The Emergent Masculinities and Gendered Frustrations of Male Live-Streamers in China

ABSTRACT

Live-streamers in China are predominantly female and heterosexual, so their heterosexual male counterparts barely receives attention. In this paper, we invoke the concept of “emergent masculinities” to critically examine how male live-streamers engage this typically feminine profession. They come in three main types of decreasing prestige: e-sports athletes; shopping guides; and affective entertainers who attract female audiences with friendship and intimacy. This last type enacts a women-pleasing façade that also contradicts the men’s own hegemonic masculine upbringing. This tension highlights how China’s emergent masculinities develop in conversation with the country’s post-feminist sensibilities.

Disclosure Statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

¹ Refer to https://zhuanlan.zhihu.com/p/342313780 for more details on live-streamer types.

Additional information

Funding

This research was supported by a University Philosophy and Social Science Research ordinary level project, awarded in 2020 by the Jiangsu Provincial Education Department (no. 2020SJA0021).