In recent years, the rapid expansion of modern social media platforms has profoundly reshaped how individuals perceive and evaluate physical appearance. This paper examines the influence of social media on women’s appearance anxiety, defined as persistent worry or dissatisfaction about one’s physical appearance, often linked to psychological distress. The research aims to investigate how digital environments contribute to heightened beauty-related concerns and the underlying mechanisms that exacerbate these anxieties. Using a combined approach of literature analysis and case study examination, the paper synthesizes existing empirical evidence and analyzes real-world examples from widely used platforms such as Instagram and TikTok. The findings reveal that the highly visual nature of social media, coupled with algorithm-driven content distribution, intensifies exposure to idealized beauty standards and promotes continuous comparison with peers. This contributes to the increased self-awareness and bodily image insecurity women experience. Recommendations incorporate media literacy education, regulation on platform design, and the promotion of campaigns to product diversity and authentic representations of beauty.

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In the era of deep integration of globalization and digitization, the international communication landscape is undergoing profound changes. The rise of social media has broken the spatial-temporal barriers of traditional communication, while the global spread of feminist discourse is reshaping the gender dimension of power expression. This article takes Chinese female diplomatic spokespersons Hua Chunying and Mao Ning as the research subjects, with relevant reports from “The New York Times” and “The Times” between 2020 and 2025 as samples. The research explores the transformation of China's international communication paradigm under the dual influence of social media and feminist discourse, illustrating Chinese female diplomatic spokespersons, by leveraging direct dialogues constructed through social media, dismantle the “center-periphery” communication rules dominated by western mainstream media. It proves that their practices not only challenge gender stereotypes in international communication but also reconstruct power relations of feminist discourse, providing a practical path for building a new international communication framework of diversity and coexistence.

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Amidst the growing awareness of gender equality, the media portrayal of female scientists not only concerns the dissemination of their individual professional value but also reflects the interplay between societal gender perceptions and the ecology of science communication. This study analyzes the top 30 most popular articles on WeChat Official Accounts, employing content analysis and discourse analysis to investigate the logic behind the media construction of female scientists’ images. It specifically examines dimensions such as reporting tendencies, themes, subjects, sources, textual features, and rhetorical strategies. The aim is to reveal the characteristics, influencing factors, existing problems, and optimization pathways in the current construction of female scientists’ media images. Findings indicate that while current coverage is predominantly positive and affirming, it retains implicit gender frameworks and exhibits shortcomings in gender narratives, dimensional richness, and communication synergy. Factors influencing image construction include socio-cultural attitudes, media communication logic, the ecology of the scientific community, and policy and societal environments. The study concludes that shaping a more inclusive and authentic media portrayal of female scientists necessitates balancing narrative focus, deepening image dimensions, optimizing communication synergy, and constructing an ecological system. This research contributes to promoting gender equality in science communication, provides theoretical and practical references for enriching the diverse images of female scientists, and holds significant implications for encouraging women to pursue scientific careers.

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With the rapid development of digital culture, music variety shows have emerged as essential platforms for youth cultural expression and negotiation of social values. Rap for Youth 2025, a leading Chinese hip-hop competition program, has brought to light prominent issues of gender discrimination, notably the persistent disrespect and marginalization of female contestants by their male counterparts. Drawing on international hip-hop feminist theory, this paper systematically analyzes representative incidents from the show to reveal how gender boundaries are constructed, maintained, and challenged within its competition format and production culture. Through a detailed examination of both the overt and subtle manifestations of gender bias—including male rappers' avoidance of female rivals, interruptions, and derogatory language—the study unmasks the structural inequalities embedded in the entertainment industry. Further, by exploring the resistance and proactive strategies of female rappers, as well as the advocacy of the program’s sole female mentor, the paper highlights diverse forms of female agency in reclaiming public voice and stage presence. The discussion also extends to the responses of audiences and digital communities, illustrating how social media amplifies both gendered controversies and calls for change. Ultimately, this research contributes to the growing body of scholarship on gender equality in digital popular culture, offering both theoretical frameworks and practical recommendations for promoting gender inclusion and justice in Chinese music variety television.

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