Unpacking “Daddy’s Flavor”: The Playful Deconstruction of Chinese Mansplaining through Online Feminist Discourses

This study examines the burgeoning resistance among Chinese women to digital mansplaining, particularly through the lens of the catchword “Daddy’s Flavor” (die wei) in Chinese. Utilizing critical discourse analysis, the study posits that the rhetoric of “Daddy’s Flavor” is a modern manifestation of deep-rooted paternalistic dominance, reflecting traditional family dynamics and bolstered by patriarchal nationalism. In response, Chinese feminist online communities have crafted playful defiance to deconstruct the mansplaining through ironic imitation and ridicule of patriarchy. These tactics not only underscore the creativity within feminist activism in China but also contribute to a nuanced understanding of how gender power dynamics are contested in the digital age. This study theoretically enriches the understanding of the deep-rooted consequences of the traditional gender structure and its backwardness facing the contemporary social changes. It is worthy to examine the discursive resistance of feminism to break down the crisis of women’s silences. Such nuanced but essential response highlights the dynamic entanglement between the conservativism and neoliberalism within the Chinese socio-cultural landscape.