Date of Award
December 2012
Degree Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Arts
Department
Media Studies
First Advisor
Elana Levine
Committee Members
Mike Newman, Richard Popp
Keywords
Chinese Popular Culture, Chinese Reality TV, Lesbianism, Online Communities, Queerness, Slash Fandom
Abstract
This thesis presents a case study of one of the most popular online Chinese fandoms, Fei Se Chao Nv. This online Chinese fan forum is dedicated to slash writings and queer readings of androgynous female celebrities of a sensational Chinese reality TV show, Super Girl. The purpose of this study is to explicate the intricate negotiations between queer and normative cultures within this online, non-mainstream, fannish space. Through a discourse analysis of how the slash fans imagine lesbian relationships, narrate lesbian stories, and queerly gossip about the Super Girl androgynous celebrities in the forum, the study concludes that the fans' slash practices are frequently complicated by, and struggle with, the normative positioning of lesbian desires, identities, and relationships as deviant in heterocentric Chinese society.
Recommended Citation
Zhao, Jing, "Articulating the "L" Word Online: A Study of Chinese Slash Fandom of Super Girl" (2012). Theses and Dissertations. 48.
https://dc.uwm.edu/etd/48
Included in
Asian Studies Commons, Communication Commons, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Studies Commons