The image of beauty: Representations of female beauty, with reference to contemporary women's magazines in Hong Kong (China).

摘要

This research provides a critique of images of female beauty as portrayed in contemporary women's magazines in Hong Kong. The research identifies the characteristics of female beauty as represented in women's magazines in Hong Kong and investigates factors affecting them by testing the applicability of Western cultural theories, whilst establishing a theoretical framework significant to the cultural context of Hong Kong. At a deeper level, the research explores the interaction between images of beauty and the actual situation of Hong Kong women.; The research is based primarily on theory. Empirical information from interviews, quantitative data, and theories from literature are analysed qualitatively. The analysis is conducted using a reflective approach. Various methods including those that are empirical, historical, semiological, theoretical are used, as well as case studies. The research also refers to inter-disciplinary theories of sociology, psychology, anthropology, history, aesthetics and gender studies on the images of female beauty in Hong Kong. A comparative approach is adopted for integrating different theories and concepts. In this research, 'images of female beauty' are treated as the problem, women's magazines, the case, and the paradigm of 'beauty', the central topic of study. There are two main subjects of analysis: (1) the images themselves; (2) theoretical literature relating to the images including the literature on: (a) traditional female beauty and aesthetics (both Western and Chinese); (b) representations of women in media; (c) female appearance and identity; (d) female beauty and femininity; (e) female images and power; (f) theories of postcolonialism, post-feminism, postmodernism, and Hong Kong cultural studies.; The literature reviewed fall into three main categories: (1) traditional Western theories on women or beauty: e.g. theories of Plato, Aristotle, Hegel, Kant, Burke, Sartre, Karl and Marx; (2) traditional Chinese theories on women or beauty: e.g. (a) philosophies of Yin Yang, Confucianism, Taoism, Buddhism and Neo-Confucianism; (b) images relating to female charm, beauty and sex in classical Chinese literature and arts; (3) More recent theories on women or beauty: (a) Women and beauty: e.g. Efrat Tseelon, Susan Brownmiller, Nancy Whittier, Elizabeth Grosz, Francette Pacteau, Wendy Chapkis, Naomi Wolf, Myra Macdonald and Tania Modleski; (b) Female beauty in cultural studies: e.g. John Berger, Judith Won, Ellen McCracken, Janice Winship, Daniel Miller, Pasi Falk, John Fiske, Mike Featherstone, Jean Baudrillard, John Mackenzie, and Bryan Turner; (c) Critiques on women and beauty in the context of Hong Kong and China: e.g. of Roland Barthes, Lin Yutang, Dorothy Ko, Veronica Pearson, Rose Wu, Choi Po Kam, and P K Leung.; 'Images of female beauty in Hong Kong' is not a topic which has yet been subject to thorough academic investigation. The scarcity of relevant theory within the local context necessitates an initial focus on Western theories of beauty. The thesis analyzes and challenges this material by locating it in the Hong Kong context. In doing so it positions the argument within the context of cultural studies, particularly the work on aesthetics, postcolonialism and postmodernity, gender studies, cultural representation and identity. The main result is the construction of a new theoretical framework that is relevant to Hong Kong, besides establishing systematic theories on traditional Chinese female beauty. The thesis also makes observations on the new eclectic images of female beauty emerging in Hong Kong, which reflect the new cultural representations as well as the new attributes embodied in the looks of everyday women.