Middle-aged women’s tears

Rethinking Chinese popular feminism through Sisters Who Make Waves

Dados Bibliográficos

ID7154341
AutoresWei Shi (0000-0002-3031-732X, The Department of Communication, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Macau, Macau SAR, China), Shih‐diing Liu (0000-0003-2895-1433, The Department of Communication, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Macau, Macau SAR, China, autor correspondente)
Ano2025
Volume25
Fascículo1
Páginas137-153
Data de publicação2025-01-02
Peer ReviewedSim
Open AccessNão
TipoARTICLE
PeriódicoFeminist Media Studies (JOURNAL)
Identificadores do periódicoISSN: 1468-0777 • E-ISSN: 1471-5902
EditoraInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/14680777.2023.2271179
OpenAlexW4387876106
IdiomaEN
Citações recebidas8
Referências citadas41

The reality TV sensation Sisters Who Make Waves has recently garnered public attention in China while sparking critical debate about middle-aged women. This article reexamines the politics of popular feminism by analyzing the visibility of tears within the show. Viewing tears as a signifying practice, this article investigates how they reveal the paradox of contemporary Chinese popular feminism to expose its ambivalence and contradictions. We suggest that tears signify popular feminism’s ambiguous stance toward patriarchal values, neoliberal principles, and state control. This study contends that the show’s popular feminism presents critical possibilities despite its inherent limitations, such as refraining from directly challenging patriarchal dominance and systematic gender inequalities. While tears reveal middle-aged women’s aspirations for self-realization, recognition, and empowerment, they also expose how neoliberalism emotionally exploits women through pursuing personal achievement. Tears enhance the visibility of women’s struggles and illuminate the formation of sisterhood within a male-dominated society. They also intertwine with state-promoted notions of sisterhood, which ultimately reinforce political allegiance to nationalism. Therefore, this study proposes that popular feminism in Sisters Who Make Waves acts as a double-edged sword. It reinforces hegemonic power while exposing its emotional disturbances. Such ambivalence creates a space for reimagining popular feminism

Aesthetics · Ambivalence · Feminism · Hegemony · Media studies · Political science · Politics · Popular culture · Sociology · Gender Roles and Identity Studies · Gender Studies · Gender, Feminism, and Media · Law · Psychology · Sexuality, Behavior, and Technology · Social Psychology