectations of female physical appearance. Consequently, in online communities, the label “straight male” has become a derogatory term aimed at this specific group of men for perpetuating such norms.
Participant Profile
Geographic Background: The participants hail from various cities across China, including first-tier, second-tier, and third-tier cities, to capture the influence of regional cultural differences on the concept of “straight males.”
Age Group: Given the focus on Gen Z, the age range of the participants is primarily 23-28 years old.
Educational Level: Participants have varied educational backgrounds, ranging from high school graduates to university degrees and above, to assess the impact of education on opinion formation.
Occupation and Socioeconomic Status: Includes both salaried employees and freelancers to understand if “straight males” from different socioeconomic backgrounds hold varying opinions and behavioral patterns.
Online Social Activity: Participants are chosen based on a certain level of activity on social media platforms to understand how they express and propagate views concerning female body image in online communities.
Process
1，Intervention- online seminar
Topic: Exploring how men view female body image
Objective: The study aims to probe into male perspectives on female body image by employing a visual assessment technique.
Methodology
Visual Stimuli: A total of eight sets of images are used, each representing a different facet of female body image.
Questions for Discussion: Participants are prompted with the following inquiries on a 0-10 Likert scale:
- Affinity Question: “Do you like the body image of the female in the photo?” (Scale: 0-10, with 0 indicating ‘Strongly Dislike’ and 10 ‘Strongly Like’)
- Appropriateness Question: “Do you consider the content of the female body image displayed in this photo or video to be appropriate?” (Scale: 0-10, with 0 indicating ‘Highly Inappropriate’ and 10 ‘Highly Appropriate’)
- Real-world Acceptability Question: “Would you find it acceptable if women in your real-world social environment exhibited such a body image?” (Scale: 0-10, with 0 indicating ‘Strongly Unacceptable’ and 10 ‘Strongly Acceptable’)
———————————-The following is a discussion and analysis of the data.—————————————
First Set of Images: Participant Responses
C-enen: “I can’t really accept the way women around me would dress like this.”
Dian: “Acceptance level is 9, but I can’t accept my girlfriend dressing like this.”
Regarding the appropriateness of the image, some males think it only reaches up to level 5. Additionally, Dian’s comment about not accepting his girlfriend dressing like this implies that he finds the female body image in the photo to be less than fully appropriate.
Second Set of Images: Participant Responses
Zhuzhu: “I really like it.”
Bottle: “I just don’t like this style.”
Based on the data, it is evident that men pay significant attention to a woman’s clothing style when assessing her overall body image. If they do not like the style, they are likely to deem it as inappropriate.
- Reason for Selecting These Two Sets of Images and Male Participants’ Reflections on Cyberbullying
The reason I chose these two sets of images is that both women featured in them have faced varying degrees of cyberbullying after posting these photos on Xiaohongshu. The comments beneath the photos predominantly argue that they are inappropriate and meant to attract male attention.
When I informed male participants of this context, their opinions were as follows:
C-enen: “I can’t understand the cyberbullying against the woman wearing a bikini because she is at the beach. What one wears should be context-specific. Negative comments about the woman wearing yoga pants while hiking seem normal, as the content displayed by the woman in the photo seems somewhat off-putting.”
Zongru: “Wearing yoga pants for hiking is OK, but the body image displayed by the woman in the photo does give off an impression of catering to male attention.”
Zhuzhu: “The woman in the photo wearing yoga pants excessively emphasizes her body curves.”
The male participants’ feedback sheds light on how the appropriateness of a woman’s outfit and body image can be seen as highly contextual, depending on the setting and intent.
Third Set of Images: Subjective Interpretations on Appropriateness
Bottle: “I genuinely like and accept it. I think it’s very cute and don’t believe it’s thirst trap.”
Zhiqu: “Clearly it’s thirst trap.”
Zongru: “I don’t like it, but I could accept women around me displaying such a body image.”
The data from this set shows that there is controversy on the issue of appropriateness. Some men think the content is thirst trap, while others find the female figure presented in the video to be cute and not thirst trap. This indicates that the judgment of what is ‘appropriate’ is relatively subjective.
Fourth Set of Images: Diverging Opinions on Appropriateness and Acceptance
Eric: “I can accept different body images displayed by women around me due to their attire.”
The data from this set indicates that the female body image in the photo is relatively well-received. However, opinions on its appropriateness diverge significantly—some find it extremely appropriate, while others consider it very inappropriate. The level of real-world acceptance of such a female body image corresponds with perceptions of its appropriateness.
Fifth Set of Images: Visual Perception Over Authenticity
In this set of data, most people still like this type of body image. However, there is a declining trend in terms of its appropriateness and whether such a body image displayed by women in reality would be accepted. When I informed them from a female and professional perspective that such body proportions have exceeded normal ranges, and that perhaps both the bust and buttocks are artificial, as well as heavily filtered, their responses were:
C-enen: “The attire looks normal, and the body looks good. As long as it’s pleasing to the eye, it’s fine.”
zhuzhu: “It’s all about the impression, not chasing after whether it’s authentic.”
Piont: “As long as it looks great, it’s fine. Moreover, men like a slightly plump figure.”
Sixth Set of Images: Differing Perceptions of Body Size Between Men and Women
Piont: “This is not slightly plump, this is fat.”
zhuzhu: “What women consider to be slightly plump and what men consider to be slightly plump are different.”
Zhiqu: “Slightly plump means having what you should have, and not having what you shouldn’t have.”
In this set of data, the level of men’s liking for the female body image in the photo has declined compared to the previous sets of photos, but the degree of appropriateness has relatively not changed.
Seventh Set of Photos: Focus on Overall Appearance Rather than Body Shape
zhuzhu: “Men don’t care whether she is confident or not. At the same time, they don’t like the overall makeup and styling. The body shape is actually irrelevant.”
Zhiqu: “Can’t accept the lip piercing.”
This set of data shows that men have a lower level of liking for the female body image in the photo. What they find unlikable is not related to body shape, but other elements that constitute the overall body image, such as disliking the makeup and styling or disliking the lip piercing. While men consistently perceive the female in the picture as confident, they also believe that on the internet, they don’t care whether the female images they see are confident or not.
Eighth Set of Photos: Differing Opinions on Hairstyle but Generally Acceptable
C-enen: “I don’t like girls with short hair; women should have long hair. Even though she looks confident, I don’t like it.”
zhuzhu: “I think the woman’s hairstyle is very cool.”
This set of data shows that men have varying degrees of liking for the female body image in this photo. However, they generally find it appropriate, and the level of acceptance is quite high. Everyone directly expressed their views on the woman’s hairstyle. It can be seen that men have very clear standards for whether or not they like a particular body image.
Discussion of Questions:
- Question 1: Does the daily push of videos about women on TikTok affect how men view women in real life?
Zhiqu: “In my TikTok feed, if out of ten recommended pieces of content, six are thirst trap, then there’s a problem.”
C-enen: “No, absolutely not.”
This shows that as male users, TikTok pushes a large number of thirst trap videos to them through its algorithm. However, they also state that these online depictions do not influence their perceptions of women in real life.
- Question 2: How do you comment on a woman’s body image?
zhuzhu: “No matter what the body image, two or more guys will definitely discuss it, but we won’t comment online.”
C-enen: “If nobody talks to me about it, I won’t comment or discuss a woman’s body image. I definitely won’t discuss it online or engage in cyberbullying.”
This suggests that men are more inclined to discuss a woman’s body image amongst themselves and refrain from participating in online cyberbullying regarding women.
- Question 3: If women around you (friends, or those in intimate relationships) don’t meet your expectations regarding body image, would you ask them to change?
Piont: “I would ask my girlfriend but not others.”
C-enen: “I would, let’s say if my sister was overweight, I’d ask her to lose weight. If she dressed inappropriately, I’d ask her to change. For friends, I wouldn’t say much.”
Zongru: “For family members or girlfriends, it’s more out of concern for their health and protection; I might suggest some changes. For friends, it doesn’t matter.”
This reveals that men might request changes in women’s body images based on their own expectations, potentially under the guise of health concerns. Even if they believe they are only making these requests to the women around them, it actually reflects broader social expectations about women’s body images.
- Question 4: Do you think the women in these social media images (based on the above pictures) are positively expressing their body images?
C-enen: “Based on the pictures, both the woman climbing in yoga pants and the cases on Douyin are not positive. From a male perspective, most women that we like online are not positively showcasing their body image.”
Zhuzhu: “As long as they are not deliberately showing off their bodies, it’s positive. Those who are intentionally displaying their bodies and curves are deliberately seeking attention.”
This question is crucial because their answers reveal that men are quite clear about what they consider to be positive or negative expressions of female body image, and they have standards for it. This means that men have constructed their own expectations regarding female body image, which indirectly reflects society’s expectations and constraints on how women should present themselves.
Discussion on the Crazy Horse Show:
The feedback I received is that men find the Crazy Horse Show beautiful and see nothing abnormal about it; they also believe that such a form of stage expression is aesthetically pleasing. Therefore, they cannot understand why so many people on the internet view this kind of bodily performance as explicit or inappropriate content.
———————————-The above is a discussion and analysis of the data.—————————————
2. Post-Intervention Interview
- Question 1: Before this discussion, had you ever spoken directly with women about the topic of female body image?
C-enen: “I’ve never discussed this topic with women before. I feel that this kind of discussion is quite positive. It’s a completely new experience for me.”
- Question 2: What’s the reason you’ve never discussed this kind of topic directly with women?
C-enen: “I thought that women do not like to discuss this topic; I was afraid it would leave a bad impression on them.”
- Question 3: Will such a discussion change your perception of female body image?
C-enen: “It won’t make a significant change, but occasionally, when I see women on the internet, I recall some of the points made during the discussion.”
- Question 4: Do you think there’s a difference between discussing this topic with men and discussing it with women?
C-enen: “Discussing it with women feels awkward; I can’t speak freely. But with men, I can say a lot more.”
Additional Conversation
After the interview, I had some additional conversation with the interviewee. Suddenly, he asked me a rather private and sensitive question about female body image. I expressed my surprise and then asked, “Would you ask other women this question?” He indicated that he wouldn’t because such a question could offend other women. However, he felt that communicating with me wouldn’t make me angry. I further inquired, “In our previous interactions, what kind of message did I convey to you that made you feel comfortable asking me this question without it being offensive?” He answered, “In past discussions with men on this topic, the content conveyed was always positive.” So he knew that asking me wouldn’t be considered unhealthy, and we could have a positive and proactive conversation.
This dialogue had a profound impact on me. It suggests that the seminar had some effect on men; it appears that they too wish to communicate with women about body image. However, due to their own established perceptions and expectations about female body image, they have created barriers for themselves in communicating with women on this topic.
3. Interview with an Expert
The interviewee for this session is Dr. ZnZ, an expert in social research. He hails from the IOE – Social Research Institute at University College London, London. The reason for interviewing him is twofold: first, he comes from China and has extensive knowledge about Chinese society and men on the internet; second, he is an expert in the field of social research. This is particularly relevant as my current project involves research in social sciences.
- Question 1: What is your perspective on the topic of female body image, especially in the context of Chinese society?
Dr. ZnZ: This topic is quite central in the discussion of gender in China, from my point of view. It also serves as a potential trigger for exacerbating tension between men and women. I believe this is a very meaningful subject to explore. Given that the term “female body” is relatively sensitive in China, the topic is both important and sensitive.
- Question 2: What are your thoughts on the impact of social media platforms like TikTok on people’s perception of female body image?
Dr. ZnZ: I do think it has an impact. Firstly, for men, it starts at a very basic level, which is preference—whether they like or dislike what they see. Then, it evolves into deeper considerations like, “Could I accept a woman who looks like this?” or “How would I feel if my girlfriend dressed like this?” In this logic, men may start to form expectations about women and societal norms. This could indirectly influence how men perceive women’s bodies.
For women, although I’m a man and may have a biased view, I think the impact could lead to body anxiety among women. The way men react to what they see can set expectations for the female community, leading to subconscious thoughts or even guiding behavior. I believe it happens in two main ways: firstly, shaping women’s perceptions of societal expectations and norms for their gender, and secondly, affecting their self-perception, which could result in body anxiety.
- Question 3: Do societal expectations and values regarding female body image influence women’s social behavior and interactions?
Dr. ZnZ: Yes, I believe they do, and they affect not only women but also men. For women, they may take certain actions for specific purposes, such as ‘ thirst trap’ behaviors they believe are correct. If they later feel that such actions are inappropriate, they may change their behavior and may experience feelings of disgust or even aggression. Essentially, this will undoubtedly affect women’s actions, including their level of anxiety.
For men, the impact exists as well. For example, if men enjoy watching videos featuring ‘thirst trap’ behavior, those videos will become popular. This becomes real feedback that men enjoy such content. However, if they consider these actions negative or unacceptable, they might ask their girlfriends not to engage in such behaviors. In this sense, there is a contradiction in their actions—they enjoy watching it but don’t want their partners to act similarly. Therefore, societal expectations and norms do influence behavior on both sides.
- Question 4: What similarities or differences do you see in the issue of female body image under the cultural differences between the East and the West?
I think there are both similarities and differences. The similarity is that men in both cultures enjoy content that thirst trap, which is something we have to admit. As for the differences, they mainly stem from social or cultural variations that lead to different attitudes towards the display of the body. For instance, if we consider traditional Chinese values, the attitude would lean towards conservatism. I would like to clarify that this conservative viewpoint does not stop people from watching boundary-pushing content. However, it does influence their perception, making them subconsciously think it’s not good. This perception, in turn, influences their actions and advice towards their family and partners.
In the West, the impact of traditional culture is less pronounced. Western societies often promote the concept of self-expression, confidence, and being true to oneself, even within their religion and cultural narratives. Individualism is more prevalent. So, I think this is the most significant outcome caused by the social and cultural differences between the two.
- Question 5: Do you have any suggestions for my project? Considering the cultural background of our country, how feasible do you think my project is?
Firstly, I think your project is excellent. As I just mentioned, it’s a very good initiative that could serve as a buffer in the current social context in China, where gender disparity is evident. You can’t expect to solve such significant social issues with just one project, but your project can certainly alleviate some of the tensions, which is commendable.
In terms of feasibility, I think the prospects are quite promising, especially your research on men. The content focusing on women might resemble some of the feminist work being done domestically, not entirely, but somewhat similar. Importantly, I believe that very few people are paying attention to the male perspective. They also need a channel to communicate with women, and I think that’s a very crucial and bright aspect of your project. In China, this viewpoint is quite new, which is excellent.
Through interviews with experts, it’s clear that topics about the female body are still sensitive in China. Meanwhile, men still have a significant impact on women’s body image, both psychologically and behaviorally. The experts believe that the testing and interventions focused on men are key aspects in my project, and this concept is relatively new in China and thus has great feasibility.
Conclusion
Through the intervention, interviews with participants, and consultations with experts, it’s evident that the “Male Gaze” plays a crucial role in shaping societal expectations of female body image. This gaze can trigger psychological and behavioral changes in women, which in turn can incite internal conflicts among them. Additionally, as pointed out in the “Filter Bubble” theory, algorithms may continually push similar content, thereby limiting a user’s exposure to diverse perspectives on female body image. This not only strengthens individual biases toward specific body types but could also exacerbate gender biases and stereotypes.
In the seminars focusing on men, it became clear that men often unconsciously establish expectations regarding female body image. Interviews conducted post-intervention revealed that men find themselves trapped by their own limitations and expectations about female bodies, making it difficult for them to have meaningful conversations with women about body image.
From the expert interviews, it’s apparent that the issue of female body image remains sensitive in China, and can further contribute to gender-based conflicts. Therefore, focusing on men can be an effective way to alleviate such conflicts.
Based on the above findings, I believe that while aiding women in constructing a positive body image, there is also a need to help men reconstruct their perceptions of female body image. Addressing gender issues must be reciprocal, as discussing one gender in isolation often leads to bias and further escalates gender conflict. Men, as the primary shapers of societal expectations around female body image, are at the core of the issue. To resolve it effectively, women need to embrace themselves while minimizing external influences. Meanwhile, men, as the creators of these “disturbances,” should become more aware of the diversity in female body images and adjust their expectations accordingly.