Paper Short Abstract:

Since October 2024, a movement on Chinese social media has called for better standards for sanitary pads. I focus on female REDnote users and draw on individual’s consideration-decision-action to discuss the dynamics and mechanisms of women’s resistance in virtual public space.

Paper Abstract:

Since the end of October 2024, there has been a rising movement on Chinese social media platforms asking for shifts in the production, safety, and hygiene supervision standards of sanitary pads in China. By the end of November, the Chinese government took responses and asked for public opinions regarding the new standards and measures of sanitary pads. Following the globalized impact of #MeToo, Chinese feminists gradually raised, combined with the multi-layered and multi-sited incidents of gender-social violence in recent years, this revolt against sanitary pad hygiene and manufacturing standards and the production and dissemination of related memes has erupted on a large scale. I focus on female REDnote users and follow their use of echo chambers, filter bubbles, the platform's algorithms and mechanisms, and historical backgrounds to explore the process of identity fluidity and shifting positionality in this movement. I emphasize 1) how individuals as users notice-consider-decide-take actions about specific digital phenomena, 2) ways of participating or rejecting to be a part of the phenomenon, 3) making meanings and values of actions, 4) matters of information choosing during positionality and identity shifting. I use content analysis and interviews, explore the REDnote female users and responses of relevant companies and government, to investigate the circulation of information, dynamics, and mechanisms of resistance and re-examination of the imbalance of power and authority, to illustrate the narrative shifting of their positionality and identity through virtual engagement of resistance of voices and rights from a feminist approach.