How powerful is the female gaze? The implication of using male celebrities for promoting female cosmetics in China

Abstract

In some East Asian countries like Japan, South Korea, and recently, China, there is a popular trend of having male celebrities as brand ambassadors or spokespeople for female cosmetics. This study is situated in the contemporary Chinese market and examines the so-called “Nan Se consumption (nan se xiao fei, 男色消费)” culture, which literally translates into “the consumption of sexualized men” in Chinese. Referring to postfeminism that focuses on female agency and the subjectivity of the female body, this article argues that the shift from “male gaze” to “female gaze,” and the consumption of sexualized men, appear to be revolutionary in terms of evaluating gender power; however, Chinese female consumers’ agency and self-empowerment are still limited by a conditioned neoliberal consumerist culture. The study also proposes that China’s contested “Nan Se consumption” culture reflects the complexity and fluidity of today’s postfeminist theorization.