Viral Sensation or Cultural Concern? Examining the Implications of Girls and Women Performing Sexualized Dance on Short Video Platforms

This thesis explores the implications of sexualized dance by girls and women on short video platforms in China, like Douyin and Xiaohongshu. Through video analysis, literature review, personal reflection, interviews, and case studies, this thesis examines how sexualization is performed, what risks it brings, and how unhealthy beauty standards in K-pop made popular by social media may lead to early sexualization. The thesis also looks at the hidden impact of self-sexualization under structural gender pressure, how the public interprets sexualized content, and the strengths and gaps of China’s internet safety policies in protecting minors. This research blends cultural critique and embodied practice to ask: How do short-form dance videos on Chinese platforms shape, spread, and normalize sexualized representations of girlhood? What is dance really communicating—and how should we, as dance teachers, parents, and viewers, think about that?