Young Chinese Women’s Beauty Seeking Behavior in the Chinese Social Media Appearance Gaze

Abstract

In the era of social media, visual culture is pervasive. Guided and influenced by information, the female body often finds itself ensnared in the “body gaze.” Over time, this leads to an internalization and deepening of the idealized beauty standards while fostering dissatisfaction with oneself. Consequently, individuals can become trapped in a cycle of anxiety, driving them towards an excessive pursuit of beauty. This study is rooted in social cognitive theory and employs questionnaires. It initiates its investigation by utilizing online platforms such as Weibo, WeChat, and Xiaohongshu for distributing questionnaires, employing purposive sampling to target young women between the ages of 18 and 30. Irregular responses were excluded from the analysis. The research explores the intricate relationships that impact young women when they encounter messages related to the “body gaze” on social media platforms, and how these messages affect their beauty-seeking behaviors. The findings underscore the significant influence of social media on the psychological behavior of women. In light of these results, this study emphasizes the importance of society paying closer attention to women’s perceptions of beauty and their aesthetic behaviors. It advocates for cultivating a healthier and more rational approach to beauty-seeking behavior. Ultimately, this research concludes that the younger women are exposed to body gaze-related content on social media, the higher their level of ideal beauty internalization, the lower their self-satisfaction, and the greater their experience of appearance-related anxiety. These factors contribute to beauty-seeking behaviors, including an inclination towards plastic surgery and other cosmetic procedures.