The Construction And Negotiation Of Young Women's Body Image In The Context Of Social Media

In the era of social media,women's physical problems have received unprecedented attention.On the one hand,under the logic of technological empowerment,women's right to speak is more respected and maintained,which also promotes the further awakening of women's body consciousness.On the other hand,the frequent appearance of deformed slimming aesthetic orientation and body performances indicate that the problem of female subjectivity still encounters deep-rooted obstacles.The female body has become a new "consumption symbol"and "desire symbol" in the gaze of consumerism,media technology and others.The female body has once again deviated from "naturalness",and the degree of alienation is also accelerating.This research took the popular "BM Style" trend in the summer of 2020 as a research case to explore the construction and negotiation process of the "ideal body"myth of young women on social media platforms and the issue of female subjectivity behind it.The study used the snowball sampling method to conduct in-depth interviews with 15 women to explore the body performance,weight-loss practice and self-expression behavior of young women in the "BM Style" phenomenon.First of all,this paper summarizes the popular process of "BM Style" from three perspectives of production path,construction method and construction content.We find different meanings of "BM Style" including trend indicators,aesthetic labels,self-discipline benchmarks,and freedom pursuits.Secondly,this paper examines the physical practice of BM girls who are frantically chasing the myth of "ideal body",focusing on stylized body performances,unconscious aesthetic labor and quantitative weight-loss practice,and then thinking about multiple crises of BM girls' physical identity,self-identity and value identity;And then,to explore the practice of critical and resistive behaviors of young women who remain rational on the "BM Style" and find that they re-examine the ideals constructed by the "BM Style" from the three levels of physical health,freedom and individuality.This kind of body images expresses the calling for multiple aesthetics,the search for body consciousness and the concern for self-worth.In the fierce collision and confrontation of chasing and resisting words,women's subjective consciousness is constantly awakening and returning.However,we must still be soberly aware that most women's bodies are still under secret control and discipline.Finally,this study further reflects on the structural factors that lead to the emergence of female physical difficulties.In the era of social media,young women's weight-loss practices and body performances have become more frequent and prominent.This research aims to form a deep understanding of young women's physical practices online and offline,reflect on the female body in dilemma,and further calling for female subjectivity return.