Chyna Subject Of New Book Looking at 2000 Media's Portrayal of Women

The life and career of WWE Hall of Famer Chyna will be part of an upcoming book looking at the media's portrayal of women in the 2000s.

Chyna, real name Joanie Laurer, debuted in the World Wrestling Federation in 1997 as part of D-Generation X. After splitting from the group, Chyna would become a two-time Intercontinental Champion, the first woman to hold the title. After winning the Women's Championship in 2001, Chyna would leave the promotion that same year.

Chyna will be one of several women covered in an upcoming book by Sarah Ditum. Toxic: The Story of Nine Famous Women in the Tabloid 2000s will look into how the public perception of women in the 2000s was influenced by the media and the effect that this had on the women themselves. A synopsis for the book reads as follows:

"Welcome to celebrity culture in the early aughts: the reign of Perez Hilton, celebrity sex tapes, and dueling tabloids fed by paparazzi who were willing to do anything to get the shot. It was a time when the Internet was still the Wild West, and when slut-shaming, fat-shaming, and revenge porn were all considered perfectly legitimate. Celebrity was seen as a commodity to be consumed, and for the famous women of this era, they were never as popular—or as vulnerable—as when they were in crisis."

Toxic: The Story of Nine Famous Women in the Tabloid 2000s is currently set for a January 2024 release.

The 2000s would be an interesting time for Chyna, and would see her pose nude for Playboy twice. In 2001, her autobiography If They Only Knew was released and spent time on the New York Times Best Sellers list. Chyna would appear on multiple reality TV shows and her adult video 1 Night in China was released in 2004. In one of the final YouTube videos before her death, Chyna said that the footage of her and Sean 'X-Pac' Waltman being intimate was shared without her permission.