'Smart is the Nü (boshi) Sexy': How China's PhD women are fighting stereotypes using social media

Abstract

In China there is a famous saying: ‘There are three types of people: men, women, and nü boshi (women with PhDs)’. As this maxim suggests, highly educated women in China can be perceived as ‘non-feminine’, 'non-sexual', and ‘undateable’. Alongside the impacts of traditional gender stereotypes, news and popular media play an important role in propagating and reinforcing the negative image of highly educated women in China. However, as China’s nü boshi become more visible and vocal, especially on social media, they are collectively countering prevailing stereotypes. This chapter discusses the contestation around the image of nü boshi on social media in China. It begins with an introduction of the cultural and socio-political background of the widely existing bias against nü boshi. The second part of the chapter looks into how nü boshi challenge negative stereotypes of themselves on social media, through case studies on microblog-based campaigns and the use of live streaming platforms.