Postfeminism in China

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.

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.

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 Perfect '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