From Haircut to Scars: Social Media Presentation and Feedback on Female Bodies in the Prevention and Control of the COVID-19 Epidemic

Abstract

Based on the gender perspective, this article mainly answered three questions: in the prevention and control of the COVID-19 epidemic in China, how did social media present the female bodies, how did they give feedback, and what were the internal reasons of such presentation and feedback. The research found that the female bodies' images presented by the social media were a manifestation of power in a gendered society, and the male centered narrative logic dominated the gender representation framework of media. What were hidden in the reports was Male Gaze and the male perspective narrative methods. Media reports from Weibo used videos or pictures to attract the attention of audiences, highlighted the femininity and used the narrative methods of Benevolent Patriarchy to carry out “sacrifice” narratives and “flattery “ narratives, which were accepted easily by audiences and achieved a good effect . When We Media using the WeChat Official Accounts as the carriers gave feedback, they took full advantage of the characteristics of the social media and expressed the authors' own opinions in those articles actively and strongly. On the one hand, they gave women the right to speak, helping to improve the dilemma of women passively accepting their subordinate status. On the other hand, they still profoundly influenced and constructed the gender stereotypes in the public mind, responded positively to Male Gaze, confirmed and consolidated Benevolent Patriarchy and exacerbated the reality of gender inequality.