Transmedia Storytelling in K-pop: Its Impact on Young Chinese Women's Perspectives on Autonomy, Relationships, and Feminism

• In Event: 41059 - Gender, Representation, and Identity in Digital Media

Abstract

This study explores how K-pop’s transmedia storytelling constructs a “cultural sanctuary” for young Chinese women, allowing them to delay confronting traditional expectations around marriage and reproduction. Amid China’s declining birth and marriage rates, public discourse has seen growing opposition to conventional family roles, with digital feminist movements gaining traction. Against this backdrop, K-pop offers an alternative cultural space that promotes individual autonomy, middle-class aspirations, and non-traditional lifestyles.

Through in-depth interviews with 21 Chinese women aged 18–30, this research examines how K-pop fan culture influences perceptions of romantic relationships and emotional needs. Many participants prioritize personal fulfillment over conventional relationships, viewing fandom as a space for emotional engagement and identity exploration. The "girl crush" concept and South Korea’s 4B movement further shape these perspectives, encouraging resistance to patriarchal norms and redefining gender roles.

The study argues that K-pop functions as more than entertainment—it provides women with an avenue to assert agency and critique sociocultural constraints. By engaging with idol narratives and fan communities, participants experience emotional fulfillment traditionally associated with romantic relationships, while also resisting pressures to conform to hegemonic gender expectations. Digital platforms amplify this engagement, fostering a participatory culture where women reshape their self-perceptions and challenge societal norms. Ultimately, K-pop’s transmedia storytelling serves as a catalyst for young Chinese women to reimagine their futures beyond marriage and reproduction. This study highlights how popular culture, within the framework of post-feminism and neoliberalism, not only influences personal choices but also fosters new narratives of selfhood, autonomy, and emotional independence.

Author

• Jingyao Xu, University of Arizona