Rewiring Gender Norms? The Paradox of Empowerment in Cyberpunk Microfilm Advertising

Cyberpunk—a genre known for its neon-soaked dystopias and tech-augmented rebels—has found a new medium in microfilm advertisements. These short, cinematic ads, distributed via online platforms, merge futuristic aesthetics with commercial storytelling, offering a compelling space to explore evolving gender narratives. In a recent study, Zhou and Jin (2025) analyzed 16 Cyberpunkstyle microfilm advertisements (CMA) to examine how gender is constructed and portrayed in this emerging format.