“A love-addled brain is an incurable malady”: Online debates on contemporary romantic relationships within a Chinese postfeminist context

In the summer of 2023, the TV series “Fireworks of My Heart” sparked extensive online debates over its protagonists’ cross-class love story in China. This study aims to examine the distinctive gender ideology and views on romantic relationships expressed by young middle-class women on social media. By conducting a critical discourse analysis on 1079 Weibo posts under eight relevant hashtags, we identified three significant themes: the bold rejection of the love-addled mindset, privatized self and monetized love, and critiques of structural oppression against women. We argue that contemporary netizen's views on relationships bear a strong postfeminist influence, entwined with consumerism, neoliberalism, and romantic idealism. Despite the emerging trend of feminist awakening, the challenges faced by online discursive activism within China's unique internet environment led to a localized and somewhat extreme evolution that seems to detach from societal foundations.