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Constructing and Satirizing Masculinity via “Fizzy Voice” on Chinese Social Media | Gender and Language
Abstract Social change and increasing transnational contact in Mainland China have resulted in a proliferation of masculine styles and in discourse contesting their acceptability. In this study, we examine the construction and satirization of “fizzy voice,” a newly enregistered masculine vocal style associated with low pitch, narrow pitch range, and creaky phonation. Through multimodal content analysis of videos shared on Chinese social media, we demonstrate the association of fizzy voice with stances and personae that carry both positive connotations of attractiveness and negative connotations of excessive competitiveness and inauthenticity. While fizzy voice is recruited in the construction of a “warm man” persona intended to appeal to women, women are often portrayed as skeptical recipients of this style and men who adopt it as manipulative and/or misguided. The case of fizzy voice exemplifies the intensifying discourse surrounding authenticity in the construction of masculinity.
