The Emerging Hybrid Images of Women in China: The Portrayal of the New Woman in Chinese Local and International Magazine Advertising

Women's magazines from Europe, the U.S., and Japan are now appearing in the Chinese market in unprecedented numbers. Information about the West, its lifestyles, and its cultural values are transmitted from these publications into local Chinese editions. The degree to which these magazines affect the "identity" of Chinese women has been a topic of much debate. Globalization has indeed focused attention on the flow of Western culture through media and markets into Asia, leading to changes in women's lifestyles, fashion, and occupational roles. It is common to find advertising for western attire, fashion accessories, fairness creams, and hair care products, along with stories of personal relationships, education, and self-development in magazines. These changes, in turn, have affected the way Chinese women are portrayed in the media. This study uses a content analysis of advertisements in Western, Japanese, and Chinese magazines for women to explore that portrayal. The findings suggest the establishment of a "hybrid" identity for Chinese women, a consequence of the mixing of modern and traditional models and Western/Asian elements.