After the Dragon’s Den, I received a lot of valuable advice. At the same time, it also provided me an opportunity to identify my own shortcomings.
The following is from the presentation:
- Title: Nakedness, The Box
- Coming from my cultural background, experiencing the world in this extreme way allowed me to deeply understand how, as a woman, I should accept myself.
- This led to the creation of my project called “The Box.” My research question is: “How can Chinese cultural perceptions of the female body be challenged, to allow Gen Z females to form a positive self-image, unconstrained by social expectations?”
- Even though the project is about how women can build a positive body image, I’ve actually focused more on men in my testing and interventions. That’s because the societal expectations around women’s bodies are often set by men.
- During my research, I found two key phenomena:
- When men’s expectations influence some women’s body image, it creates a divide among women themselves.
- When men establish boundaries and expectations about women’s bodies and then try to engage in conversations on similar topics, women often view these talks as negative and reject them. Men, in turn, face backlash from women, who think their approach is inappropriate.
- So, my project not only helps women to accept themselves but also assists men in reshaping their expectations about women’s bodies. This, in turn, alleviates gender conflicts.
- Finally, I plan to launch an underwear brand in China. The existing market lacks products that use underwear as a medium to boost self-acceptance and shatter gender expectations. Besides the products, I’ll continually educate the public about body image through social media, so the topics of “body” or “female body” no longer remain sensitive and negative in China.
Key Points, External Expert Advice, and Reflection:
Focus and Scope:
Your project is ambitiously comprehensive, encompassing cultural perceptions, gender expectations, and social media. However, the impact of your project might be diluted by attempting to address too many facets. Experts recommend focusing on a singular issue and providing a targeted solution.
- Reflection:
Since the beginning of the MAAI course, every project of mine has been exploring the body—starting from “fashion and body” to “The Box,” and to my current research question: “How can Chinese cultural perceptions of the female body be challenged, to allow Gen Z females to form a positive self-image, unconstrained by social expectations?” It is a continuous inquiry into the body, from its relationship with fashion to the constraints on Chinese female bodies, to female empowerment, and societal expectations for women. This, coupled with the present focus on male-centered social science research, makes my project seem more multifaceted and complex. At this point, the feedback from external experts is invaluable. Through this interaction, I realized some issues were not clearly expressed, providing me the chance to refine my thinking for better articulation. In my project, the interventions and tests for females and males differ; females lean towards accepting their internal self to lessen external evaluation, while males aim to express outwardly, thereby reducing expectations on female bodies. Social media is the most crucial medium in my project because Gen Z is the true digital native generation. To understand and influence them, the internet and social media are the best choices. Therefore, I will continue using the Red Book as an intervention method, targeting my audience to make them aware of body image content and the feedback I have received through multiple rounds of testing. At present, a short-term goal remains to increase the visibility of my content on social media. The increasing number of likes will offer clear insight into what people think about the content I post, as a ‘like’ typically signifies approval or acceptance.\
Perspective and Interaction:
You have included men as contributors to societal expectations in your research. While this is an important angle, introducing too many variables may muddle the issue. If you continue to include men, ensure that their involvement is explicit, focused, and purposeful. How will your project change their perceptions and behaviors?
- Reflection:
On the point about men, indeed there is a practice that could make the issue vague, as if it becomes about exploring men’s issues. However, when focusing on female issues, we really cannot ignore the presence of men. For instance, I found that online violence against women’s bodies often comes from women themselves. Through research on TikTok (predominantly male users) and the Red book (predominantly female users), I found that women are more willing to make aggressive comments about women on the internet. So, I am thinking, what influences them? What sets their standards for the female body image? Actually, the answer is obvious; under a patriarchal society, men’s expectations for female body image are also societal expectations for female body image. Therefore, if I want to find the essence to answer my research question, that answer is “men.” When I designed interventions about women using the theory of phenomenology, it fully understood how Gen Z women form their body image concepts when facing multiple pressures from social media, family, and workplace. Here I only choose the pressures from social media. Then, this goes back to how men and social media expect women’s body image, which is also the reason for my second intervention about men. Based on the advice and questions given by experts, I should simplify it in actual operation. I hope to change men’s cognition and behavior through more direct dialogues, such as seminars and themed workshops.
Both of these points are about the issues caused by the inclusion of men in the project. Next, I will refine the men’s part, making it more targeted. At the same time, I believe that when exploring gender, we cannot engage in a one-sided discussion, as it is incomplete and not rigorous. Moreover, it’s essential to identify the core issue when solving problems; if we discuss an issue without discovering its essence, then such solutions are meaningless.
Role of Lingerie Brand & Background and Cultural Nuances
Experts do not have a clear understanding of how your planned lingerie brand will challenge gender expectations and promote a positive body image for women. You need to provide a more specific explanation of what sets your brand apart and how it serves as a solution to the issue at hand. What does it symbolically represent, and how does it empower women in practice?
Lingerie is typically not shown publicly and its meaning can vary widely depending on the context. Will your brand challenge this norm? Is it aimed at practicality or making a statement?
- Reflection:
In this section, experts gave me advice and raised questions about establishing a lingerie brand. I mentioned this part in my presentation, hoping to show how the concept of ‘The Box’ could be applied to business in the future. However, at the current stage, I haven’t planned on incorporating the lingerie aspect into the project. After graduation, I will continue to popularize education on body image in China through social media. Meanwhile, I will also carry out related activities in commercial projects.
In summary, the Dragon’s Den and the results of my recent intervention have helped me organize my thoughts on the entire project. However, due to the project’s extended duration and extensive content, the focus has become diffuse, weakening its impact. Moving forward, I will hone in on the most crucial aspects. On the other hand, perhaps there are shortcomings in communication and expression, leading to some misunderstandings about parts of the project from experts and mentors. To address this, I will articulate my points in a more logical manner in the final presentation.