China’s fashionable aunts: How single women are redefining success

In 18-year-old Shunshun’s eyes, her aunt Shan Hu is an aspirational role model — a graceful and intelligent woman who lives alone in a spacious apartment, works a coveted state job, and has impeccable taste. At their most recent family gathering, Shan appeared in a canary cashmere jumper paired with black Lululemon pants, accented with a bespoke necklace featuring a pen-shaped mother-of-pearl pendant finished with pearl and diamond spacers. Shan fits the trendsetting concept of “fashionable aunts,” which first appeared on China’s social media during 2023’s Spring Festival. Why Gen Z looks up to China’s stylish, independent aunts A video titled “my unmarried aunt came home and handed out red envelopes” went viral online, garnering over 12 million likes within a few days. The 13-second footage depicted a 26-year-old woman with flawless makeup and a kempt lob, dressed in a burgundy wool coat and white wide-leg pants, lavishly giving out red envelopes to her nieces and nephews. Since then, the image of a “pretty, wealthy, stylish” aunt who is unmarried and childless by choice has emerged as a new archetype of feminism in China. More fashionable and less demanding than their traditional counterparts, cool aunts have become role models for teenagers, especially girls just beginning to define their own adulthood. On popular lifestyle platform Xiaohongshu (also known RedNote), the hashtag “FashionableAuntIsBack” (#时髦小姨回家啦) has attracted 1.2 million posts and 466 million views. From PANKs to cyber aunts: The evolution of single, successful women In the West, the rise of “aunts” as empowered single females could date back to 2008, when author and entrepreneur Melanie Notkin coined the term PANK (professional aunt, no kids). Though more of a consumer conception than a sociological one, it quickly gained traction as a trope. On short-video app TikTok, #coolaunt amassed 140 million views. The 2013 book Where the Aunts Are: Family, Feminism, and Kinship in Popular Culture examines how real-life contemporary aunts transgress the assumed narrative of feminine identity and serve as alternative models to mothers. In China and more widely East Asia, aunts represent alternatives to women traditionally relegated to secondary roles in patriarchal societies. In Japan, 43% of surveyed young women view their aunts as life coaches. Luxury brands embrace China’s ‘cool aunt’ aesthetic Brands have cottoned on. While #AuntLiterature (#小姨文学) has racked up 2.2 million views on Xiaohongshu at the time of writing, #AuntFashion (#小姨穿搭) has surged ahead with 6.1 million. Actresses like Zhu Zhu and Jiang Yan, along with internet celebrities, convey a “cyber aunt” persona through understated luxury items. In response, labels created independent, rebellious “aunt” looks. Think oversized cashmere coats, and “China chic” jackets accented with a tinge of red. Does the ‘cool aunt’ stereotype prioritize style over substance? The trend has not gone unchallenged, though. Xiaohongshu blogger @Guandiaodianshiji (@关掉电视机) argues that this likable persona creates a new source of anxiety for women. By becoming the fashionable aunts, women are falling into the double trap of “consumerism and neo-maternalism,” reinforcing the normative primacy of motherhood, she says in a video liked and saved by over 600,000 users. For some, the “cool aunt” stereotype privileges beauty over intellect and insight. “I don’t mind being called ‘fashionable aunt,’ though I have a much fuller life than that,” Shan tells Jing Daily. “I want Shunshun and other children of my big family to see that a woman can have many choices that can’t be packed into a single label.” To be sure, “fashionable aunt” persona oversimplifies the roles of independent Chinese women who live in divergent situations and harbor different mindsets. The ‘she economy’ and China’s powerful generation of aunts The image of the "auntie" in real life is neither young and beautiful nor elegant and affluent — they are just navigating everyday life amid the chaos of societal expectations for women, at home and in the workplace. They embody a plethora of women's realities, which brands need to capture and weave into their narratives, instead of reducing this female demographic into a mere consumerist fantasy characterized by a sumptuous fur coat, a stack of generous red envelopes, and a glittering bachelorette life. From ‘leftover ladies’ to icons: The shifting perception of single women in China These “aunts,” mostly from China’s one-child generation, constitute a fascinating group. As their parents lavish love, money, and every available resource on them, they have achieved high educational attainment and professional growth. A 2024 study by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences reveals that since the generation born after 1985, women have surpassed their husbands in terms of educational achievement. Their experiences of huge socio-economic changes brought about by China’s reform and opening-up policy and globalization have enabled them to take a renewed look at gender, labor, and womanhood. Moreover, as many will be the sole inheritors of their family’s resources, this segment is on the way to becoming a significant proportion of China’s high-net-worth population. Many have high disposable incomes since they don’t have dependents to support. A 2024 homeownership report found that 61.6% of unmarried women had purchased a home of their own. For the fashion industry and particularly luxury brands, tapping the potential of this “aunt” generation means making genuine efforts to respect their individuality and explore their shifting values. At the very least, the shift from “leftover ladies,” a derogatory term for unmarried women, only a few years ago to today’s “fashionable aunts” marks a positive change in China’s luxury consumer landscape.

Professional, stylish, no kids: China’s ‘fashionable aunties’

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Professional, stylish, no kids: China’s ‘fashionable aunties’