Sexuality and fashion, in a Chinese context : a study of the glocalization culture in the Chinese glossy magazine: Nan Ren Zhuang, in comparison with its UK edition: For Him Magazine

Abstract

The thesis aims to study the glocalization of culture embedded in a male magazine: Nan Ren Zhuang (NRZ) in China. Because this Chinese title is modelled on the British lad title For Him Magazine (FHM UK), my dissertation wants to measure how the global and local identities are well presented in NRZ. The Trends Group which owns NRZ has copyright cooperation with Bauer Media Group which owns FHM UK to publish the Chinese edition of FHM UK in the Chinese market. The commercial success NRZ achieved in China attracted my attention. I wanted to get to know why this Chinese title could adopt its British model to cater for the local market. In order to clarify the phenomenon regarding cultural exchanges and flows between the two titles, I utilize the term “glocalization” to define the cultural presentations in NRZ.

I conduct a case study on NRZ in my thesis, and I also compare NRZ and FHM UK. The comparison first explores how NRZ is influenced by FHM UK, how it adopts the international model. Then the focus shifts to how NRZ reshaped the international model. The semiotic analysis on sexy women’s images and fashionable men’s images in NRZ further illustrates that there are different cultural and social meanings in the presenting of sexuality and fashion in both magazines. The denotations and connotations behind the images are different. The semiotic analysis shows how local cultural settings are crucial for reshaping and resonating global influence.

The research conclusions shed light on rethinking the theory of “glocalization”. “glocalization” can be used as a dynamic term in explaining and defining popular cultural flows between different territories in the world. The glocalization culture in NRZ that is interpreted in multiple layers shows dual or even hybridity aspects which would eventually trigger off cultural diversity and pluralism for For Him Magazine worldwide.