Author(s)

Liang Zhang ¹

Affiliation(s)

¹ College of Literature and Media, Jingchu University of Technology, Jingmen, Hubei, 448000, China

Corresponding Author

Liang Zhang

ABSTRACT

This study investigates the construction of masculine traits in the Chinese short-form animation A-Si and Xiao-Lingdang, focusing on how dominant masculinity is embedded within seemingly gender-reversed narratives. Drawing on R.W. Connell’s theory of masculinity and analyzing dimensions of power structures, emotional engagement, and gendered labor division, this paper explores how the animation negotiates traditional gender hierarchies through visual framing, emotional interaction, and discourse patterns. Despite its surface-level depiction of female dominance and softened male figures, the animation maintains and recodes hegemonic masculinity through strategies such as emotional control, economic superiority, and narrative closure. The male protagonist, portrayed as a “gentle protector,” retains dominant status by managing relational outcomes and symbolic authority, even in scenarios featuring female violence or initiative. This study sheds light on how contemporary media texts sustain gender power through subtle and emotionalized forms of masculine dominance, offering insights into gender dynamics in the digital media era.

KEYWORDS

Short-Form Animation; Masculinity; Gender Power; Soft Dominance; Media Representation

CITE THIS PAPER

Liang Zhang, Masculinity Repackaged: Gender Performance and Emotional Power in Contemporary Chinese Animations. Media and Communication Research (2025) Vol. 6: 113-124. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.23977/mediacr.2025.060318.

REFERENCES

[1] Fang, G. (2006). An overview of contemporary Western theories of masculinity. Social Sciences Abroad, (4), 67–72.
[2] Pi, X., & Wang, X. (2017). Masculinity in China from a pluralistic perspective. Youth Studies, (2), 85–93, 96.
[3] Connell, R. W. (2003). Masculinities (Liu, L., Zhang, W., Zhang, M., Yu, D., & Yao, Y., Trans.). Social Sciences Academic Press.
[4] Liu, Y. (2013). Masculinity and the social structure of gender: A dialogue with Raewyn Connell. Foreign Literature Studies, 35(5), 1–8. 
[5] Wang, M. (2015). Masculinity and power: Rethinking boys' "masculine education" in China—Based on Connell's theory of masculinity. Shanghai Research on Education, (11), 18–21.
[6] Lu, P. (2011). TV entertainment programs and masculinity under consumer society. Modern Communication (Journal of Communication University of China), (6), 19–23. 
[7] Lu, P. (2024). From "social boys" to "spiritual bros": Online influencers, folk performance and masculine temperament. Chinese Journal of Journalism & Communication, 46(6), 133–153. 
[8] Jiang, X., & Lü, H. (2012). Masculinity: Theoretical foundations, research orientations, and related fields. Advances in Psychological Science, 20(7), 1040–1051.

Sponsors, Associates, and Links

---

• Journal of Language Testing & Assessment
  
  
• Information and Knowledge Management
  
  
• Military and Armament Science
  
  
• Journal of Human Movement Science
  
  
• Art and Performance Letters
  
  
• Lecture Notes on History
  
  
• Lecture Notes on Language and Literature
  
  
• Philosophy Journal
  
  
• Science of Law Journal
  
  
• Journal of Political Science Research
  
  
• Journal of Sociology and Ethnology
  
  
• Advances in Broadcasting