Beginning to Dismantle New Stereotypes: Female Body Image Anxiety Formation and Change in Social Media, Using Red Book As an Example

Beijing No.8 High School, China

^* Corresponding author: chenlingerLW@163.com

Abstract

With the advent of the Internet society, gender stereotypes have gradually become more binding for women, and there are gender stereotypes or feminist theories spreading in both the real society and online media. This article is beneficial to the study of current feminism and the discussion of women’s discourse on the Internet. By applying the theory of gender stereotypes and taking bloggers’ postings on Red Book as the research object, this article analyzes the reasons for the emergence of white, thin and young as the main aesthetic theme, as well as the reasons for the gradual dissipation of this stereotype and its effects. The results of the study show that with the large number of current social media users and their rapid dissemination, the mainstream aesthetic finds changes from the gender stereotype of white, thin and young to its dissolution, reflecting the contemporary mainstream view that women are no longer objects to be gazed at and objectified. This study further demonstrates that social media has an important role in promoting the development of feminism in China and that the influence and changes produced by women’s opposition to stereotypes have promoted more women to embrace a pluralistic aesthetic.