Panel Statement

Panel: Feminist Stirrings and Social Media in Mainland China

Summary

1. Examples of young feminist activist movements on new media
2. Background: the voice of feminism and femininity on social media
3. Connections online and offline: Guangtoujie Liangxia Education Bureau
4. Testing the sensitivity of the media: naked chest movement to stop domestic violence
5. Crowdfunding + the media: Meili’s feminist journey on foot
6. Supporting the Feminsit Five: the five heads of freedom
7. Online Participation: Women’s underarm hair and lifiting competitions
8. Crowdfunding anti-forced marriage and anti-sexual harassment advertisements

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Video: Panel 2: Feminist Stirrings and Social Media in Mainland China

• Xiao Meili (b. 1989, Sichuan province, China) is a prominent women’s rights activist who most recently made international headlines when she started a contest calling for photos of women’s unshaven armpits. From September 2013 to March 2014, Xiao walked 2,300 kilometers (1,200 miles) from Beijing to Guangzhou to raise awareness of China’s handling of sexual abuse on college campuses. She is also known for starting China’s “bloody wedding dress” meme in 2012 to protest domestic violence, and once starred in a Chinese adaptation of The Vagina Monologues. She penned a New York Times editorial in May 2015 called “China’s Feminist Awakening”.