Demeanor indexicals, interpretive discourses and the "Kong Girl" stereotype : constructing gender ideologies in social media

Document Type

Journal article

Source Publication

Journal of Language and Sexuality

Publication Date

1-1-2015

Volume

4

Issue

2

First Page

193

Last Page

222

Keywords

interpretive discourse, demeanor, gender stereotype, indexicality, gender ideologies, demeanor indexical

Abstract

Focusing on a Hong Kong online discussion involving ‘Jenny’, who was later described as the ‘Kong Girl’ prototype, we demonstrate a method to study gender stereotype as both semiotically and discursively constructed. We trace the perceivable signs in online posts as demeanor indexicals (Goffman 1956, Agha 2007), and discuss how forum participants collectively develop Jenny’s public persona as a woman who is materialistic and has an entitlement attitude, qualities that later become emblematic of the Kong Girl stereotype. Our analysis proposes a framework for how interpretive discourses mediate between the situated social media context and gender ideologies, and contributes to an understanding of the role of demeanor indexicals in the construction of a stereotype that is not associated with a linguistic register. We provide insights into local gender dynamics and illustrate how a private dispute becomes entangled in a public consensus building process that is necessarily selective, emergent, and positioned.

DOI

10.1075/jls.4.2.02che

Print ISSN

22113770

E-ISSN

22113789

Publisher Statement

Copyright © John Benjamins Publishing Company

Access to external full text or publisher's version may require subscription.

Full-text Version

Publisher’s Version

Language

English

Recommended Citation

Chen, K. H. Y., & Kang, M. A. (2015). Demeanor indexicals, interpretive discourses and the "Kong Girl" stereotype: Constructing gender ideologies in social media. Journal of Language and Sexuality, 4(2), 193-222. doi: 10.1075/jls.4.2.02che

Share

COinS