Performing male femininity on China’s live-streaming platform: Identity construction,self-sexualization,and making marginalized males visible

Abstract

Feminine males in China have been criticized and stigmatized by both the state and society, and scholarship on live-streaming platforms has overlooked marginalized Chinese males expressing femininity. This paper examines the male presentation of femininity on Platform Bilibili, where cosplay is prevalent as part of its ACG (Animation, Comics, and Games) culture, through a 20-month observation and interviews. Focusing on two Chinese male streamers who wear women’s clothing, this research analysis demonstrates how two male individuals—a transgender streamer who identifies as a woman and a gender-queer streamer who avoids gender designation—utilize femininity through distinct approaches: (1) The transgender streamer employs the performance of femininity as both entertainment and as a means of personal gender identity construction while forming collective identity among male-to-female crossdressers and trans women. (2) The gender-queer streamer actively employs sexualized feminine presentation as a means of making a living. Through this analysis, this paper argues that specific live-streaming platforms with cultures accepting male presentations of femininity can provide stigma-free streaming spaces for marginalized Chinese feminine males, enhancing their visibility.