Decoding the gendered design and (dis)affordances of face-editing technologies in China

Xinyuan Luo, Renwen Zhang

Abstract: Highlights•Designers encode their biases into artifacts. Beauty apps have been found to embed a "programmed masculinity" that is binary, stereotypical, and immutable, leading to a "gender panopticon" that monitors and disciplines men's gender expressions.•Beauty apps' design has a discrepancy between what they offer and the needs of male users who have diverse masculinity perceptions.•Beauty apps majorly reflect feminized design, thus stereotyping gender roles and expressions. The limited features for men further this stereotype.•Technology can marginalize and exclude certain users, particularly those from socially disadvantaged groups. Beauty apps perpetuate strict beauty standards, which can marginalize those whose appearance doesn't fit certain ideals.•For equitable design, apps should allow users to define their gender, ensuring a wide representation in terms of icons, marketing, labels, and functionality.