Postfeminism in China: The ‘Glow Girl’, Aesthetic Labour, and Social Media

Situated within feminist media and cultural studies, this book examines the everyday aesthetic labour of young middle-class Chinese women and their related social media practices. It also critically contextualises postfeminism within China’s paradoxically neoliberal society. Drawing upon in-depth interviews with young middle-class women in China’s first-tier cities, the book offers a nuanced feminist understanding of young women’s femininities, identities, and subjectivities in contemporary digital China. By analysing the self-making and self-fashioning practices of these women, it contributes critical perspectives to the popular yet contested concept of postfeminism within feminist scholarship. Readers will encounter vivid accounts of young Chinese women’s everyday social media experiences, exploring how they navigate beauty cultures and negotiate shifting gender-class norms in urban Chinese society. Furthermore, this book provides valuable insights into the scholarly concept of postfeminism in the unique context of China, shedding light on transnational gendered cultures in today’s social media age. Tailored for scholars and students in gender and cultural studies, media studies, and China studies, the book proves especially beneficial for those interested in burgeoning feminist and gender-related research topics in the transnational context of digital China. It also appeals to a broader readership intrigued by digital culture, gender dynamics, and notions of beauty in contemporary Chinese society.

Table of Contents:
Introduction: The ‘Glow Girl’ Goes Global: Postfeminism, Aesthetic Labour, and Social Media. 1. The ‘Glow Girl’ in Context: Feminisms, Neoliberalism, and Social Media in China 2. The Prefect ‘Glow Girl’: Narratives on Beauty and the More-than-beauty Promise 3. The ‘Glow Girl’ on Social Media: Pedagogy, Self-representation, and Negotiation 4. The ‘Glow Girl’ in the Digital Intimate Public: ‘I Relate’, ‘Positive Energy’, and ‘Girls Help Girls’ 5. The ‘Glow Girl’ Pursuing Aesthetic Entrepreneurship: When Social Media Becomes Real Work. Conclusion: Rethinking the ‘Glow Girl’ and transnational postfeminism in China and beyond

About the Author :
Jia Guo is an early-career researcher working at University of Wollongong. She received her PhD in Gender and Cultural Studies from the University of Sydney in 2023. Her work spans feminist media studies, gender and popular culture, social media and platforms, and celebrity studies. Her research engages in critical and intellectual conversations about gender, intersectionality, and transnationality, particularly in the context of digital China. She is a committed feminist researcher and educator.