The Popularity of Ding Zhen: Female Gaze, Female Power and Public Sphere

: ‘Gaze’ as an important sociological concept has long been a hot topic of discussion among feminists. With the development of feminism, the ‘female gaze’ has gradually attracted more and more people's attention. This article uses Ding Zhen as a case to analyse how the popularity of Ding Zhen reflects the inversion of gaze and what effect does this have on social media as a public sphere. This article argues that the women’s appreciation of his looks led directly to his popularity. He becomes the object of the female gaze. On the one hand, the power of female enhances the equality of the public sphere. Women take control of discourse by consuming and reverse the traditional power relations between the sexes and propose new standards for men by the female gaze. On the other hand, the resulting negative discourse undermines the harmony and rationality of the public sphere. The objectification of everyone is not the equality we seek. This article provides a useful case study for research on the female gaze.