Feminist Media Studies

Gender-based violence has long been a widely researched social issue in multiple contexts, and media framing of gender issues is important for public understanding and responsiveness. Considering gender-based violence is rife in contemporary China, this study is dedicated to exploring the discourses of official media's representation of gender-based violence in China and exposing the social mechanism behind it. Drawing on critical discourse analysis, this study collected data from representative Chinese official media and conducted qualitative and quantitative analyses. Research findings indicate that 1) muted misogyny is predominant when official media reports violence against women since discussions of controversial issues are under censorship; 2) a de-gendering discourse has been adopted to distract the public's attention from debates of gender-based violence; and 3) structural violence framing may explain the social mechanism of how media present and represent the gender-based violence issues in a non-Western context. These findings shed light on the ongoing theoretical debates of media representation of gender issues and contribute to our understanding of how discourses of official media could work positively to improve women's situation. ARTICLE HISTORY

HBO’s mini-series Big Little Lies (2017 – 2019) has received critical acclaim for its treatment of issues like domestic violence, trauma and sexuality, and gender roles. Yet some critics object that Big Little Lies buys into neoliberal discourses. Others see the series’ feminist message compromised by signs of classism in its central story line. I suggest reading the series as a critique of neoliberalism. Specifically, Big Little Lies reveals the contradictions and inconsistencies of the neoliberal mothering model and the impossibility of living out its demands. The series comments on a cultural environment which devalues women regardless of their socio-economic background. Given the unreasonable demands of the neoliberal mothering model, even privileged and affluent mothers find themselves dismissed as insufficient providers for their children. Big Little Lies’ impetus becomes evident especially in the story line of Madeline Mackenzie, who proves an unwitting revolutionist against the neoliberal mothering model. Although Madeline does not realize that the causes of her unhappiness are structural and hence require structural change, her story illustrates the unreasonable demands of neoliberal mothering and thereby paves the way for a more fundamental critique of neoliberalism.

The victory of the Spanish national women’s football team at the 2023 FIFA World Cup was marred by the mass-mediated non-consensual kiss on midfielder, Jennifer Hermoso, by Luis Rubiales, then President of the Royal Spanish Football National Federation. The kiss sparked general outrage worldwide and led to the prosecution of Rubiales for sexual assault and coercion. Drawing on the concepts of “moral shock” and “social drama,” this article explores how this widely disseminated episode of “subjective violence” resulted in a shock capable of mobilising and politicising different agents. It does so through qualitative analysis of official statements and vernacular online discussions. The article makes the case that the unfolding of this social drama enabled more subtle (objective) violence, long endured by female athletes, to be brought into public discourse debate. In so doing, it boosted demands for social change. But such demands were also contested, in that the structured social drama resulted in an online “reactionary moral shock” characterised by anti-feminist and misogynistic discourses. Significantly, our analysis of these discourses reveals a shift in male victimisation narratives and strategies to disempower women and maintain sexual inequality. These include the denial of gender-based violence and the banalisation of sexual abuse.