The sleeping feminism awareness in China : Through the case study of Girls’ Day and Women’s Day

Abstract: This thesis aims to explain how Chinese females’ are aware of their identities and feminism in a new media age. The study will answer the question through the case study of Girls’ Day and Women’ Day. The approach I adopt to solve the problem is qualitative research. More specifically, I will use semi-unstructured interviews to gain data and then utilize coding and summaries. Identity is a key concept in the study; I believe that the way Chinese females present themselves can reveal their ideas about feminism and gender issues. Through in-depth interviews, the interviewees revealed their real attitudes and ideas on their identities and feminism. From the analysis of the coding and the context from the interviews, I found that Girls’ Day is a new festival that distinguishes Chinese females into two groups: girls and women. At the same time, the popularity of Girls’ Day leads to the rejection of the identity label “woman”, which is essentially the stigmatisation of feminism. Under the double suppression from both the traditional patriarchal culture and the ignorance and avoidance from the governors, Chinese feminism is marginalised. The reason that Chinese females lack awareness of feminism is mainly because they acquire little information and knowledge about gender equality on a regular basis. In addition to the absent of reports on gender discrimination in the media, new media helps businesses spread the wrong messages about gender and use happiness from material objects to hide the true problem of gender inequality. The purpose of the study is to reveal the relationships among feminism, consumerism, and new media. Girls’ Day is a case that the media has been used to attack feminism, but there might be more consumption-based festivals using sugarcoating to disguise their real purpose that is to make profits or to suppress females. If females indulge in the entertainment and consumerism society and by into the illusion of gender equality, they will instead end up with faux-feminism.