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<p>As China’s policies usually discourage effeminate aesthetics, growing attention has been directed to public attitudes toward actors perceived as “effeminate” or gay. This study aims to explore how the masculinity and sexual orientation of actors influence audiences’ evaluation of their work. Classic scales of conceptualizing masculinity and femininity unavoidably carry social value judgments, limiting their ability to reflect individuals’ intuitive perceptions directly. To address this, this study introduces a new indicator, named “perceptual masculinity/femininity (PM)”. Focus group interviews and the round-robin method were employed to select the stimulus and to design the measurement tools of PM. Then, through a between-subjects online experiment involving 269 respondents, this study demonstrates a positive correlation between Chinese netizens’ attitudes to actors’ works and PM. However, none of the three conceptual dimensions of femininity (empathy, physical femininity, and exquisite) show significant mediating effects. Furthermore, despite a lower PM evaluation when participants are informed about an actor’s sexual orientation (gay), it does not significantly further influence audiences’ attitudes to works. We thus argue that, although some stereotypes of sex roles are observed, neither being gay nor being considered “effeminate” has a bearing on audiences’ opinions of actors’ works. Methodologically, the study’s design, including direct measurement of perceptual variables and the innovative use of a predefined reference frame, provides a foundation for future research on masculinity. In practical terms, this study offers insights into the evolving societal consciousness of gender roles in China’s cultural landscape, implying that restrictive aesthetic policies may hold limited relevance.</p>

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Beyond stereotypes: Chinese netizens’ attitudes toward “effeminate” and gay actors

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2025年7月18日

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  • Xiang Tian,
  • Yongyuan Zhou,
  • Sichen Li

摘要

As China’s policies usually discourage effeminate aesthetics, growing attention has been directed to public attitudes toward actors perceived as “effeminate” or gay. This study aims to explore how the masculinity and sexual orientation of actors influence audiences’ evaluation of their work. Classic scales of conceptualizing masculinity and femininity unavoidably carry social value judgments, limiting their ability to reflect individuals’ intuitive perceptions directly. To address this, this study introduces a new indicator, named “perceptual masculinity/femininity (PM)”. Focus group interviews and the round-robin method were employed to select the stimulus and to design the measurement tools of PM. Then, through a between-subjects online experiment involving 269 respondents, this study demonstrates a positive correlation between Chinese netizens’ attitudes to actors’ works and PM. However, none of the three conceptual dimensions of femininity (empathy, physical femininity, and exquisite) show significant mediating effects. Furthermore, despite a lower PM evaluation when participants are informed about an actor’s sexual orientation (gay), it does not significantly further influence audiences’ attitudes to works. We thus argue that, although some stereotypes of sex roles are observed, neither being gay nor being considered “effeminate” has a bearing on audiences’ opinions of actors’ works. Methodologically, the study’s design, including direct measurement of perceptual variables and the innovative use of a predefined reference frame, provides a foundation for future research on masculinity. In practical terms, this study offers insights into the evolving societal consciousness of gender roles in China’s cultural landscape, implying that restrictive aesthetic policies may hold limited relevance.