“Beauty Servitude” as Metaphor in Contemporary Chinese Discourse: An Invitational Rhetorical Perspective

Abstract

This study investigates the contested metaphor of “beauty servitude” (fu mei yi) in contemporary Chinese public discourse, examining how women’s beauty practices are rhetorically framed in relation to labor, obligation, agency, and structural constraint. Using qualitative rhetorical analysis, the study analyzes a public debate as its primary data source. The analysis combines high-frequency word statistics with inductive qualitative coding to identify recurring metaphorical patterns and argumentative strategies. Adopting invitational rhetoric as an analytical lens, this study shows that the metaphor both enables and constrains public understanding. While it invites attention to structural power and gender inequality, it may also limit recognition of women’s embodied experiences and self-defined agency.