“Say no to the commodification of our uterus”: A multimodal critical discourse analysis of anti-surrogacy posts on Chinese social media

This study explores how multimodal anti-surrogacy discourse is constructed and disseminated on Xiaohongshu, a Chinese social media platform known for its young female user base. Using the 2024 Qingdao underground surrogacy scandal as a case study, the research analyzes 26 highly engaged video posts through Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA), applying van Leeuwen’s frameworks of social actor representation and legitimation strategies. The findings revealed that Xiaohongshu users framed surrogacy as an exploitative practice that commodifies women’s bodies and children, reinforcing class hierarchies, with discursive strategies such as moral evaluation, rationalization, and dramatized scenario simulations to highlight systemic injustice. Surrogates were portrayed as passive victims, while clients and intermediaries were depicted as powerful agents of exploitation. The study also uncovered a strong resistance narrative, with users proposing creative, platform aesthetics, and grassroots tactics to challenge the normalization and potential legalization of surrogacy. Unlike earlier Weibo-based discussions centered on celebrity scandals, Xiaohongshu enabled a deeper structural critique through multimodal storytelling. These findings assist to understand the role of social media in shaping public discourse on bioethical issues in China and suggest that digital platforms can serve as spaces for collective moral negotiation and socio-political engagement.