XENOFEMINIST FUTURES AND THE BEAUTY MYTH: REPOSITIONING CHINESE FEMININITIES IN WANG’S THE PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF DESIRE

Abstract

Wang's The People’s Republic of Desire examines the intricacies of Chinese women's struggle for social visibility, tracing their metamorphosis through Hester’s gender abolitionism and Wolf’s beauty myth. This paper explores how these frameworks illuminate the intersections of technology, desire, and femininity in contemporary China. Wang narrates the story of modern China through the lives of four professional women, reflecting the rapid cultural and economic transformations of urban society in China. Through characters such as Niuniu, a returnee from America; Biebie, an entertainment agent; Lulu, who endures multiple abortions; Lingling, who undergoes repeated cosmetic surgeries; and Colourful Clouds, who marries her husband’s grandson, Wang captures women’s complex negotiations with modernity. His heroines redefine themselves by adopting xenofeminist aesthetics, which are framed through the theoretical constructs of Wolf and Hester. As trendsetters and harbingers of social change, these women exercise autonomy by embracing techno-modern cultures in a rapidly transforming era. However, in conforming to the dictates of fashion and beauty, they ironically reterritorialize patriarchy, subjecting themselves and society to intolerable pressures. In doing so, they inadvertently provoke a backlash against feminism. Their fixation on the ideal body signals a desire for bodily inscription. In contrast, their technologically enhanced bodies grant them entry into Wolf’s machinic futures, where they transgress traditional gender norms and align with Hester’s vision of gender abolitionism. Ultimately, this culminates in a xenofeminist future, where these women navigate the tension between self-empowerment and the commodification of the body.