ABSTRACT
In recent years, online Chinese fandoms have embraced using animal metaphors like “bunny” or “kitten” to represent pop idols affectionately. Through an analysis of the Detective Academy fandom on Weibo from the perspective of symbolic interactionism, this study examines how fans assign personalised metaphorical meanings to associate idols with specific animal symbols. It investigates how this meaning-making process around animal metaphors facilitates social bonding between fans and shapes group identity within the fandom community. Additionally, it explores how animal metaphors enable fans’ identity exploration and emotional expression by allowing them to project desired qualities onto idols while modelling powerful caretaker roles for themselves. The study compiles prevalent metaphors attributed to Detective Academy cast members through participatory observation of the Weibo fandom community and textual analysis of posts. Findings reveal that fans actively construct subjective interpretive meanings for metaphors based on idols’ attributes, strengthening emotional expression and deeper bonding between fans and idols. Shared animal metaphors facilitate a sense of belonging, unity, and a common identity among fans. Furthermore, the integration of personalised animal metaphors also allows fans to project desired qualities onto idols and illuminates how meaning is incorporated into the construction of identity.
