Author: Shuying Liu
Liu, Shuying, 2021 The “left-over” chicks: an analysis of the representation of women in Chinese chick flicks and the “left-over girl” discourse in the People’s Republic of China , Flinders University, College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences
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This thesis discusses the relationship between the representation of women in Chinese chick flicks and the changing nature of gender relations in 21st century China. A film named Sophie's Revenge (Jin, 2009), which was released into Mainland Chinese cinemas marked the beginning of the emergence of the Hollywood genre in this market. In the past decade, chick flicks have become a phenomenon in Mainland Chinese cinema; many of them achieved huge financial success. Meanwhile, a new phrase, "left-over girls," emerged into the media and social media, and even got collected into the official dictionary. The phrase is used to describe women who have not been married by a certain age, usually 25. It has become a common phrase to describe single women, used not only by the general public but also by some government reports. This thesis examines the correlation between the representation of women in Chinese chick flicks and the "left-over girl" discourse. It uses content analysis and textual analysis to identify the presentation of women in chick flicks and read these films in relation to contemporary concerns about gender. I argue that the production of Chinese chick flicks contributes to a great extent to producing and reproducing the "left-over girl" discourse.
Keywords: Chinese Cinema, Chick Flick, Feminist Film Theory
Subject: Women's Studies thesis
Thesis type: Masters
Completed: 2021
School: College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences
Supervisor: Barbara Baird